Yesterday I said that personality was one way to differentiate your services from your competitors.

Sometimes, it's the only way.

But what if you don't have a “big” personality?

That's OK. Big personalities are great on stage, but I wouldn't want to work with one day-in, day-out.

What I mean by personality is more about being more open. Letting people see “the real you”. Admitting your flaws. Admitting your strange likes and dislikes. 

We're all wonderfully different. We click with some people and not with others. 

The problem is that most of us bury who we are beneath an air of professionalism. And that makes it difficult for potential clients to see enough of us to click. 

I mentioned James Altucher yesterday. He goes much further than most. He winds his advice in his emails into stories of his insecurities, failures, hang-ups, but ultimately successes.  

I care about James. I want him to succeed just as much as I want him to send me good advice. So much so that I actually got upset when I heard he'd split with his wife.

Most of us probably don't need to go as far as he does in sharing his personal experiences. But that personal angle is important. Think about the “water cooler” conversations you had at work or the chats about random nonsense in the office canteen. It was that chit-chat that helped you build relationships with colleagues.

Transfer that to your marketing.

No one wants to hear about your trivia every day, of course. But wrapping your valuable information in your personal experiences makes you more relatable. And it also makes your advice feel more concrete and “real world”.

A challenge for you: next time you write a blog post, article or email, or do a podcast or video: embed the tips you give in a personal story. See how it works out.

Better yet, tell me how it works out :)