I started writing this post from the Greek island of Santorini from this spot.
Being surrounded by breathtaking nature, beautiful local architecture and taking time every evening to watch the sunset all while being in an amazing company was pure joy. The entire trip was an incredibly enjoyable and relaxing experience. Although I chose to not do any active work when I was there (and I am glad I did), this experience was really useful for my business too. It opened me to “out of box thinking” and to a flow of many new ideas. I came back from this trip with beautiful memories, a tan, and some fresh perspective on business. This is the beauty of travel for me – it puts things into perspective without any effort on my part.
New perspective
Greek wedding style
Before Santorini, we spent four days in equally beautiful Mykonos, the island that is known for its party scene. After four days of partying and celebrating my friends’ wedding, we arrived in tranquil Santorini. The two islands, although quite close to each other and sharing the same language and national identity, could not be further apart when it comes to style and experience. There are many other islands in Greece – over 200 – and each is unique from what I heard.
This made me think about standing out in a crowded market – something as a business owners (and those in the corporate world too) we know we need to do to attract people and opportunities, be it clients, potential partners, the media, or a dream job. I don’t know about you but this pressure to stand out can be quite overwhelming. How do you do it successfully while remaining authentic?
Experiencing both islands and observing how they attract visitors I realised something important about standing out. This goes beyond attracting tourists as a Mediterranean island. Standing out is not so much about actively doing something, but more about the mindset. Of course, you will need to take action at some point, but developing an inner confidence mindset is essential because it will guide your action and enable you to stand out and shine with ease.
How to stand out in a crowded market: lessons from the Greek Islands
1. Stop trying to please everyone
As tourism is the main source of income for both Mykonos and Santorini, one would imagine that pleasing visitors is the most important task for both islands. This is not what I experienced. The message to a tourist is very much along these lines (though in a friendliest of ways): this is what it is like here, please enjoy it the way it is. The locals are not at all worried or apologetic about something tourist would expect to have not working or being available, for example there being no taxis to take you around the island at a reasonable time of day or no food options to suit different dietary requirements.
This made me think, how often we, as service providers, apologise or go into self-doubt and pleasing energy when somebody asks us for something we don’t have, or worse gives us negative feedback. It’s understandable, everyone wants to be liked and accepted, but worrying about this all the time paralyses us. I have seen many people not allow themselves to stand out because they are trying to please everyone. Remember, it is not your responsibility to please others. Your task is to give value. And it is up to the people we work with to get the best value out of what we do. And going back to Greek Islands, I did get amazing value out of my experience because I remembered what I came there for.
2. Shine with all your beauty including your “imperfections”
Enjoying the real beauty of Santorini
Another island analogy. Santorini is a very rocky island, the beaches are not covered in white sand, as one might imagine when thinking about a Mediterranean paradise. They are pebble and volcanic ash beaches and some are quite hard to get to. Yet, the island attracts huge quantities of visitors. The dramatic beauty of its natural landscape combined with breathtaking sunsets makes you forget about the beach and the taxi availability.
Are you letting yourself shine in all your beauty? What you may consider imperfect adds to the wholeness of your beauty.
From my experience I know it is very tempting to only show our “good sides”. However, when we show up fully without hiding the parts that may be considered “weaknesses”, be it in a blog post, in how we brand our business or in the energy we come with into a room to present our expertise, the response will be much more powerful. It still continues to surprise me how much engagement and feedback I get from blog or video posts I consider not eloquent enough because they are too “raw”.
3. Don’t fear your competition
I was a little surprised that in Mykonos locals told us how nice Santorini was when we got there and the minute we arrived in Santorini, our hotel owner shared how much she liked Mykonos. There didn’t seem to be any competition energy.
When we think about standing out, we often think we need to be significantly “better” than our competition (peers, colleagues, people offering similar services). Focussing mainly on others and not on yourself does not help to stand out in an authentic way and often gets us into superiority or inferiority energy – neither is attractive. No wonder so many coaches, wellness experts or stylists feel less than confident about their expertise or, worse, some confess they feel like a fraud. Instead of focussing on competition and being in the lack mentality, focus on what unique qualities you have. If you are not sure how useful they are, do market research or ask for feedback from your ideal clients.
Want to stand out as an expert in your industry? Ready to develop a mindset and action plan that has your stand out confidently, authentically and with ease? We can explore what the most effective way for you to do this is during a consultation session, which you can book here.
