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| Vol.3.128 | |
Dorks Rule, Others Droolby Vince PoscenteAuthor of The Ant and the Elephant, Invinceable Principles and The Age of Speed
Interesting! An eleven year-old girl picked up on the importance of being authentic. Yet, being authentic is something that we adults can associate with vulnerability, weakness and even, in a goofy-subconscious way - inferiority. You may be noddin' yer noggin' in agreement. Authenticity is indeed important. Before we do the self congratulatory snap of the tighty-whiteys, let's look at authenticity. Not too long ago, an up-and-coming speaker contracted me to spend a few hours with her. Our objective? Figure out what her message should be. She was an expert in the world of authenticity but we determined selling authenticity in the workplace would be a challenge. Why? Answer this question. Are you authentic? Your answer would probably be "Yes!" Of our 12,000 subscribers, that's a lot of yeses. Yet, if I asked you: Is a lack of authenticity an issue with many people today? You might be inclined to say, "yes" too. Of course, it's those other people that have issues with authenticity. (Except for Dorks of course.) Ay, there's the rub, Hamlet. Selling authenticity in the workplace is tough because most of us think other people have the problem. "I don't need her stuff. Those inauthentic people should buy it." The truth is, you don't know what you don't know. Being authentic is something we could, and should, all seek to improve on. Hold onto your pocket protector, we're kicking the moped into third gear. People buy from people they trust. If your lips are moving, you're probably trying to sell something (product, service, idea, direction, concept, your lack of dorkiness). Question: Why would someone buy your agenda?Spending your time being believable and trustworthy can be unconsciously attached to hiding your vulnerability and weakness (a.k.a. authenticity). Yet, the people we are most connected to are the people that have revealed their true self. We have experienced the good, bad and the dorky. We trust them! We buy from a true friend but we are dubious around those who are inauthentic in some way. Here's your homework. The next time you try to sell a product or service, tell your prospect about something that might be a tad embarrassing about the first time you went on a sales call. The next time you try to sell an idea, direction or concept, share a story how you messed up in the past. The next time you try to hide your dork-a-liciousness - break out your Celine Dion CDs and do a three-minute, freestyle interpretation of the chicken dance. You're a dork and the world needs to see who you truly are. They'll love you for it. Until next week, it's full speed ahead,
PS. If you want to explore the topic of authenticity, invest in Invinceable Principles in book or audio book format. There are other people that could really use it ;-)
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© 2010 Vince Poscente. All Rights Reserved. |
Our uber-Poscente, Alex - a pure mix between her mom and dad, said something fascinating the other day. "Dorks are real dad. They don't try to pretend to be anything else like most kids. They don't hide who they are. That's important."