Excuse me, miss. Your tattoo is showing.

I travel quite a bit (obviously) and over the past few months, I've been stopped at security (in different airports) a couple times now. I have TSA pre-check and all those good things to make travel easier, so I was a little shocked to find myself still getting stopped and searched.

As I was talking to the security officer on my travels trying to figure out what it was, I was also shocked by the answer. I have an Arabic tattoo on my back that reads "be at peace, not in pieces." If I go through security without a sweater on, folks can see this tattoo. Arabic tattoos are on a hidden list somewhere of reasons to double-check people at the airport.

Believe it or not, your clients have hidden lists of things they're looking for when shopping for services or products too. Maybe not as specific as "Arabic tattoos" or "people traveling alone, domestically, using a passport," but you can bet they have a list. Do you know what that list is? Have you sat down and figured out what people might be looking for from you and whether or not you're delivering on that?

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU:

Identify the things that people want from you. Take some time, grab a notebook, and identify the benefits people can gain from your product or service, not it's features.

• Focus on what makes you different and how people find you.
• Claim the skills that make you or your product the best choice for the job, rather than just another choice.
• Highlight the benefits your customers care about instead of the features you think are important

Once you've identified these benefits, check yourself. Does your messaging highlight these, versus just the features? Do you use clear feature-benefit statements?

Come up with five feature-benefit statements about your product or service and then lean on them through feedback, suggestions, and advice to improve your business clarity and customer-centered nature.