I received this in my work email today.
“If you do great work and want to play big...
I suggest you stop thinking (and/or pulling your hair out) about "becoming famous" (with all its negative connotations) and instead focus on knowing others first. This is a powerful positive force and can lead to a reputation capable of drawing more people into your world.
Put yourself out there and build connections.
Keep doing the hard work.
And should fame happen in the process, embrace it.”
I was taken aback by the tone of the final “wisdom”. He made it seem like everyone on social media is out there to be famous. There are plenty of people that do the hard work and know plenty of people and get nowhere. There are plenty of people out there that complete great work and go unnoticed. When someone actually finds out the great work that was done, their response is, “Why don’t you ever tell anyone what you have done?”
There’s the saying that the squeaky wheel gets the oil. Basically, the one that advertises themselves and their services will get the leads that become the clients. They will get the business they need to keep their small business going. Being seen is not about being famous. You want you or your business to be top of mind because that is how word-of-mouth travels. If people do not think about you, they will not think of your or your business.
If we went with Charley Mann’s wisdom on this email, there would not be a need for Publicists, Marketing Departments, or Advertising agencies because according to his theory, you just need to do the work and talk to people. There are plenty of business’ out there that are doing that same method and are barely getting by because their talk is not remembered before the business that is seen and remembered. The business that is famous.
One shark that I look up to is Barbara Corcoran. One of the chapters in her book states, “If You Want To Get Noticed, Write Your Name on the Wall.” When people notice you, they come to you; they come to your business. Invisible business die out. Business’ that are seen live to see another day.
In my real life example, I ran for SBA President before my last year of law school. I’m naturally a quiet and reserved person. I told a few people that I was running for SBA President, yet was not confident enough to “write my name on a wall”. My opponent wasn’t. He got with a group of other individuals that were well known in the school and created a cohort that pushed for their vote. They pulled their resources and made a campaign that made people remember them to vote for them. After our speeches, people came up to me and said, “You were great. I would vote for you, however, I already promised to vote for --.” He won the election.
Famous people get noticed. Famous people get business. If you are invisible, no matter how hard you work, if people do not remember you or your business, your business cannot survive because no one is coming to you. People must remember you and what you do to keep your business going. That is just business.
There are two books on marketing that I have read for my law firm. One was posted in a previous blog: Book Yourself Solid. The other is specific to law firms: "Secrets of Attorney Marketing Law School Dares Not Teach" by Richard Jacobs. One of his book’s chapter’s states, “Get the Credibility, Authority, & Celebrity You Need to Dominate Your Competitors”. He states in another chapter, “Success and a healthy, wealthy practice means you must be involved in your marketing…. Marketing must be a critical part of your practice.” Those business’ getting the clients that are for their business that keep their business going are famous. The infamy may not be loud or in the mainstream, yet people know them and their business and remember them.
Just doing the work and talking to people will not get you the business. People have to know you are out there in the world. Let them see the light that you can bring to their lives.
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