Christian Ray Flores here,
Austin is buzzing with Austin City Limits weekend. Great music everywhere.
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why do capable people stay unknown?
This story inspired the post…
This week, my daughter Violetta had a second surgery this year. She’s lived with a lot of pain for years.
We knew the probable cause, but it took a while to remove the source, primarily because it was a complex source.
A high-level problem.
The first surgery didn’t help because the surgeon just was not right to solve the problem.
The second one, Dr. Garza, took care of it all.
For him, it was just one of the things he did that Wednesday.
For us, it was life-changing. I gave him a big hug and teared up as I did it.
So why are good pros not better known, as Dr. Garza is?
1. they are perfectly capable but don’t have a signature offer.
They think of themselves as being in a category: doctor, lawyer, professor, CEO, etc.
Dr. Garza is known because he’s not a category; he is THE category in this particular procedure.
It doesn’t mean you don’t do a range of things. It does mean you create a signature solution to a high-level problem that serves a particular group of people who are your ideal customers.
I’ve yet to find someone who is good at what they do where there’s not a core offer that would turn that person into a category of one.
The obstacle is not that it’s not there, it’s that we’re too used to offering a wider range of things and underestimate recognizing a framework, process, or solution that we’re best at.
2. they are incredible but won’t broadcast it.
Because you don’t have a signature offer, and because of that, the off-the-charts reputation - you feel like a statistic, nothing special, not worth broadcasting.
What you do is so easy and familiar to you that sharing it with the world seems like you’re an attention-seeking imposter, so imposter syndrome kicks in (watch this vid to learn how to deal with imposter syndrome).
Of course Dr. Garza is perfectly capable of a whole range of surgeries, but if I’m looking to solve a high-level problem and Dr. Garza is someone with IP, content and a brand around that with high-level solutions, he’ll dominate a niche way beyond the local market.
He’s doing just fine without creating content, but I can only imagine the impact if he starts doing it. He’d have to make room from being a practitioner to also being a thought leader.
And it won’t be hard, because he can talk for days about this procedure he is the best at. He has opinions, decades of case studies, and what people get wrong (which he privately shared with me).
So… you don’t have an offer, you don’t create content about it, and because of that…
3. they charge less than what they’re worth.
If you’re in a category, you’re commodified.
Now you’re just a line in a menu within that category that defines the price range.
If you want to break that mold, create a compelling offer that solves a higher-level problem, factoring in the type of people you’d prefer to work with. Know exactly what the cost of them not solving the problem is.
Then set a price point that makes working with you a no-brainer.
I’m in front of a camera every week. My wife Deb didn’t like my hair and asked for months that I find a real hair stylist. I wasn’t being cheap; I went to a solid barbershop that business people use.
Deb insisted. I found Tim Patrick. He was the most expensive item on the menu of a downtown salon, and that is exactly why I picked him.
I ended up spending almost exactly 10x what I spend at my old barbershop. I did it gladly because it solved my problem. I didn’t question the pricing; I wanted a higher price point.
Get this: I paid both Tim and Dr. Garza top dollar. But I feel like the lucky one, grateful for their mastery because they solved a unique problem.
When I think of them, I don’t think of price; I think of the value they provided for me by solving my problem.
So what is the cost of being good at what you do and not becoming known for it?
You’re not clear or confident of your edge and don’t have a signature offer, so you don’t create content to share your unique edge.
Because you are not more widely known, and all of business is about supply and demand, demand is lower than it should be, which results in you commanding lower prices for what you do.
People unwilling to live with this cost are the ones who do what’s necessary to become known and trusted by many.
Send this to someone who needs to read it.