Bonjour mon ami,

If you can’t tell by my ~very~ formal greeting, I’m a French language learner. And before that, I was a (failed) German language learner. I know about *pinches fingers together* this much of either language.

But the one concept that’s stuck with me?

L’espirit d’escalier in French. Treppenwitz in German.

For those of you Duolingo heads out there, I’m talking about The Spirit of the Stairs.

And if you’re an American like I am, you might be unfamiliar with the concept (the translation isn’t really 1:1), but you’ve probably experienced it. And probably recently.

Your cranky uncle said something to you at the Thanksgiving dinner table. You rolled your eyes and maybe gave a half-hearted, “Okay, Uncle [REDACTED].” And went along your way, eating your dinner in grumpy silence.

Time passes. You move on to other conversations and activities. Then, as you walk down the steps of your Uncle [REDACTED]’s house to leave, it comes to you.

The perfect comeback.

But the time has passed. The moment is gone. That frustrating feeling is l’espirit d’escalier (or the Treppenwitz).

Even worse?

If you have experience a Treppenwitz after you introduce yourself and your business.

You know the scenario. Maybe you’re at a networking event or on a Zoom chat with a new internet friend.

Them: What do you do?

You: I help people be more successful in life and other things. I work with a lot of different people, and sometimes it looks like a one-on-one engagement, and other times it’s a group program, and sometimes it’s in the beauty industry, and other times it’s with service-based business owners. And there was that one time I worked with a hotelier.

Them: 👁️👄👁️

You: 👁️👄👁️

Them: 👁️👄👁️

You: So yeah…

And as you leave that networking event, and climb the eight flights of steps to your car in the parking garage, you think of it—the perfect one-liner to describe your business.

Bam. You’ve been Treppenwitz’ed.

And this is where brand positioning comes in—that’s the who, what, how, and why of your business. And it’s one of the first things we solve together in Brand Clarity Lab!

Take it from Robert Ledet, an architect who completed Brand Clarity Lab this fall. Robert came to me with a years-long Treppenwitz. He said:

Don’t Get Treppenwitz’ed Again

Brand Clarity Lab is a cohort-based brand strategy program designed to help service providers define their brand, align it to their business, and get expert feedback along the way. In The Lab, you’ll learn about the different components that make up your brand and get the insights and tools you need to apply those concepts to your business. We’ll work together to:

• Define your ideal clients, so you know who to talk to

• Understand the competitive landscape so you can see what your audience sees

• Craft a brand positioning statement (so you can avoid yet another Treppenwitz!)

• Differentiate yourself without becoming someone you’re not

• Develop your brand personality so you can show up consistently

• Write clear brand messages, so you know exactly what to say

• Build a marketing plan that fits where you are right now

Brand Clarity Lab is designed for service-based business owners who want to show up more consistently and in a way that reflects their value, attracts the right clients, and helps them grow.

We kick things off on January 12! Get your application in now so you don’t suffer from l’espirit d’escalier on your way out of that upcoming holiday networking event!

See you soon,