How polarizing are you?
Mention Apple Computers to a group of 100 people and you’ll quickly divide them into 2 groups: Lovers & Haters
Bring up Quarterback Brett Favre to 100 NFL fans and you’ll get the same thing…they either love him or hate him.
I received a text from a friend that was in the audience when I spoke to a group of business owners not too long ago. He wrote,
“Some people gravitate toward the light…others hide from it. To be ‘strong’ is polarizing…I dig it.”
I spoke on how to build a strong business. In this talk I compare a strong business to a strong body (I’m a Kettlebell dude, so this is natural for me). I talk honestly about the habits we need to develop in order to be strong and healthy and clearly tell the audience that if they don’t embrace the resistance and build these habits…they will not have a strong business.
So, they are then divided. Two groups
Group 1 This is good stuff. I’m ready to take action.
Group 2 Tom’s full of crap.
The herd was thinned. I lost half of the people the minute I took a stand on what a strong business looked like.
Where Do You Really Stand?
As a leader you need to plant your flag in the ground. My friend Greg is the founder of the worlds largest water garden feature company. He said over 30 years ago that “everyone wants a pond in their yard, they just don’t know it yet.”
He took a stand and that vision has guided him for years. Greg is a polarizing personality. It’s hard to find people that are neutral in their opinion of him. Ask him how to be successful in the pond business and he will very directly tell you how.
“Some people gravitate toward the light…others hide from it. To be ‘strong’ is polarizing…”
Polarize…Then, Monetize
Who do you want as a client? Hopefully, not the people in the middle. They’re on the bubble and can go either way too easily.
I want the people that buy into my vision and believe what I believe (Google Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk on The Power of Why).
Many business owners stress over identifying who their ideal clients are, but it doesn’t need to be difficult.
Are you a photographer that does the best work and charges twice the industry average? Be polarizing. Tell the world, “If you believe investing top dollar into having a first class image is crucial to telling the right story about you and your business, then we’re a good fit.”
What kind of clients will you get? Certainly not the ones that don’t want to spend top dollar. Most likely not the ones that are middle of the road.
You’ll get the ones that believe what you believe. And, they will gladly pay more for what you do.
My message to the world is that you must embrace resistance in order to build a strong life or business. You will need to be uncomfortable at times. You will need to take a stand. You will never reach your full potential unless you become as strong as you can be…physically, mentally and emotionally.
