I’ve never had a client come to me and say, “I want to look like a stock photo.”

We are all very familiar with the tyranny of stock images: the fake smiles, the cheesy action, the lack of any kind of genuine personality or emotion whatsoever.

So why do most personal branding photos look like stock photos? Perfect clothes, perfect makeup, perfect setting, zero depth?

When I ask that question of potential clients, this is what I hear:

• I want to be real, but what if it looks too ‘unprofessional’?

• That’s what everyone else does, so I have to do it that way.

• I don’t want to scare potential clients away because I’m too weird in real life!

That’s not what gets you your ideal clients. Your clients come to you because they believe that in addition to being an expert, you care about them deeply and genuinely, and because they click with who you are.

How are you going to show them your passion and personality if you’re doing exactly what everyone else does in their branding? 

You do things differently. You show them how much you care. You show them that you really get their story.

The Client Journey is a powerful tool you can use to connect with your clients and not only show them that you really get them, but give them an opportunity to evaluate their connection to you as a person.

Here’s how it works.

Case Study: Tricia Taitt

Tricia Taitt of The Art of Money Matters is a financial consultant and accountant helping women-owned businesses get a handle on their numbers. She has an MBA from a top business school, with deep expertise in everything around business finances.

If you’re anything like me, you see the word “accountant” and think “stuffy, boring, suit.” You would be wrong about Tricia.

She also happens to be a professional Broadway dancer.

She brings a playful confidence to accounting that her clients absolutely adore, and she brought that to her personal branding photo shoot. 

The emotional journey for Tricia’s clients

Tricia’s clients are business owners who love every aspect of their business - except the numbers. Because of that, they often ignore that vital part of their business until it comes back to bite them. 

A client shows up at Tricia’s (figurative) doorstep during a severe crisis. Perhaps she (the client) just got a notice from the IRS that her small business owes $100K in taxes. Imagine how devastating that might be!

This is a deeply emotional experience for Tricia’s client. She might be angry: at the IRS, at the accounting people she has worked with before, and most of all, at herself.

However, Tricia recognizes that underneath the anger, her client feels a lot of helplessness shame: “I’m supposed to be such a badass business owner - why can’t I do this one thing right?”

Tricia might be an accountant on paper, but before she can help her client resolve their crisis, she has to guide them through their emotions. She’s calm and empathetic with her client, but she’s no-nonsense when it comes to the numbers.

And once Tricia has worked her magic, the relief starts setting in. There’s a way out. It’s not as bad as it first looked! In many cases, she can reduce the tax bill to something much more manageable, or even make it go away!

Finally, freedom! The problem has been solved, and Tricia’s client is ready to go back to conquering the world.

Let’s destroy the tyranny of “professional” photos forever

These images are a gold mine of stories. Tricia can use each of them in her social media, along with captions and blog posts talking about specific client experiences and emotions during their journey. 

With her genuine emotional expressions, color and powerful poses, these images are guaranteed to stop Tricia’s ideal clients in their scroll. 

She can use them on her website to show her sparkling, colorful personality.

She can bring life to her LinkedIn profile, both in her headshots and cover images.

When she speaks at conferences or speaking engagements, these photos will help her stand out from everyone else, and instantly engage her potential audience.

And, if she chooses to run paid ads for social media, photos like these will ensure that she gets the highest engagement at the lowest cost - from people who are genuinely drawn to her for who she is and are serious about working with her. 

Every one of my clients has a captivating story and a personality that shines brighter than the sun. But sometimes they’re afraid to show it. 

They’ve seen personal branding photos and headshots that all look posed and awkward - with the folded arms and fake smiles - and think that’s all there is. 

Sometimes they’re concerned that expressing themselves more fully, with a deep and wide range of emotion, will be perceived as “less professional.”

I disagree. 

Go back and look at Tricia’s photos. What do you think her clients see? 

They feel seen and heard. They see someone who really gets their whole journey, who understands them and who is ready to support them every step of the way.

They see a professional and an entrepreneur with complete confidence and authority in her skills, who’s not afraid to let her colorful and playful personality shine through. 

They see somebody who breaks all of their stereotypes about what an accountant should look and be like, and they think, “Maybe numbers aren’t as scary as they look.”

That is how you show clients you care about them.

Exercise: What is the Client Journey for your business?

Think back to your ideal clients - maybe even pick one that you really, really enjoyed working with. Then ask yourself the following questions:

1. Why did your client first seek you out? What was the problem they were trying to solve? How did that problem feel to them at the time? 

2. As they were looking to work with you, what questions or concerns came up for your client? How did that feel to them? 

3. Think back to your OWN feelings at that time. What compelled you to want to help this client? 

4. Now think about 3-5 concrete steps you walked your client through, and for each one, ask yourself:

   1. What was that step?

   2. How did the client feel at the end of that step?

5. Finally, how did your client feel when the work with you was done? Were they relieved, overjoyed, surprised at the outcome?

If you don’t have insights into any of these questions, it might be worth reaching out to some of your past clients and interviewing them.

Now that you have an idea of your clients’ journey, you can create content and images that address each part of their journey and the emotions that come up. This not only helps you connect with them more deeply, but establishes you as the credible expert for them.