Your passions are a key ingredient for integrity.
Have you ever been to a networking meeting where there is an insurance representative (or two or three) in attendance? If you are anything like me, your brain automatically tunes out. You know what insurance options there are and aren’t all insurance agents slimy anyway? Right?
What if this insurance agent didn’t try to tell you they were in insurance? What if they started talking about the tornados that hit in Atlanta and the floods on the east coast? What if they told you that if you were in a major weather disaster like that you could get you your home back and this person specializes in making sure you are taken care of during the process of rebuilding? How much would you pay attention to this insurance agent? Think about the amount of trust this person would have built with you in telling you this scenario. If someone cared enough to want to take care of you during a natural disaster, wouldn’t that scream integrity?
So, how do you easily, quickly and effectively overcome the fact that people assume they know what you do? You differentiate yourself. You find something different that gets people’s attention before they can make assumptions. Everyone has something special that makes them different from others in their industry. It’s unique to you. No one else thinks the way you do. No one else is doing the work the way you do. You have something deep inside you that makes you different. It’s a “Duh! Doesn’t everyone do that?” kind of thing.
It starts with your passions.
You can be seen as having integrity fast, just by looking at your passions. Think of one client/customer that you are just over the moon excited about how you helped them. What was so exciting to you? What’s the story? The next time you introduce yourself, state your title and then share the story. See what happens! You’ll be seen as having more integrity than others in your industry, because they will know more about who you are as a person. Not just a title.
What’s your passion? Leave a comment with your title and passion. Then read the other comments. How much more do you trust these people over others in their industry?
