I was speaking at an event recently as their motivational keynote speaker, and someone came up to me afterwards and said, “That was great! I love your style!”
“You mean my cowboy boots?” I asked, making a mental note to go buy three more pairs and insisting to my husband that this was a work expense.
“No,” she answered. “Your style on stage. I really loved it.”
I was so tickled, I gave her four free copies of my book (I’m a sucker for praise) and coasted all day on her words. Me – the geeky kid you threw things at on the bus in middle school – had a style! Who knew? It was only when I got in the car to drive home that I realized I had no idea what she was talking about. What was she seeing in me that I wasn’t seeing in myself? When did I get style? What did it look like? And, even more important, was I doing a good job of selling it?
I started thinking about the word style. Elvis had a style. Disney-world has a style. Southwest Airlines has a style. Lady Gaga invented the word. Shoot, even my friends in college had a style. I was the loud one dancing on the bar because I had lost five pounds and thought I looked cute in a tank top, while my friend Norma was shoving free happy hour shrimp in her book bag. Style is that something that sets us apart – that makes us recognizable to our market –that describes us in just a note or two. So style is probably just another way of talking about your brand – but for some reason referring to is as “my style” is easier for me to grasp – maybe because I’m addicted to beauty products and own a Bedazzler.
No matter what kind of business we are in – we have a style. Your logo has a style. Your website has a style. Your tradeshow booth has a style. And you, the representative of your product or service, have a style. So the question isn’t really whether you have one – but do you have one that sets you apart – that people notice? And is that style consistent in everything you do and print and publish online?
So today I ask What’s your style? How do your customers describe you? If you don’t know, hang tight. I’ll write about that in the next article. But for now, I want you to just think about it. It might just make all the difference.
About the author:
Motivational speaker Kelly Swanson is an award winning author, storyteller and comedian. Kelly teaches audiences how to “Stand Up and Stick Out” in a crowded market – because no one notices normal.
