What Leaving Corporate Taught Me About Standing Out

After a month of switching off in Thailand, I arrived in Luxembourg with my then-boyfriend, now husband, and began to explore what’s next.

Around that time, I joined an entrepreneur accelerator programme called “Key Person of Influence”, founded by Daniel Priestley.

I started reflecting on the problems I am great at fixing, the outcomes I become known for, my passionate focus and the hidden theme running through my life so far. 

What I learnt is that to become a key person of influence in the entrepreneurial life, I need to build my Ps: a persuasive pitch, a publishing habit, an impactful profile, and amplifying partnerships.

Four years into building these, I realised that this 4Ps formula isn’t just for entrepreneurs. It applies to anyone who wants to stand out as a clienteling expert – or a leader – in any industry.

Let me share it with you today:

Many of the greatest change-makers inspired the world with a very persuasive pitch.

Mahatma Gandhi said – “you must be the change you want to see in the world.”

Oprah Winfrey said her big game was to ‘Share a daily dose of inspiration with women all over the world.’

Now think about your own answer to a far more ordinary question: “So, what do you do?”

More often than not, we answer with facts. “I’m the head of training.” “I’ve been in retail for fifteen years.” All true – and all forgettable.

The secret is to inject emotion into your answer – through fun, through purpose, through relatability.

If you’re a sales manager, instead of saying “I manage a team of ten and hit our monthly targets.” Try: “I coach my team turn every client visit into a relationship that lasts for years to come.”

Until I left my corporate role, the only time that I posted on LinkedIn was either to reshare something about my company, a successful event, or my career progression.

Publishing your point of view on the platform of your choice – LinkedIn, Substack or Instagram, does something powerful. It forces you to think about what you actually believe, to consolidate what you’ve learnt, and to articulate it clearly enough that a stranger can follow.

You don’t publish because you have all the answers. You publish because the act of writing produces them.

When was the last time you updated the About section on your LinkedIn? What photo are you using on WhatsApp right now?

I like what Daniel talks about “becoming Googleable”.  Google will love you if you have a presence across the places people look; and if you take a little time each month to keep those profiles current.

Slowly, you’ll begin to see people (clients/partners) coming your way.

Be authentic. Be consistent. Let the visuals, the tone of voice and the stories all say the same thing about who you are.

In my corporate years, I saw colleagues engage business partners on a purely transactional  level – the vendors, the collaborations, the hardest bargain.

The shift is to get to know these people beyond what they do – see them as individuals and build real relationships.

I have partners who become clients, who refer clients, and who supported me tremendously when I needed it most.

And the most important ingredient of all is the spirit you carry. You have to genuinely care about the desires and wins of the person on the other side of the table, and work as hard for them as you want them to work for you. Perhaps even harder.

Whether you’re leading a boutique, a training function or a business development team, you are already pitching, publishing, building a profile and forming partnerships — whether you’re doing it deliberately or not.

Which P will you sharpen next?

Whenever you are ready, here are the ways we can support you (or your business) to thrive in your industry:

• Review Your Customer Loyalty Strategy

• Design a Clienteling Learning Ecosystem

• Elevate Your Clienteling Capability

• Master The Art and Science of Clienteling™

• Deliver an Inspiring Keynote

• Support Your Leadership and Communication Development