Are you exceptional? question from Katherine your marketing and sales speaker

My passion is marketing and I love working with businesses and non profits to increase revenue.  As a marketing and sales speaker I help people brand themselves to find jobs and to build business. Sometimes people confuse marketing with mass messages instead of helping customers and clients fall in love with your product or service.  Think about two people you know who sell the same product.  One sales person you love and cannot wait to work with and the other you would rather not visit with.  The hard reality,  some people stand out and are memorable and some do not know the secret to marketing and sales.

Recently someone very close to me told me I was exceptional. The next day a client told me I was exceptional.  I was grateful for the compliment but I was honestly stunned.  Websters says,  Exceptional:  not common, rare, exceeds expectations, above and beyond the norm.  When I read the definition I thought of someone  who fit these words perfectly. My exceptional friend is so caring, smart, loyal and fun that everyone who meets him cannot help but want to be around him. In business he is  positive, credible and will go above and beyond to help his customers and protect his fellow co-workers.  No wonder he is number one in his company and his family and friends adore him. The definition of exceptional describes his work and personal life ,which he built on faith and integrity.

The best example is the Hope Diamond, when I saw it, it took my breath away and no other diamond will ever compare.  In marketing and sales our job is to wow our clients and customers.  As a job seeker our goal is to stand above the competition.  How do you wow your customers?  How do you exceed expectations?  As a marketing keynote speaker I provide  tools and resources to help people build their brand and wow their clients/ employers.  The use of mentors, relationship building, coaching, faith and education are cited by great leaders as ways to help you grow.  I encourage you to look at the people in your life who made a difference and helped you grow.  Often we are told to look to Jack Welch, Warren Buffet or Donald Trump for lessons in leadership and personal branding.  There are great lessons from these men but think back to your past for a moment, what about a teacher, uncle, first boss or coach who helped you and challenged you to grow.  The people who took the time to invest in you by challenging you.  My exceptional friend once told me that a professor he admired wrote on his paper, “You have a great mind, use it”  My friend carried that quote with him for years and it challenged him to give his best. 

As you begin your day take a moment and consider the words that challenge you and learn from the people around you who are exceptional.  The goal maybe to increase revenue but that will come easily if your priority is to wow your client/customer by going above and beyond expectations.  When I created my company I set a policy that our staff, including me, will always ask clients at the end of every meeting, Did I meet your expectations?  We not only find out if clients expect more but we find that clients are impressed that we want to go above and beyond what is expected.

Today, give your all in your unique way and take the risk to put yourself second and your clients first.