Ep. 061: Attract the Best, Repel the Rest
In a time when you hear a lot of people saying not to mix politics with business or to be too "polarizing" as a brand, I'd like to examine why that's not true. And why it can actually be a good way to showcase what your brand stands for so that your best-fit customers and clients can find you, and the ones who aren't a good fit can self-select out. Because at the end of the day we aren't here for everyone. We are here to serve the people who are most aligned to our us and our companies.
LINKS & RESOURCES MENTIONED TODAY:
http://kiayoung.com/three-ways-to-speak-out/
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Erika Tebbens: In today's episode, I am expanding on something that you may have heard me mention before. Uh, it's definitely something that I teach in my Sell It Sister course, and it's something I'm always talking about with my clients.
And that is the concept of attracting the best and repelling the rest. And I wanted to speak on this right now because there is a lot of talk online amongst entrepreneurs about making statements. Uh, making statements that could be seen as political or standing in solidarity with something that is viewed as political.
And is that why? So, where is that appropriate or does that just cause further division and all of these different things? And so I wanted to address this head on, because it's something I'm very passionate about. And I think that it is something that is absolutely worth contemplating as an entrepreneur.
I will say in a lot of my traditional entrepreneur's spaces that I hang out in. A lot of what I have been seeing and hearing is not. Oh, should I even be saying anything? It's usually more of, I want to say something, but I'm not sure how right. I want it to be meaningful. Uh, I don't want it to cause further harm.
Um, then, you know, there's a lot more that goes into it there, but yeah. It's been very much pro like, Hey, I want people to know where I stand on, uh, the movement for black lives and, uh, racial injustice in America. Uh, and so it's not so much there that I've been seeing, some of the backlash to it; it's more in the farming community.
So in case you don't know, I used to farm and I also, co-created a course with my friend who, um, is like a, like a pretty big name in the farming world. He's been farming since he was 15. Uh, no joke. And, um, And so we have this course for, for farmer's market vendors. So because of that, and because of my passion for local food systems and food justice, I run in these different like farming circles, right?
And, and one of them is his very, very large, uh, free farming resource group. So in there, uh, last week there was some discussion around, Hey, if we, if we want to make a statement, like how, how does one, you know, how do you suggest that we do that? Does anyone have any examples of, uh, statements that you've already sent out?
And I, you know, I'm just really struggling with what to say, but I want to make my, my feelings on this very abundant to our client base. So there's some really good discussion in there. And there was also some like, Just really gross behavior. And I definitely had to boot some people from the group, like as an admin and, and, uh, and do some of that.
But, um, I would say that a lot of it was people earnestly sharing. Um, they, you know what, they had already put out what they were thinking about putting out, um, and, and just being helpful and sharing resources. And then there were also some people who were being polite in the comments, but they were like, um, you know, it doesn't, it doesn't feel appropriate or, uh, I don't mix business and politics, or why would I, uh, create more division or why would I put out a statement that would, um, seem to pit one group of my customers against another group? Like just on and on and on. Right?
So, so not like overtly saying, like, I think this is stupid. And I think that you're a bunch of idiots that like the people who said stuff like that, they got kicked out.
But, um, the rest, it was sort of that, that like middle ground of like, well, yeah, I don't really know if this is a smart thing to do as a business owner to put myself in this situation. Now I'm sure that for some of those people. What, that, that was veiled language for, I don't agree with what is going on, uh, in terms of, you know, protesting and such, um, and I'm afraid to say the wrong thing. I'm afraid to, um, put out a statement, uh, knowing that I have, um, customers who are, who, who may be are vehemently against the protests who are maybe, uh, incredibly like pro-police and like pro the current administration, right, and they, they didn't want any backlash.
Like, I, I'm assuming that there's some segment, uh, of, of the people in there who were commenting saying that they didn't want to say anything that just kind of wanted to like, fly under the radar with all of this and not, um, ruffle any feathers.
Uh, as an aside, outside of the farming world, I was actually really disappointed to see that a company that I used to be affiliated with, a consultant, with a leader, with a head, not released anything. And even though I'm not affiliated with them anymore, I still have some people who are, who are consultants and I had some back and forth saying like, Hey, this is a company that was really founded on values and, um, empowering women and, uh, families and putting money behind, um, causes to, to help people, you know, that that help people there's a lot of philanthropic work, there's a lot of like being a voice for the voiceless and all of this stuff. And like, they haven't done anything. Like they'd just been sort of radio silent other than like on their social media, putting a picture of, uh, like a black woman, a black model with like a handbag.
