Written by: Vickie Sullivan | April 20, 2021
How to Broaden Your Appeal
A big challenge for many service providers is broadening their appeal beyond their current project. You are much more than that one thing. My favorite approach is to use aspiration to define the overall scope of your work.
A cool example I discovered last month: Synthetic biologist Sunil Chandran’s many projects as vice president of research and development for Amyris. As a non-scientist, I thought his latest project would cause my eyes to glaze in seconds. And it almost did until he said these magic words: We use what is abundant to make what is scarce. Boom! I was immediately intrigued! (To learn more about Chandran’s research, here’s a video interview with him and Amyris CEO John Melo.)
If you have created a wide variety of results in many industries, applying your work and your background to a bigger cause solidifies your position. Variety creates confusion; an underlying theme creates clarity.
Listen: How to Find Your Big Cause
So, put some elbow grease into figuring out what lies beneath your work life. What are you really trying to do here? Who else can you appeal to? The answer will help buyers in this crowded, crazy marketplace understand your work – and more importantly, attract like-minded folks to you.
Now Read This:
- Thought Leaders: How to Get People to Listen to You
- Your Position of Power: Packaging Your Expertise for High-Fee Markets