Excuse me, but who are you? (I want to know about you!)

These are words that can make you feel good! Someone wants to know you! They care enough to ask. They have reached out to you.

But they can also be excruciating. Especially if you have met the person several times before. It means, they forgot you. Or can’t recall your name. But it can also be read with disdain; like they can’t believe you just did what you did.

In business, we often hear how important it is to know your audience and your product. But it takes more than that. The customer needs to know you and “who you are”. And remember it!

This is what your Core Values are. It’s (I would suggest 3) things that you want people to remember about you. Things that will never change about you. Often, it’s the reason that customers started doing business with you or why they stay with you. Ah, return business!

In an economic downturn, it’s essential for you to know (or be reminded) of these things. Because in the dash to make a profit, values can be sacrificed. Then, customers ask the question, who ARE you? And they hardly recognize you.

Say one of your core values is honesty. And something comes up that it’s easier to twist the truth and make a few extra dollars. Or that a core value is caring. And you feel you have to rush client service in order to be more profitable.

The last things you should “sacrifice” on the altar of viability are your Core Values. They are the essence of YOU!

Take time today and ask yourself “who am I” or “who is the company I work for”. What are the core values that arise that are so important that you’d rather fail than change them. List a bunch. Then ask others.

Today in our Team Monday Morning meeting at BeKnownForSomething I asked others on the team what our core values are. As a business owner, my employees represent more of the team than I do. Hearing what they say, helps me realize the job I’m doing communicating the type of Team I’m trying to build. It was eye-opening.

Now I’m in the process of combining my list with theirs. Then I’ll choose the 3 things that no one will ever change about Be Known For Something. This agency will crash and burn before I change them.

So, what about you? Personally and Corporately. Who are you?!

The more you define yourself, the more you’ll know why people are drawn to you. If you seem to be losing your following, it may be because you’ve changed your core values so much that they don’t recognize you anymore. and remind yourself, if your customers leave because of your core values… good riddance!

So… excuse me, “Who are you?”