The Confidence Was The Pitch

“Too many companies want their brands to reflect some idealised, perfected image of themselves. As a consequence, their brands acquire no texture, no character and no public trust.”
– Richard Branson

Dear Reader,

Last week I toured two firms I was deciding between for the same service.

The first had a polished, well-oiled sales process. Every step was clearly mapped out. I could feel myself being guided, smoothly and deliberately, toward the signature. And that was the problem. It felt rehearsed. Manufactured. Like I was moving through a machine that had processed a thousand people before me. By the time we got to the proposal, the pricing was framed to look better than it actually was.

The second firm had a much simpler process. Their approach was essentially: here’s what we do, try it, and if it’s a fit, great, and if not, at least you got a look at how we work. Walking through, I could see the people were clearly experts, obviously good at what they did, and, this is the part that stayed with me, they genuinely enjoyed it.

There was nothing to perform, because there was nothing to hide.

On paper, the first firm was the more convenient choice. But I went with the second. Easily.

Here’s why. A sales process is the version of a company that’s been rehearsed and refined more than anything else they do. It’s them at their most polished. So, if it already feels manufactured, if that’s the best it’s going to look, I have a pretty good sense of what working with them would actually feel like.

The genuine one didn’t need gimmicks. Their confidence in the work was the pitch.

It made me think about how often we do the same thing in our own lives and businesses. We believe we have to have everything dialed in: the perfect image, the polished presentation, the process that leaves nothing to chance. But what I keep coming back to is this: authenticity, and the natural enthusiasm that comes from enjoying what you do, tends to matter more than any amount of polish.

People can feel the difference. They may not name it, but they feel it, the same way I did in those two meetings.

And the effort we pour into maintaining an image is often the very thing keeping us from the trust, the connection, and the opportunities we’re trying to create.

My question for you this week:

Where are you maintaining an image that isn’t quite true to who you are and how might that be holding you back from what you actually want?

Sit with that.

– Ken