Um, and then there was like, Uh, just like a really, I don't know, just a sort of light a Mother Theresa quote, like it was, it was sort of like why, you know, and so there was a back and forth with a higher level leader, someone who I know who's been in the company forever and it took them like a long time to actually say anything.
And when they did, it was very much like it gave the appearance of, well, we have done like a cost benefit analysis and we don't want to, um, You know, we, we know that a large part of our consultant base and our customer base is, uh, you know, maybe a bit more conservative or they are not, um, they don't want to be confronted with systemic racism and, and all of this.
So we're just going to make this very tepid statement because at the end of the day, um, we don't want to ruffle any feathers. So we're just going to kind of say like, yeah, racism is bad and like, we're gonna pray on it. Like sort of what, uh, what it amounted to, right? Um, and not that everyone has to go out and do like a Ben and Jerry's like super bold, um, kind of statement.
But, uh, it was just, it was sort of like, it felt very workshopped, right? It felt very like finely crafted to like ruffle the least feathers, I guess, is how is how I would put it. Um, and so back to the farming world and what, some of the discussion that was happening in the thread that I was chiming in, um, on there was that putting out various statements for various things or taking a stand for certain things or having, um, certain positions within your business and your brand are not a bad thing. I know, uh, in a recent-ish episode, when I interviewed a Maggie Frank shoe, we talk about how to take a stand for something in your business.
Right? So today I want to talk really about like, like why, like why, why it is okay to mix quote on quote "business and politics." Right? Um, and by politics, I don't necessarily even mean like, Hey, this is who I'm voting for. And I think you should vote for them. I just mean any, any causes that you feel passionate about, you can use the platform and the influence of your business and your brand to shine a spotlight onto those things. So what I was trying to explain to the people who were willing to have constructive, respectful, uh, discussion with me in that farming group, what I was me and some other people, I wasn't just me, but what we were trying to explain is that.
Now, like, so in 2020, um, especially with the internet and everything we have, we all have a lot of competition. And while this can feel really scary, I view it as a good thing. Right. And we all have, we have a lot more access to. Uh, information and, um, we can, we can really like shop around, right. We can make informed choices a lot more easily when we are spending our money.
And I think that this is really great. So. While I do not agree with what hobby lobby supports. I am at least grateful that they are pretty transparent in that because then I don't inadvertently spend my money with them. Right. Because I would rather know upfront what they are supporting with their corporate dollars, uh, and then be able to not shop there than if I was shopping there for years and years, and then I found out and I'm like, damn well now I feel like a real jerk because I didn't realize I was, um, supporting this company that doesn't reflect my values. So I think that way of looking at it is not that every business, like, especially going back to, let's say just a small vegetable farm, right?
Not that every business has to be like. Oh, we're, you know, we're going to talk about every single social issue and we are gonna, you know, just never stopped talking about these things that are not necessarily integrated, I guess I would say, like into the thing that they're, that they're selling, right?
Not that you have to, uh, be doing that all the time, but when you feel like, Hey, this is something that aligns with my values, and this is something that I want to talk about then, you can do that and know that it's not, that you are creating more division or being more polarizing or anything. It's more that you are putting out a beacon for the people who are going to resonate with you and your brand in the best way for, going both ways.
Right? So like mutually, you're going to be benefiting from each other. And so I think about it, uh, I'll give some larger examples just to put this into context. So for instance, Toms shoes, right? So everyone knows Tom shoes and they've been around for long enough now that you can get knock-offs. I think there's like Bob's shoes, whatever.
I think they sell them at like Walmart and different places or maybe like Payless. I don't know. But you can get pretty good knock-offs of Toms shoes, uh, for a far lower price. But the difference is, is that when you buy from Toms shoes, you are also helping them support like that one for one program and, so a lot of times people like to buy from Toms' knowing that they are spending more money because they realize that it is their, their dollar spent with them or going to be multiplied into doing something good in the world.
And so we buy into that, that ethos, right? We, we buy into their platform, their mission, their values, and we say, okay, sure, I will pay, you know, $60 for these basic canvas shoes, because I like that feeling I get knowing that I'm also supporting a good cause when I do this, right?
So that is one of them now, I don't know, like if there's ever. Maybe there's like behind the scenes drama at Toms, or like, hopefully that mission is going like appropriately.
I don't know. Um, somebody correct me if I'm, if I'm wrong on that. And I was like, missed something over the years, but, uh, then is when I think that we are, really very familiar with. And are there people in the world who were like, why are you helping people who are struggling in another country when we have people struggling here?
