Herek's Blog

The Art & Science of

Client Retention

The place where I share my deep thoughts, observations, experiences, and frameworks

#35: Why Personal Branding And AI Won't Save Your Business?

Personal Branding And AI Are Shiny Objects?!

Turns out, personal branding and AI are just shiny objects.

Because they're amplifiers.
They aren't the foundations of a business.

If you're just starting a business...

You shouldn't waste time focusing on those.
It makes more sense to get the fundamentals right.

Every business needs to do 4 things.
Generate leads.

Make sales.

Fulfilment of the sale.

Retention of clients and customers.

But to do that...
The foundation must be built first:
- WHO is your target audience?
- WHAT problem do you solve for them?
- HOW do you solve it?

Without clarity on the answers to these questions...
There's no personal brand.
No one cares about personal brand if they don't know how you're relevant to them.

Our mind naturally tunes out things that aren't relevant.
Clarity on the WHO, WHAT, and HOW ensures the business's relevance.

The Limitations Of AI

How about AI?
AI is a tool.
Sure. It can help you with research.
It can bounce ideas with you.
It can pick up your blind spots and expand your perspective.
The AI agents can even carry out tasks for you...
Taking away the mundane work that you don't want to do.

But here's the thing.
If you don't have clarity about what you want to do...
How is AI supposed to know what you want to do and help you carry it out?

The answer lies within yourself.
You must be clear about what you want to achieve.
Then we can map the process goals that give you the best chances of netting the outcome goal.

The Key Foundation Of A Business

Firstly, you must figure out your business philosophy.
Look at the Retention Chain.
The core philosophy determines everything downstream in your business.

If your business philosophy is People > Profits...

We'll have a rough idea of what the company culture is.
We can foresee that the promises made will be truthful and not filled with hype.
We can expect that the delivery will provide a great experience for the clients and customers.
Then retention is an outcome we don't have to force.

It happens naturally.

But if your business philosophy is Profits > People...
We can expect an extractive company culture.
KPIs will be based on revenue.
People are treated as numbers, instead of valued team members.
Promises may be hyped up.
Over-promising and under-delivering to make the sale is common.
Customers and clients are seen as cash cows to be milked.
Poor experience and disappointments lead to poor retention.
Extraction-based businesses tend to be stuck in the "acquisition hamster wheel".
So there's cash flow from the new customers and clients.

What Is A Personal Brand About?

Your personal brand is about your reputation.
It's about what people talk about you.
When you serve people well, you prioritise their interests, and you provide a great experience...
You gain a good reputation.
Customers and clients willingly write positive reviews for you.
Trust naturally increases.
Trust and positive reviews compound over time.
More people seek you out.

What happens when a personal brand is constructed without a core philosophy?
It feels empty and fake.
Because it doesn't have conviction.
It also doesn't have a strong purpose other than to sell.
That's what I call "inauthentically authentic".
It becomes a performance.

The subconscious doesn't lie.
It's only a matter of time before the mask slips.
Then people can sense inconsistency and incongruence.
That's a trust leak.
Trust in Character and Trust in Intention are eroded.
Accumulated trust leaks = Retention failure.
A personal brand that's inauthentic isn't an asset. It's a liability.
It doesn't improve the positioning in the minds of the audience.

Why The Hype About AI And Personal Brands?

Nowadays, many marketers and coaches are talking about personal brands and AI.

The pro-AI camp will tell you that you're falling behind if you don't use AI.
Then they'll sell you their AI solution that consists of AI automation and workflows.

The pro-personal brands camp will tell you that AI slop is everywhere.
And the differentiator in a sea of AI slop is your unique personality, your experience, your energy, etc.
Then they'll sell you their personal branding programs.

By now, you should know something very obvious.
They're selling amplifiers.
If you don't have the foundation...
Then there's nothing to amplify.
The most critical part of a business is: Knowing yourself.
Because the business only grows as much as you're willing to grow in a personal capacity.
If your business isn't growing... It just means that you're the one limiting it.
Either due to a lack of perspectives, a lack of knowledge, or a lack of skill.

What I Suggest, Moving Forward...

Building a personal brand is about looking inwards. Not outwards.
AI automations are only useful if you have clarity about who you are and what you want to do.

Before you invest big money in these shiny objects...
Invest time in yourself, reflect, and gain self-awareness.

Once you know who you really are...

Then figure out what problem you can solve for the people you want to serve.

And be clear about how you solve those problems.
After you have clarity, it's time to amplify and get loud.

If you're skeptical and wondering why you should believe me...
You shouldn't if you operate by a Profits > People philosophy.
Because we aren't aligned.
But if you also believe in People > Profits like me...
You'll know I'm speaking the truth.
And you'll resonate with me.
Welcome home.

People > Profits.
Always.

- Herek

P.S. If you'd like to explore more of my Client Retention content...

Feel free to follow me on the following platforms:
- LinkedIn.

- YouTube.

If you'd like to have a peek at my personal life...

I post more personal stuff on:

- Facebook

- Instagram

P.P.S. In case you missed it... Read the Client Retention Top 10 FAQs HERE. Then you'll understand our philosophy behind everything we do.

I look forward to sharing more with you in the next post.

If you enjoyed reading this post... Feel free to check out the other posts!

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Disclaimers: The content in this blog contains the personal opinions of Herek Loei. These are based on real-life events experienced by Herek, that shaped his worldview. Herek's sharing of experience does not mean you must agree with him. Herek does not impose his views on anyone. You're free to choose to stay on this site if what he shares resonates with you. If it doesn't, you've the choice to leave this site too.

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