How to Win Client Business When You Don't Know Where to Start

CHAPTER 8You Can't Sell Beyond Your Credibility Zone: The Cautionary Tale of EDS

There is one fundamental I can't teach you – you have to have a bona fide expertise. There's no faking expert knowledge.

—Lee W. Frederiksen, Elizabeth Harr, Sylvia S. Montgomery, The Visible Expert

Creating a strong personal brand identity is the first of the five rainmaker skills for a reason: without one, we won't have a seat at the table when our client makes a decision. And we won't be top of mind when a prospective client asks a colleague for a referral. An unfocused, undifferentiated brand identity is like the bland decor we find in every government office.

While not an easy process or an exact science, you've got a good start at understanding how to go about defining your personal brand identity through the careful selection of your functional expertise, target audience, and geographic focus.

Before we transition to the second rainmaker skill – demonstrating your professional expertise – I want to share with you a cautionary tale to illustrate what happens to those who stray from a strong brand identity. It's a personal story. It's part of my life's history. It's the story of EDS (Electronic Data Systems).

There are two common mistakes I've witnessed as it relates to flaws in an individual's – or a firm's – brand identity:

1. Not having a clear brand identity: Trying to be all things to all people
2. Straying from a strong brand identity: Having a clear brand identity and expanding into areas ...