PhilThis week I wanted to talk about something that will no doubt get a mixed bag of reviews. It is something that I discussed (at great length!) with several clients last week, all of whom had completely different views on the subject.
Should you pretend to be something you are not?
Really, in order to understand the question better I should probably try to explain where I am coming from with this.
One of my clients is very much like me. He is a one man band, works out of his home office, and outsources some of his services in order to provide the best possible end product to his customers. However, he gets extremely embarrassed about the fact that he doesn’t pay for expensive premises and have staff working for him. He believes that someone will only do business with “reputable” businesses, of which working from home as a sole trader doesn’t class as reputable.
This is something that I totally disagree with!
In my honest opinion, it really doesn’t matter what the size of your business, where you are based, or how many employees you have. A reputable business (in my own view) is a business that has a proven track record. The business you are considering using/buying from should be able to display a kind of “portfolio” of work and/or achievements. You may think this is hard when it’s a brand new business, but I did it. I carried out several projects free-of-charge in return for the rights to display the work as a portfolio, and in exchange for a testimonial telling others what my service was like. It worked perfectly.
Then, another of my clients pitched their idea, that actually most people prefer to use smaller businesses because they know they don’t have the same expense to cover, ultimately meaning lower prices. He also argued that the smaller the business the better the service.
And then another, who completely turned the argument on its head and said that if you are going to be in business then it should be large scale with solid investment.
To me, these are all valid arguments, but it really does depend on your own personal view.
I guess that it doesn’t really matter how big or small your business is, it doesn’t really matter how many employees you have (and you may have none!), it doesn’t really matter whether you have a flash office or work out of your spare bedroom, and it really doesn’t matter whether you are a new start-up or a hardened business person.
The only thing that DOES matter is that you should never pretend to be something you are not!
Forget being small and projecting the image of a large scale company. And forget being a big business and playing things down to come across as a smaller more personal operation.
Instead, choose what you want to do, do it to the very best of your ability, and be open and honest with your prospects and clients as to whom you really are.
Yeah, sure, you may loose one person’s custom because they were looking for a bigger firm, but on a positive side, you gain better and much more suited clients as a result. You attract the right kind of customer to make your business the success it deserves to be.
Honesty is a very small price to pay for success, and you will be amazed how easily success comes simply as a result of being honest.
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Phil has had many other businesses including Coaching, Marketing and PR, Graphic and Website Design, and Online Learning. His current venture is Phil Johnson Business Services, providing low-cost essential services to the newly self-employed and small and medium enterprises. Aside from this Phil runs Major-Business.net, a free source of quality help, advice, tips and tricks on many business and personal development subjects, catch Phil on Twitter
photo credit: quinn.anya
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Very, very good points, Phil! I, for one would never try to pretend being something I’m not, particularly because I’m not too good at it lol. I’m always at my best when I’m simply acting like myself and doing what I’m honestly interested in. I’d simply feel totally uncomfortable trying to covert all that up with some sort of facade, and I hope my blog reflects that perfectly.
I, for example, have plenty of geeky topics, such as video games, that I freely relate to fitness and martial arts because that’s how I think, and I don’t think it’s wrong to try and hide that so my blog can appear more “professional” or whatever.
Noel´s last [type] ..THE PREDATORS WORKOUT
Hey Phil,
I’m glad you touched on this subject. This has been something I have been discussing at length with friends/associates recently. Most of my business comes from coaching and training so I am definitely in the “dealing with people” business and I have used speaking engagements and video blogging (among other things) to market myself.
Well it wasn’t until recently that I realized I was not being totally authentic when I spoke to an audience or camera. I would sometimes turn on an over-enthusiastic voice and speak differently than normal. I would also hold back some of my more embarrassing stories with the fear that these stories might kill my credibility (especially from a coaching perspective).
Then a friend called me out on some of my “antics” and it hit home pretty hard. The only way I was going to be totally sharp and of highest value to my clients was if I give them the straight goods. Be willing to be vulnerable. Share ALL of my learning experiences and speak to the camera and live audiences as I would speak to a friend… no fakeness.
I have been working on this daily for the past 5 or 6 months and the impact has been amazing. I am so much more comfortable and more effective in my business. It has also helped me open up more in social situations.
Thanks for the insight today
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Hey Justin,
I agree…it’s been amazing for me also. I’ve just decided to be myself, and let everything else fall into place. However, I’m definitely overdue for some more videos here on the TIP site. I just have like 20 thoughts on things I’m wanting to work on and do, that, well, it just needs to get scheduled in.
Take care,
Brandon
There is a fine line between “pretending to be something that you’re not” and marketing yourself well. Sure it is wrong and stupid to make false claims and say that you have done things that you have not, but it is just common sense to paint the rosiest picture possible by emphasizing the points that you want emphasized.
Hey Tyler,
I also agree with the marketing end of this. I do believe we need to be ourselves, but I also firmly believe we can make changes in both our presentations, and marketing. And by marketing, I mean developing the skills to be a better marketer.
Absolutely.
Talk soon,
Brandon
So many out there are fakes, funny thing I was just thinking the same thing this morning about how real people are, even here online. How do we perceive these businesses, big or small, it doesn’t matter. I believe everyone has their own purpose and if we all help each other in a small or big way, that is what makes good business. Thanks for sharing your points.
How is James?
PurpleB´s last [type] ..Well I never
Talked with him the other day. He is meeting with the top specialist in the country right now and they are diligently working through everything. His family is well. He’s plugging and chugging. No quit in that man.
Brandon
I totally agree with you. Sure, you change people’s perception of you to be slightly larger than life, and the perception of an expert, but you should never lie about what you really are.
It’s just like the so-called gurus with the photoshopped bank statements and the clip art mansions that try to sell junk e-books to unsuspecting customers.
If you air out your dirty laundry a little and you show your customers that you are really there to help them, but you are also a real human being, you will go far.
-Joshua Black
The Underdog Millionaire
T.I.P Team Member
Joshua Black | The Underdog Millionaire´s last [type] ..Find Thousands in Hidden Assets with This One Tip
A bizzare thing. A couple of times a week I speak with large firms with a heavily accented ‘Andy’ or ‘John’ who quite clearly aren’t as down the road as they would have you believe.
I agree with you, be yourself and people will respect you more.
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More heavily accented than the Brits? Wow! That IS incredible.
Hi all!
Thanks for the excellent response. And I’m glad that there is more than one opinion surfacing here. Great to get an insight into how everyone else thinks too.
The underlying message throughout all the replies is the same however… be yourself! Yes, there is a difference in marketing yourself well and simply pretending to be something you are not.
Choose to be good at marketing, and not to be good at pretending.
Phil Johnson´s last [type] ..Essential Basics- 7 Simple Steps to Budget Setting and Tracking
Oh man, excellent subject Phil – I was just thinking about this today.
It’s always upset me to see so much website copy use “us” and “we” when it’s clearly a one person operation. Ya know, from a consumer I really like that it’s just one person because I can build a one-to-one relationship.
Be proud of your success regardless your size!
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When I opened my first business I bought into the idea that you had to appear much larger than you were. I operated a CPA firm from my home. It was well equipped with all the necessary equipment, and I even had a nice conference room.
Not a single client complained about my space, yet I felt the need to apologize every time one visited my home office. On the phone, at networking events, and at church I would talk about how busy I was and how business was booming.
I later found out that I missed out on quite a few client referrals because my clients were concerned I was overworked. The truth was that I had just started out and I needed every client I could get. My strategy of trying to appear just as big and busy as the other firms backfired on me.
It was a lesson learned the hard way. Thanks for the reminder that we need to just be who we are and accept what that brings.
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