Yes, of course. Like, there's plenty of people in the U.S who feel like we should only be helping our fellow citizens and not people, um, anywhere else around the world. But, Toms, they've taken a stand, they've decided what they want to do, right? And there's probably many other businesses now, um, that, I mean, gosh, there's, there's so many companies now that are, uh, founded on this, like mission-driven principle, right?
Like that whenever you buy their jeans, they, you know, make a donation to. XYZ or I think like Subaru has like a few different, um, organizations I think when you like buy a new Subaru, you tell them, I think it's like one of maybe like five organizations and you tell them like, which one you want to have your, uh, your donation.
And I know even if you, if you've ever lived on the West coast or you do currently when I was in high school, um, there was a, a chain of a used clothing stores called Buffalo Exchange and I know they still exist, but, uh, I used to shop at them a lot and they had this program. This was like back in the late nineties, where if you didn't use a shopping bag back then, if you brought your own bag or you're just going to carry your stuff out, they would give you a token.
I think they were worth like a nickel. And then there were these different jars and for different organizations and you could put your token and whichever one you wanted and then they would take, you know, they would tally up that, that money and make a donation for that organization. So there are just countless examples of places where we knowingly choose to support with our dollars, because not only do we like the product or do we like the service, but we like the company, the values, the mission and all of that.
And going back to having competition, I think it actually makes it possible for us when companies say, Hey, this is what we are all about with our company and somebody has something similar, you get to decide and say, okay, which thing would I rather support? And that is pretty cool, right?
And not that every single decision, uh, to make a purchase has to go through this huge, enormous lens of, of decision, right? Like you, if you live in an area that only has like a Walmart, uh, for miles and miles and miles, you might hate Walmart, but not really have an option of where you're going to buy your groceries, right?
Uh, but if you are buying clothes on the internet that are going to get mailed to you, then you could shop with companies that are, um, you know, maybe use better, uh, ethically sourced fabrics and they, they pay their employees well and on and on and on, right? So we get to sort of vote with our dollars constantly.
So I view it as, why not let people know what you are all about so that they can vote with their dollars and so that the people who are not a right fit can weed themselves out, right? So just like I self-select, and I don't shop at hobby lobby if there was somebody who was like, ah, you know, I don't agree with your values or I think your values are stupid Erika, or I don't, you know, I don't want my money going to you because you support XYZ.
I would like for them to know in advance because I don't want to have a situation where I have committed to working with somebody for six months and then, you know, and I don't say that they have, you know, I don't have to see eye to eye on every subject with every client a hundred percent of the time, that's not what I'm saying.
But what I mean is is if, if we fundamentally have a different set of values. Uh, it's going to be probably not the best fit if we've committed to working together for this period of time and if suddenly I am going to talk about something and you're going to be like, wait, what?
I didn't, I didn't realize that like, my, you know, part of the money I'm paying you is going to support XYZ organization. Like I didn't sign up for that. I don't want to support that. Like I, you know, I want to cancel this contract. Like I don't want to, I don't want that in my business midway through working with somebody, right?
I don't want them to find out that I've given to an organization that supports trans rights or a trans healthcare. And they're like, hang on. I don't value like transgender folks. Like why I don't, why do I want to receive money from that person as the client? If they fundamentally disagree with something that is important to me, right?
I don't want that. Uh, and that doesn't mean I'm going to, um, you know, if, if I were to find out later or something that I'm going to like, cancel culture, that person, or like call them out or do anything horrific. Like that's not what I'm here for. It's more of a sense of, I, I don't want to attract people only who are like cookie cutter clones of who I am- that isn't what I want.
But I do want to be sure that people know who I am and what I'm about and what my company is about upfront, and this doesn't even have to be with anything political, right? Like if we just take anything like political or social justice issues or human rights issues, if we just take those off the table and we say, Hey, I am not.
I am not here for hustle culture. I am not here. Like I say, in my, um, in the intro to the, to the show, like get rich quick schemes, hustle culture, bro marketing, all of that. I'm very clear that that is not what I'm here for. So, if you are somebody who is like, well, but that's what I want. Like, I want somebody who is going to teach me how to set up this big funnel, uh, so that I can have my four hour work week and I never have to engage with any of my clients or customers.
And I am just making money constantly. And, uh, you know, I don't know, like exploiting people and exploiting myself in my own energy. Like if that is what you want, those people exist, you can hire all sorts of different people, um, in a similar, or like sort of like an adjacent vein to that is like, there are a lot of business coaches who are also, they weave this element of like spirituality through what they do, right?
