Stand Out in a Crowded Market as a Fractional Executive

How do you stand out in a crowded marketplace, particularly as a party of one (the life of a soloprenuer)? You likely offer the same services as dozens of other fractional consulting professionals and you need a hook that lets your ideal customer know you’re the right choice for them over everyone else.

By investing time and effort into defining your niche and establishing your personal brand- with a cohesive strategy behind it- you can showcase your expertise in a way that puts you ahead of the competition. 

Being a solopreneur is hard enough; this part doesn’t have to be. We’ll break it all down in a way that helps you build trust and loyalty with your clients that stands the test of time. 

Narrow down your niche 

Before you can build a personal brand, you need to narrow down your focus to a particular niche you feel you can serve better than anyone else. This will help you define your unique position and give you space to stand out. If you’re a fractional consultant in the tech industry, for example, which area of tech will you focus on serving? Go narrow enough that you can clearly articulate why you’re the best person for the job without getting lost in a sea of similar candidates. 

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The niche you choose should reflect your past experience and accomplishments to legitimize you in the eyes of your potential clients. If the niche you have the most experience in isn’t the one you want to pursue longterm, you can always expand or redefine your niche in the future.  For now you need to focus on building up a client base that will give you a solid portfolio and referrals. 

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To do that, you need to focus on a niche you have experience in and communicate that experience to your potential clients through your personal brand. 

Build a personal brand 

To build your personal brand you need start by identifying your value proposition, or what it is that makes you unique in your field. There may be a lot of other fractional consultants in your particular space, but none of them are you. 

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The key is distilling what makes you and your work special, then figuring out how best to communicate that to your ideal clients. Having the best personal brand conception in the world won’t bring in any business if there’s no strategy behind it and it’s not being consistently communicated in the places your potential clients spend time.  

Build a personal branding strategy

What past experiences can you share online and through networking to communicate what makes you different and worth working with? Decide which stories from your professional past you can use to highlight specific skills that you have, structured around big wins– or even losses that taught you an important lesson. 

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While it can be scary to share when things have gone wrong, it lets clients know that you’re not afraid to take responsibility for missteps and that most importantly you learn from past errors in an effort not to repeat them. If it makes sense for you, use humor in your approach, but never force it. You want to sound authentically like yourself while telling relevant stories. 

For an example of what this looks like in practice, see the story Mylance founder Bradley Jacobs shared on LinkedIn of how he helped Uber successfully launch in a new market on the same day as their biggest competition. It’s exactly the kind of story that showcases unique professional talents in an engaging way. 

Consistency is key 

As you build your strategy, consistency is the most important thing. Having incredible, engaging stories will only get you so far if they’re a completely different tone from how you present yourself and your services on your website or you don’t come across the same way in person. 

You want congruency in how your brand is presented across different platforms and in different interactions. Your self-presentation at an in-person networking event a conference should reflect how you appear on your website and on LinkedIn when your new contacts go to look you up and connect with you. While you don’t have to be exactly the same in every place- you could use a platform like Instagram to share a cooking hobby or family life, for example- your brand should feel the same no matter where someone is engaging with it. 

That means a consistent visual style across platforms, a similar tone of voice in all written communication, and a personal presentation that doesn’t feel wildly different from the rest. Your “voice” should be clear and congruous anywhere you show up. (And it doesn’t have to take hours.) 

Show where your work has achieved great outcomes

Make case studies part of your work flow in your fractional consulting business– and in this case, we don’t mean with your clients (although you should definitely do that too). Find other fractional consultants with personal brands that you love or that particularly stand out and make a case study of them. 

What draws you to how they present themselves? What elements from that style of self-presentation can you draw from to inspire your own branding? You don’t want to outright copy anyone, but see what creative ideas others can spark in your own approach. 

If you’re not sure where to start, ask these questions of yourself: 

1. What adjectives would you use to describe your brand? Bold, thoughtful, fun? 
2. What emotions do you want your brand to evoke? Delight, excitement, energized? 
3. What values do you want your brand to embody? Collaboration, integrity, quality? 

Try answering these questions for the personal brands you admire of other fractional consultants, then spend some time on the answers for yourself. These also might shift over time and if you find you’re no longer resonating with the brand values you established earlier, that’s a good indication that it’s time for a brand refresh! 

Tools and resources for managing and enhancing your personal brand

We know you’re a busy solopreneur, so we put together a list of tools and resources to help you manage, maintain, and enhance your personal brand over time. 

1. LinkedIn: Post consistently to build up your reputation as a thought leader and keep yourself top-of-mind for anyone looking for a fractional consultant in your area of expertise. 
2. Email marketing: Choose whichever system works best for you (Beehiiv or Substack are popular options for newsletters), but establishing an email newsletter or other regular communication with a contact list is one of the best ways to keep in touch and stay relevant to your ICP. 
3. Mylance's Consulting HQ: Using a product like Mylance’s Consulting HQ helps you quickly and easily setup a website that showcases your expertise and services along with other features to help you build your brand.  

Online and in-person communities for fractional consultants are another great place to network, get advice, and share resources and opportunities with likeminded professionals. 

Final thoughts 

Personal brands aren’t built in a day, but the foundation for one can be laid quickly with the right resources and a thoughtful approach. Be sure to be patient and consistent as you establish your online presence and reflect that brand in the real world as you network and meet with potential clients. 

A solid personal brand builds trust and credibility with everyone you meet; it shows that you are who you say you are and you’re readily able to showcase and communicate the unique, valuable work you’ve done in your career. 

Mylance

This value-added article was written by Mylance. Mylance specializes in identifying the highest quality, most curated leads for your fractional business. We use 5 different criteria to identify companies and decision-makers who are likely to need your expertise:

1. Matches your niche / unique expertise.
2. Likely to have the budget.
3. Gaps on their team in your function.
4. Are fractional-friendly.
5. Have warm connections from your network.

To apply for access, submit an application and we'll evaluate your fit for the service. If you’re not ready for lead generation, we also have a free, vetted community for top fractional talent that includes workshops, a rates database, networking, and a lot of free resources to support your fractional business.