I want to introduce you to a concept that we at Brand Builders Group, where I am a co-founder and CEO, believe strongly in.
We have this concept called Sheahan’s Wall that we work and live by. We actually named this after a friend of ours, Peter Sheahan, because we think this illustration is very reflective of the struggle of most individuals who are building and monetizing their personal brand.
Before I get started, I want to point out that many of you don’t realize that you have a public-facing personal brand, because it’s not intentional. But just because you don’t have one that’s intentional doesn’t mean you don’t have one. You do.
That being said, let me introduce you to Sheahan’s wall. There’s a wall and it’s represented in this video, with this line down the middle and on the left-hand side of that wall, a section that represents all of you that are unknown to the people that you need to be known by. Customers, followers, prospective clients, media, all these incredibly important individuals that you are unknown to.
Now, on the right-hand side of the wall, there’s the known category, which means those people know who you are. You are seen as an influencer, a thought leader, when you’re operating in this space. You may or may not have a widely regarded reputation, but you are known in your space.
That could be your local town, your region, your state. It could be in the United States or maybe you could be, if you’re Pit Bull, Mr. Worldwide. I don’t know, but I know that when you’re on this side of the wall, you are known.
However, there’s this line down the middle. Now the challenge is that there’s a set of facts, a set of criteria, that caused someone to live on that left-hand side, the unknown category.
And here’s what they are: you have too many topics that you’ve talked about. You have too many products that you’re trying to offer. You have too many profiles that don’t connect to each other.
They don’t talk to each other. You have too many different business models that you’re trying to achieve, because somebody has told you that you should have a coaching program and a speaking program. And they say in addition to your financial planning business, you should also be doing webinars. And they say in addition to your fashion business, you should also have a course you offer.
It’s always about something you should be doing “in addition to” what you are already an expert at. There’s too many things going on and not enough focus.
You’re doing too many jobs. One thing we learned from our entrepreneur, executive and C-suite clients, is that too often they play the role of janitor to secretary, to CEO, and there’s too many things happening.
That’s not all. Unfortunately, the biggest catch for most of us is that we have way too many ideas and not enough time to execute and implement them. I want you to understand that all these moving plates cause a dilution of focus. And if you have diluted focus, you have diluted results, which means you are unknown to the world around you.
There is not enough intention and attention to one focused and specific set of expertise that you want to be known for. That’s where we really have to start, asking yourself that question right there. What do you want to be known for?
Ask yourself this when building out your expert bio, because your expert bio should be nothing other than a supporting set of statements to build credibility and awareness of what and who you want to be known for.
