📈 Your CV isn’t your value

Stop Selling Your Story. Start Structuring Your Value.

Over-indexing on your resume or origin story is a common trap, especially in solo or expert-led businesses.

It feels like a strength. But it’s often a commercial weakness.

Here’s why:

What’s the risk of leaning too hard on your resume?

1. Misaligned with Buyer Priorities
   Clients don’t buy your journey—they buy the result.
   Your experience only matters if it leads directly to their outcome.

2. You Become the Product
   When your story is the brand, you limit scale, pricing power, and delegation.
   You lock yourself into a time-for-money trap.

3. Credibility Gets Frozen in the Past
   Resumes show where you’ve been—not how you’re solving today’s problems better than anyone else.

4. It Signals Contractor Thinking, Not Value Creation
   Lead with years of experience or logos, and you risk anchoring your value to day rates—not outcomes.

5. You Blend In
   Everyone has a story. The market is flooded with bios.
   Clarity, not chronology, is what cuts through.

So, when is your story useful?

Your backstory can build trust, signal credibility, and spark connection. But only when it's in service of the buyer.

Think of it as a supporting asset, not your lead pitch.

When speaking to clients, only use it:

• To build trust – when your backstory proves you've solved the same challenge they’re facing

• To create relevance – when it shows you get their world

• To spark connection – when shared vulnerably and briefly, at the right moment

Otherwise, only use your story strategically in these places:

• As a credibility boost in your website bio or speaker intro

• Passingly in webinars, podcasts, or pitch decks—just enough to show “I’ve been where you are”

• To explain your methodology (“Here’s why I approach it this way”)

Wrap-Up: Tell Stories That Serve

Your story matters.
But only when it helps your client see themselves more clearly, trust you more deeply, or believe more confidently that you can solve their problem.

Otherwise, it’s just noise.

Shift the focus:
From “Here’s what I’ve done” → to “Here’s how I help people like you get what you need.”

That’s the story worth telling.

Want to go deeper?

If this topic resonates, here are a few curated resources to explore:

• Blair Enns – Win Without Pitching Manifesto
  On replacing credentials with clarity and conviction in positioning.

• April Dunford – Obviously Awesome
  A masterclass in positioning that shows how to connect your value to what the market cares about.

• The Commercial Playbook (Module 2)
  If you're part of a previous cohort, revisit the ACRE framework to sharpen how you express your expertise and outcomes. If you’re interested in the course, register for information in the landing page.

Your Turn

What’s your positioning sentence—without using your CV?
Reply and tell me. I’ll feature a few bold, clear examples in the next issue.

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Thank you for being here. Chat soon.

Taural

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