Today I met Mark for coffee.  During my conversation with this successful Raleigh businessman, he said something that struck me: “We need to learn how to be vulnerable in our marketing and approach to clients”.  Simple and yet, so profound! Yes, there are moments and places where we should give a formal presentation of our businesses or ourselves that look and feel “clean” and “professional”.  Being vulnerable is not washing our business laundry in public or highlighting all of our failures and deepest fears to prospects and clients. It’s about being real, authentic, and approachable!  Remember the old saying “if it looks too good to be true, it probably is”? Vulnerability is key in developing relationships, including business. People relate better to people they like and trust.  And yes, your clients are not perfect either. Vulnerability can lead to growth. It’s part of making mistakes, learning from them and not being afraid to admit it.

So keep telling your story and sharing lessons learned from past mistakes.  And just in case you don’t have any mistakes to share, feel free to borrow some from me.  I got plenty!