And so, not that I'm saying that you can't do that or that they are terrible people for doing that, I'm not saying that at all, but if you are somebody who's like, well, um, you know, spirituality and manifestation and like chakra aligning and all of that is, is intrinsic to my life and so therefore I want a business coach who's also going to like weave that into our work. Like that's great, you can find that those people exist, but I just want to make it very clear at the outset. Like, that's not me. That's not what you're going to get here, because again, I don't want somebody to sign on, to work with me and then we're like 60 days in and they're like, well, hang on, I want to talk about, you know, I don't even know, like, my astrological profile and how it fits in with my business.
And I'm going to be like, wait, what? I don't, that's not what we do here. Like, and I, I didn't know that that was important to you and now I feel like I'm not fulfilling my end of the bargain because that's not something that I can deliver on and uh-oh, now we're not a good, now we're not a good fit, right?
So for me, I just think that it is important at the outset to, uh, not that you have to like verbally dump on your website absolutely every single thing that you think is important to you, but I think that it is good to be very open and honest of what you are all about so that you can attract the best people for you and repel, the people who are not going to be the best.
And, and not even repel is, and they hate you, but they just can look at what you're about and be like, Hmm. I don't think that they're for me. And I know that this feels very scary, uh, because you know, a lot of times in business, like a lot of times with business, it's a struggle, right? You're struggling to make money or make the kind of money you want.
And you're like, why would I ever try to push people away if that means? But like, I'm holding their money at bay two, when I really like need money, right? But bottom line is, is that when you try to be too neutral, when you try to be like the farmers who were like, well, I don't want to create this like weird division amongst my customers, I just sell vegetables. I, I just want people to like buy my vegetables.
It actually waters down your, your brand, right? When, when you are too neutral, too many things, it really waters down your brand. And so one of the things that I, that I teach to my clients that I teach to my students, that I, that we teach to the students in our farmer's market course, one of the things that we, we start with in that farmer's market course is like, who are you? And what is your brand and what do you stand for in your brand? And how can you be a bit polarizing so that you can attract the best and repel the rest.
And so really, really simple example of this in the farming world. And I'm sure you're probably not in the farming world.
Um, but because you eat food, I know that, you know what organic and like conventional is. So, organic food, conventional means, you know, not work, not certified organic and people have a lot of different thoughts, opinions, and feelings on organic versus conventional. It's a, it's a whole spectrum, right?
Some people are like, I am only getting organic, I'm only getting local, I am, you know, like they are really, really strict with it, right? And other people are like, well, I kind of just buy whatever is the cheapest. Um, but there are a few things that I like to get that are, uh, organic, right? Or I, you know, if I have a little extra money in my food budget, I will try to get like, at least like my produce, I will try to get organic, but I might just get like regular crackers, so I'm not going to get organic crackers. And, and there's like, you know, everything in between.
And then there, of course there are the people who are like organic is a scam and I am not paying for it. And then there are the people who are like, I would love to buy organic, but I have an extremely limited budget for food and organic is more expensive so I just can't, I just can't do it.
But as a farmer, when you are putting your message out there to people. We like the farm, my farm that I used to have and the farm that I used to work for, my friend Michael's farm. Um, we were very clear on like, these are the things that are important to us. Uh, you know, sustainability, regenerative, agriculture, um, not using harmful, uh, chemicals or pesticides or fertilizers or anything like that, having things be really local, like, and on and on and on it.
So none of these are immediately adjacent to like human rights issues or anything, but there are things that we stood for in our, in our businesses, in our farms and that enabled people who also felt that that was important for them to find us more easily.
It allowed people to self-select and be comfortable paying $5 a pound for heirloom tomatoes because they weren't just paying for the tomatoes, they were, they were paying for our larger mission, they were paying for uh, how we viewed like the land and the soil and paying employees and just all of these different things that is really what they were, were paying for on a deeper level.
And so we had to let them know that that's what we were all about, like then the onus was on us to say, no, actually this is, this is what we value and this is why we do it and because we do it this way, it does cost us a little bit more and so that is why our prices are reflective of that, right? That's why we are not the cheapest at the farmer's market.
Uh, but we are, we are worth it if this is what you value. Um, so I, I hope that that. Uh, is like a good analogy there that, you know, you can kind of see that is outside of the realm of anything that feels more heavy, um, like a, a social justice issue. If you are feeling like. I, I don't know what to say. Um, I would suggest, uh, my friend Kia, my good friend, Kiya Young, so kiayoung.com.
