How to be happier and more competitive
Deciding how to address the needs of potential clients used to be simple. You identified a problem they had and offered a solution. Persistent stains? My detergent washes them cleaner. Long hours on your feet? My shoes are more comfortable. You have a problem, I have a solution that works better than the alternatives. Sometimes it was superior, sometimes simply unique. During decades, that was enough.
As markets matured, emotional engagement gained relevance. People began to appreciate the way a brand made them feel, not only what it did for them. Later, a deeper shift occurred. Individuals began to expect coherence with their identity, values and worldview. Today, professionals and brands grow when they help people express who they are and what they care about.
This evolution has direct implications for personal branding. Our audience carries layers of needs:
functional (just resolving a problem),
emotional (how they want to feel),
spiritual (what values they want to see actualised).
Choosing which layer we will serve is a strategic decision; in marketing strategy, when we deal with this type of decisions, we are addressing the relevance of our value proposition.
Starting strategy from the relationship
So, when we want to understand what type of solution to what level of needs we want to offer, we may start in reverse.
What type of relationship do we want to establish with our public, and what solutions are expected at that level?
This is a clearer and more powerful way to design our relevance. The relationship defines the type of value we offer, the expectations we must satisfy, and the degree of stability we can anticipate in our market position. Here is the model that helps clarify this decision.
1. Attention
At this level, a professional offers an undifferentiated benefit. The brand’s attitude is transactional and centred on availability, visibility or speed.
Example: a creative offering her work on Fiverr.
She competes in a crowded arena where the public’s response is opportunistic. She relies on platform visibility, ratings and price. Loyalty is minimal because the relationship is minimal. This level can generate volume, but it offers limited protection and little emotional connection.
2. Affection
Here, the professional attempts to satisfy the client’s needs by emphasising her own excellence. She focuses on her skills, credentials and performance.
Example: a consultant who repeatedly claims to be the best in her field.
She must constantly prove her superiority, and she must hope that her prospects see that superiority as relevant. This position is difficult to sustain. Competitive advantages tend to erode, and recognition does not always translate into loyalty. This is a demanding relationship because it depends on continuous demonstration.
3. Appreciation
At this level, the professional understands the emotional needs of her clients and responds with empathy, clarity and presence. The brand becomes a source of trust and reassurance.
Example: a consultant who cultivates trust-based relationships with her clients.
They feel understood, comfortable and supported. This protects her from competition. Clients rarely replace someone they trust for marginal gains elsewhere. This is a stable and human level of relationship.
4. Acceptance
This is the deepest relationship. The professional satisfies spiritual needs: values, worldview, identity. The brand becomes an expression of who the client is or wishes to be.
Example: a consultant helping companies design sustainable strategies, guided by deep values.
Clients choose her because they see their own beliefs reflected in her stance. They identify with her. They stay loyal and speak enthusiastically about her. The relationship becomes transformative. This requires coherence, purpose and a long-term commitment.
Choosing the relationship you can sustain
Once we understand the four levels of relationship, the strategic question becomes clearer. Each level demands different abilities. Each offers different levels of stability. And each produces a different type of daily experience.
There is no better or worse. These relationships are simply different. The important step is to choose the one that aligns with your personality, your abilities and the type of value you want to create.
When you make this choice deliberately, you also select the depth of need you address, the expectations you must fulfil, the kind of clients you will attract, and the emotional tone of your work. This decision shapes your professional trajectory and your everyday satisfaction.
Pause and reflect:
What relationship do you want to build with your audience?
From that answer flows the type of solution you are meant to offer.
Strategy as a source of personal well-being
In personal branding, relevance is not only a competitive outcome. It is also a source of coherence and fulfilment. The way we choose to be relevant determines how we feel at work, how much energy we can sustain, and how aligned we remain with our deeper aspirations.
A strategic decision about how to win in the market becomes, inevitablely, a decision about how to live.
