First published 22 November 2021 on Your Best Year Starts Here with Nigel Risner.
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Someone asked Nigel recently whether the office behind him was a green screen. It isn't. That's his actual office, chief monkey and chief zookeeper and all, and he's proud of it. That's where this one started. People buy people, and they want to know who's behind the brand.
Nigel had heard a bloke on the radio talking about those top 10 lists you see in newspapers and on Amazon. Most of them are paid for by somebody. The example was walking shoes. A proper test would be 10 random people trying 30 pairs over six months, and nobody's doing that. So trust matters more than ever. And it's why Nigel signs his own books. Someone rang him a few days before we recorded to say they knew he'd signed it himself, because he'd spelt their name wrong.
When my book came out and people asked for signed copies, I honestly thought, they're brand new, do you really want me writing in them? As a kid I'd never have believed I'd be a published author. Nigel's answer was simple. People want to take a bit of you home.
Before this went out I was speaking at the National Space Centre in Leicester (I didn't know we had one until they booked me). The organisers bought a copy of my book for everyone there. So I said on air, for the first time, that I wanted a selfie with every single person in the room holding it.
For me, your brand is what people say about you when you're not there. The well-known people I've met and liked were exactly who I expected one to one. The disappointing ones weren't. On stage I'm an Energizer bunny, but it's still me turned up a bit. Nigel proved it after one big gig. He came off drenched, a bloke asked for a hug, and when Nigel hesitated the guy thought the hugging was just a stage persona. Nigel gave him the biggest hug in the world. 'Oh, so that is you.'
The short version
- Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room.
- Whoever you're with, about 95% of you should be the same.
- On stage, turn yourself up a bit. Don't turn into someone else.
- If people ask for a signed copy, sign it. They want a bit of you to take home.
- Take top 10 lists with a pinch of salt. Plenty of them are paid for.
If you wanna show off, you gotta show up. And in order to show up, you need to be proud of your brand.
Nigel Risner
I think part of it is be comfortable enough to be yourself without apology.
Neil Martin