If you go to her website, she's a blog post. She talks about the three different ways that you can speak out, like the three, like based on kind of like your personality and the stance you want to take and whatever. So three different ways that you can speak out about different things in your business.
Um, and I would also say that, you know, you, if you feel it needs to be stated, you could always just say, Hey, this is something new for us to be thinking about in our business. Um, and we don't just want to make a flippant statement. Um, here's where our heart is at right now in our, in our mind, is that right now and, but there are going to be deeper things that we look into and we, and we learn and action steps. We take, we're not quite ready to say like what those are, because we honestly just, we don't know, but we are saying that we're making a commitment to doing that work or, um, that we understand that as, as a business, we have a platform, we have a voice and so, uh, this is how we feel. Uh, but we, but we aren't educated enough to, to have a larger, more bold message at the moment.
Um, but I think where it gets like it, where it can get weird and awkward is, yeah, they're like the Gushers, like fruit, gummies, whatever my husband was showing me a tweet that was like, I don't, I don't remember what it said, but it was like, Gushers is against like racism it was just, it was kind of hilarious. Cause it's like Gushers and they tag like fruit by the foot.
Like, I mean, I think there's, uh, like something to be said about not just, not just having a hollow message, just to say it, because you're worried that if you don't say it, that people will get mad, right? But I mean, I would fundamentally disagree that you can't bring politics into business or that you can't bring, um, certain issues, uh, human rights issues, social justice issues that you can't bring that into your business because fundamentally there is enough proof of businesses who lead with those things who do really well because they lead with those, with those things, right?
If, again, if you're unsure, um, I mean, there's lots of good resources out there. Again, go check out my friend, uh, Kia's blog, so you can learn more, I'm going to put it in the show notes as well. Um, and, and really sit with it and think about what your values are and think about how you want to differentiate yourself from the competition so that you can attract the best and repel the rest and then instead of getting into a scarcity mindset that, Oh my God, you're going to like not have enough business, because you aren't neutral enough. You aren't like vanilla enough to be appealing broadly.
Trust that with the way that marketing works, especially marketing in 2020 is that people are being more mindful of how they spend their money and people are specifically supporting certain people and brands and companies because of their values, um, not like not in spite of them and, and that you could trust that there are actually enough other people out there who will resonate with you, and that there are enough people that you can attract.
And that when you are more clear on what you're about, it actually serves as like a megaphone for your business and it makes it easier for your perfect people to find you. So that's what I, that's what I wanted to touch on there with that. If you have any questions, um, I hang out the most on Instagram.
So, uh, come find me @erikatebbensconsulting and you can send me a message. I would love to hear from you. Uh, if there are specific things that you are always vocal about in your business, uh, in any way whatsoever. I would really love to hear about that. I'm curious what some of those are. And, uh, and I will just say, you know, this is, this is an ongoing thing, just like in business, a lot of things, you're, you're always learning, you're always growing, you're always trying to improve and do better.
And I feel like this is one of those areas as well, where you can keep, um, assessing it and analyzing it and we're finding it and leaning in more and more. I know I am much more bold and confident in my business now than I was in 2017 when I started this because in 2017, I was still trying to figure out like, having an online service-based business and all these other things, uh, and getting those foundations in my business and, and although I'm pretty like outspoken in my personal life, uh, I just, you know, I felt really overwhelmed with all of the new stuff in my new business. And I, and I look back at like my branding and, and some of my stuff from then, and while some of it was very obvious, like, you know, these are my opinions and my stance on a few things, it was still very, like, it was, it was a lot more like "meh" than it is now.
Cause a lot of that just comes from doing the work and having the confidence and being really clear on like who you are and how you are different from the competition. Um, and then calling that out in a, you know, in whatever way you want, whether that's, you know, in your copy or, um, in your content, both all of the above, you know, all of that.
So, wow. This got a little bit longer than I, than I anticipated, but I think this is something it's something important to think about. Um, and I know it's something that is a real concern for a lot of people, even people who are well-meaning and they, they want to be supportive, but they are afraid that they will get, um, backlash.
So I hope this helps, uh, again, reach out to me and, uh, connect with me on Instagram and subscribe if you don't already. Cause you get a new episode every single Wednesday and as always happy selling.
Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the Sell It Sister! Podcast. If you loved it and you want more, be sure to subscribe so that you never miss an episode and then head on over to sellitsisterhood.com to join my free Facebook community group. And as your mama said, sharing is caring. So if you got a lot of value out of this episode, be sure to share it with your biz besties too.
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