When we were in grade school, teachers rewarded conformity. You should color inside the lines, make your letters like everyone else and obey the rules. As we aged, peers further instilled conformity deeming anyone unusual as a pariah. Even bosses have unwritten norms and
expectations that your interviews rarely reveal.
OMG! Time To Grow Up – Skip ahead to today where you are in business for yourself. If you have let all that conformity stick, you are not going to survive long. Take a good look at yourself. If you were (or are) one of the “high schoolers” that cares more about what is acceptable to your peers than what you know is good for business – stop reading and go work on your resume. (Sorry to be abrupt, but I’d rather help you and everyone close to you now.)
Don’t Walk The Line – There is a fine line to being noticed or notable. Being noticed can be a negative thing. I’m sure you’ve experienced those people that upon first introduction see it as their cue to launch into a sales pitch. Once you get a reputation like this, people often avoid them knowing what’s to come. It’s noticeable, but not in a good way.
Be Notable – This means you are doing something so exceptional that it’s impossible for anyone to deny you are the very best person for the job. This ties directly back into your USP. Having a very strong unique 
selling proposition that you back up and deliver is one of your best ways to become notable. Of course, you need to exorcise those high school demons and shun conformity. If you are going to be different, do it where it’s going to translate into dollars.
Walk, Then Run Your Talk – Average is not exceptional. Don’t just walk your talk, dance – skip – fly – and run it! You shouldn’t be shooting for “okay”. The true non-conformists, those exceptional businesses aren’t just doing well. They are constantly seeking opportunities to be unique, special and superior. They are not satisfied with business being good. They task risks that scare others, embarrass their families and sometimes fail brilliantly. But, the one that works is all it takes to go from obscurity to superiority.
I double, dog dare you to be superior!
Paula Pollock is Director of the Pollock Marketing Group: elevating business owners to marketing entrepreneurs, training them to know their client inherently and see market opportunities that were invisible before. To receive her quick-read, weekly marketing tips and her Special Report, “7 Client Attraction Secrets That Will Double Your Income,” CLICK HERE and sign up.www.paulapollock.com
