This week, I was talking with a fellow professional speaker about something that many talented people don’t necessarily want to hear:
Being great at what you do isn’t always enough.
We jokingly described success in the speaking business as maybe 30% being a great speaker and 70% marketing yourself as one.
Not scientific research—just two speakers recognizing something we’ve both seen over and over.
There are phenomenal speakers who aren’t getting booked.
Brilliant coaches without enough clients.
Talented authors whose books nobody knows exist.
Incredible business owners who are still their community’s best-kept secret.
And then there are people who seem to be everywhere.
Are they always the most talented?
No.
But they have learned how to package, position and market what they do.
And strangely enough, that conversation came back to me while I was standing in my shower looking at… Suave shampoo.
Yes. Shampoo gave me a marketing lesson.
From Suave to “Suavé”
At our place, we use Suave shampoo for our rental. It’s inexpensive, accessible and does the job.
My sister-in-law jokingly calls it “Suavé.”
You know, because apparently adding an accent makes inexpensive shampoo sound luxurious.
But look at the packaging.
It isn’t just pink shampoo.
It’s Wild Cherry Blossom Softening Shampoo.
Wild.
Cherry.
Blossom.
Softening.
Suddenly I’m not washing my hair. Apparently I’m wandering through an enchanted cherry orchard.
Then there’s the aqua bottle.
It isn’t simply conditioner.
It’s Ocean Breeze Refreshing Conditioner.
Ocean Breeze.
Refreshing.
Now we have an experience.
The colors reinforce the words. Pink feels soft, warm and friendly. Aqua transports us somewhere fresh, peaceful and tropical.
The product inside may be inexpensive.
But the packaging tells a story.
And stories influence perception.
Now Look at Your Own “Packaging”
That got me thinking about entrepreneurs, speakers, coaches, authors and business professionals.
What does your packaging communicate about you?
Before someone ever experiences your keynote, coaching, book, product or service, they experience your marketing.
They see your photo.
Your website.
Your LinkedIn profile.
Your social media.
Your colors.
Your words.
Your title.
Your description.
Your testimonials.
Your videos.
And all of those things are quietly answering a question in their mind:
“Is this for me?”
Marketing isn’t about pretending you’re better than you are.
It shouldn’t be about creating a beautiful bottle with nothing worthwhile inside.
To me, heart-centered marketing is about making the outside accurately communicate the value that’s already on the inside.
Are You Excellent but Invisible?
This is where I see so many talented people get stuck.
They tell themselves:
“If I’m really good, people will find me.”
Maybe.
But how?
People cannot hire someone they don’t know exists.
They cannot buy a book they’ve never heard about.
They cannot recommend a speaker they’ve never seen.
And they cannot enroll in a coaching program they don’t understand.
Being excellent at your craft is important.
But visibility is part of serving.
If your message can help someone, letting them know it exists isn’t bragging.
It’s an invitation.
And There’s Another Side…
We’ve all seen the opposite too.
Someone has incredible branding, beautiful photos, thousands of followers and marketing everywhere.
Then you experience the actual product and think:
Well… the bottle was prettier than the shampoo.
Marketing may get someone through the door once.
Excellence, integrity and transformation are what bring them back—and make them tell someone else.
That’s why I don’t believe we should choose between becoming excellent at what we do and excellent at communicating what we do.
We need both.
Develop the substance.
Then package it clearly.
Deliver extraordinary value.
Then tell people about it.
Serve deeply.
Then market consistently.
So Let Me Ask You…
Take a look at your own business or career today and get curious:
- What are you known for?
- If someone landed on your website or LinkedIn profile for 30 seconds, would they understand what you do?
- Does your branding communicate the quality of what you deliver?
- Are you better at delivering your service than marketing it?
- Are you someone’s best-kept secret?
- What three words would you want people to associate with your name?
- Does your current “packaging” communicate those words?
- And most importantly: Are you making it easy for the people who need you to find you?
Mine? Authentic. Hopeful. Transformational.
I want people to know they’ll get the real me, leave with more hope than they walked in with, and be challenged to transform something in their thinking, work, relationships, health, or life.
So then I have to ask myself the same marketing question I’m asking you: Does everything I put into the world communicate those three words before I ever walk into the room?
You don’t need to pretend to be something you’re not.
You don’t need to become louder, flashier or faker.
You simply need to become clearer.
Because maybe the lesson isn’t about becoming more expensive-looking.
Maybe it’s about learning to communicate your real value.
So whether you call it Suave or Suavé, remember:
Great work deserves great marketing.
Don’t hide the gift inside the bottle.
Authentically Annie
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