Urgent question for you- What’s your position?
With a position in this context, this includes the company you are working with-- what value do you want to bring others? Or said in another way: Who do you want to miss YOU and your art/guidance/results if you didn’t keep bringing it to them?
That question has always been important. Now is urgent. The exponential growth we see in most areas, professions, and trades is wonderful. But will soon leave most of us in a state of feeling like we’ve got a 30-year-old kitchen when trying to sell our house. For example, gamification has solved a lot of scientifically challenging topics that wasn’t solved in 15 years or more. These very same problems are now solved within hours. That kind of difference will just become bigger and bigger.
You might think this is just for us nerdy computer geeks. Sure a computer can analyse way better than me. But try to ask a cab driver about what they feel right now with Uber. Or an artist about Spotify. Or Lawyers about insanely effective on-demand analytics.. and soon driver-less cars. No profession will be untouched. Everything will become more effective. Become aware and aware of how and where, so you can harness this and be ahead of the wave of change so you’ll not have to jump ship on the same wave as everyone else.
And help your friends, family, co-workers become aware too. Listen to it. Make up your own mind.
One way to think about when embracing this urgent need for change is getting better clients. This change has been long in the making. Remember travel-agents with great stores 20 years ago? Banks physical locations. We're living in the shared instant access area of Exponential Growth right now and we cheered at not having to cue at banks, at having algorithms help us instead-find the best travel offer etc. And I'm still VERY optimistic about the future and its NEVER been as easy to help others as it is today, its easier than ever to do the important work, to make a difference, to connect today. But please start. Don't wait. its been long in the making but now it's urgent. You see computers, analytics and soon robots don't sleep. They keep chewing on becoming better and better second after second. Slowly becoming more and more effective and we're now at a point in the exponential graph where it's getting faster and faster quick. Act now and ride that wave.
Get better clients
If you want to avoid becoming a commodity you’ll need to actively work to choose your clients. That’s right that means MORE effort in the beginning. Choosing your clients will make you more successful than just helping those that ask/those you ask.
Tim Ferris says 80/20 – 20% of your client will cost you more than the 80% combined. And I’d say it's not just about money costs. It's also about your energy, your reputation and everything else.
Some people have a huge need of for example feeling heard. They will most likely never think in their mind that you’re paying them enough attention. And the placebo effect is huge. They’ll see proof of that everywhere. The alternative cost of that is huge versus a client that is thankful for the attention you give them and the result it wields. Second guessing is draining. Investing and focusing on creating results is re-energizing. People who have the power themselves to act on your results will make themselves more successful thus making your results look more important.
YOU NEED TO CREATE THE RESULTS OR TRUST FIRST
You can't expect the right client to wait for you without nothing. You need to make a choice easy for them. Either by building trust they when you’ll create their future you’ll deliver on it, OR by having results proving you’ve already done what they’re asking you to do successfully for others. Of course having both trust and results are better. But it's hard to have trust before we have any sort of relationships but surely without any trust, you’ll now be asked to help. It's your job to be 100% true, told in a for them relevant, persuasive manner.
Own your own position
Own your own position. Become recognizable you for some results and some people you do that for. Own that niche. In the internet age there is power in being small, niched down. If you’re well-known for a very specific area, with having helped a lot of clients reach their success in that very specific area you’re not in comparison with the other candidates for that position that they’re looking to fill. Owning your position does not work if you try to squeeze and turn your resume towards the current area you’re seeking an assignment for. Owning means I was here before you where you were looking and I will be here once we complete making you successful in yours. Daring to choose your area requires awareness and results that you’re proud of. Make it very niche down. Experiment with descripting your results until your old clients cheer at you for your accuracy in describing what you did for them.