This one goes out to all my “fellow yellows!”

(Although, there’s plenty of good stuff in here that applies to other people. Don’t click away just because you don’t have Asian heritage. I promise you’ll learn some important points below.)

My parents immigrated to the U.S. from South Korea in the ’70s. I was three or four years old at the time.

If you have immigrant parents from Asia, we probably had similar upbringings.

Were you forced to learn the piano? Of course you were.

Did you learn to play ping-pong using the… Asian claw grab? You 100% know what I’m talking about.

Did your parents work their asses off? They absolutely did. Like my parents, they probably came here with next to nothing.

My parents owned a dry cleaner, which is about as stereotypical as it gets. Yours might have done something different, but I guarantee that they worked hard and that they expected you to work hard.

It was all typical Asian stuff, okay. If you know, you know.

For My Parents, It Was All About Assimilation

Back in the day, the immigrant mentality focused on two things.

First off, work really, really hard.

Second, assimilate as quickly as possible.

To reach that second point, I was expected to stay below the radar. Never be confrontational. Don’t cause any trouble. Always smile and say “please” and “thank you.”

You know how you see a lot of Asians smiling really big when they feel uncomfortable? You can trace that behavior right back to point number two.

As a kid, my job wasn’t to be unique or special. It was to blend in. To assimilate.

I think that probably served us as an immigrant family in the ’70s and ’80s… but it has turned into one of the biggest liabilities in business.

Hear me out.

Authenticity Is the New Currency

If you’ve been following my content for a while, you’ve heard me say this before. It’s important enough to repeat: Authenticity is the new currency.

And if you haven’t been following us, go check out the video I made for this blog. You’ll get the gist.

Honestly, it took me a while to realize this. In fact, I’d already graduated from chiro school and entered the business world.

Here I am trying to provide a service and improve people’s lives. But I’m following the cultural norms I grew up with, and they tell me not to stand out. How am I supposed to break through the marketplace when I don’t stand out?

I’m so glad I learned this when I did. Authenticity has only become more important over the years.

Look around and you’ll see this proliferation of conformity. It’s almost like everyone is trying to assimilate to this expectation or professionalism. But it’s completely fake, and consumers can see that it’s fake.

So, funk that. We’re not going to conform. We’re going to be uniquely and proudly ourselves, and we’re going to thrive because of it.

Unique Selling Propositions Must Be Unique (Duh)

If you’re going to sell something unique, you better show up as your unique self. If you don’t, potential patients will see right through you. They won’t call b.s. to your face, but they won’t convert, either. They’ll walk right out the door and never come back.

It should be obvious to anyone following our social media channels that we don’t give a flying f. We’re being exactly who we are. And guess what? We’re doing pretty damn well.

Here’s the thing, though. Not everyone comes to this conclusion on their own. They spend years trying to build and scale businesses. They’re struggling and working hard. But things just aren’t going their way.

Does that sound like you?

Maybe the problem is that you’re not being your authentic self.

So, maybe you’re afraid to change and show your true self to clients. I get it, but you have to get over that fear.

Think about it this way: you’re already who you are. If you just learn to show that to people, they will like you so much more. They’ll respect you more, too. And when they respect you, they become your patients.

Finding the Sweet Spot

Did you just read that and now you’re ready to tell your partners that you’re only wearing ratty shorts to work?

Pump the brakes.

You can be yourself while being professional. My “authentic self” going to a nice restaurant isn’t the same as my “authentic self” at a ball game.

You see the difference, right?

There’s a sweet spot where you’re true to your authentic self while also being sensitive to your patients’ needs.

That sweet spot exists for you… but it’s often hard for people to pinpoint.

That’s why we’re here to guide you. It’s what we do for all of the chiropractic CEOs who come to our sales training MasterClass.

I know I said this was for my fellow yellows, but there are a lot of people out there who can relate. It isn’t just us Asians struggling to find the authenticity sweet spot.

If you sign up for our MasterClass, we can help you. Trust me, it takes more than chiropractic training to succeed in this business. Business is the operative word, and it’s why you need sales training. Luckily, that’s where we really shine.

Learn more about the MasterClass here. I hope to see you soon.