Building a Rock-Solid Personal Brand

Building a Rock-Solid Personal Brand

One definition of branding is: that which separates one commodity product from another nearly identical commodity product

Guess what? Labor is now a commodity.

A Players get special privileges They make more money. They get plum assignments. They don t have to hunt for leads. They ve always got options. They attract multiple job offers. (even in a down economy)

[Branding] Proactive steps you take to create and reinforce a desired perception about yourself; cultivating a great reputation on purpose [Reputation] How people perceive you, remember you, and tend to talk about you when you re not in the room [Character] The authentic truth of who you are, your values, what you re about, and how you interact with the people around you

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. John Wooden

You re not paranoid; you really ARE being watched!

Matt, I m pretty confident in my character, and like to think I ve got a pretty good reputation out there, but I m still confused. What would I do to actually brand myself?

Simple Question: Who do you know that you would refer along without a moment s hesitation? Harder Question: Why is this the case? (talk amongst yourselves for 5 minutes)

Expertise THE BRANDING TRIFECTA Likability Professionalism

E L Who do you know that is really good at what they do, and highly likeable, but is also really flaky and doesn t always necessarily follow through on things? L P Who do you know that you love to death, and really tries hard, but just isn t all that smart or have a very specialized set of skills or experience to offer? P E Who do you know that is really good at what they do, and conducts themselves professionally, but boy, isn t all that much fun to hang around?

Expertise Are you clear about Your core strengths and talents? The types of problems you re terrific at solving? The things that set you apart from your peers? The ROI you can bring to organizations? The types of customers you can help most?

Where to specialize? Use the Trends tool on Indeed.com to see which skills are growing in demand and which are declining

Who s Hungry for a Sound Bite? The fearless administrative assistant who is ready to step up to any challenge The CFO with the gold-plated rolodex The financial analyst who prides himself on his ability to tell stories with numbers The guy who calls himself the Drano of Software Development and claims he can get software shipped out the door on time, every time The VP of Sales who claims he can win the war with average talent

Likeability Do people find you Friendly, upbeat, and approachable? Entertaining and enjoyable to be around? Helpful and responsive to the needs of others? Confident, yet appropriately modest? Sincere and genuine in how you come across?

Professionalism Do you pride yourself on Following through on promises? Going the extra mile to deliver great results? Being resourceful and well-networked? Conducting business in a fair and ethical way? Treating people politely and respectfully?

? So in light of all this, where do you think you stand? Are you sure???

Assessing Your Current Brand Reflect back on successes Study your performance reviews Take personality assessments Ask people for candid feedback Conduct a 360-Degree survey if this last option interests you, there s a great free tool you can use at http://www.reachcc.com/360reach

Once you ve established what you want to be known for, exactly, the trick is to start communicating this message consistently to the people around you. You might need to set up some new habits/rituals to facilitate this.

Branding Steps: Basic Attend 1 networking event each month Dress nicely (even when optional) Take credit for your successes/strengths Own up to your failures/weaknesses Keep track of your accomplishments Write LinkedIn endorsements for others Set up job alerts on Indeed & SimplyHired Create personal profiles on LinkedIn, Zoominfo, Google & TheLadders Build a list of your network contacts and touch base w/ each on an ad hoc basis

Branding Steps: Intermediate Attend 1 networking event each week Optimize/update your on-line profiles Join relevant LinkedIn Groups Solicit LinkedIn endorsements from others Create a branded e-mail signature Keep your resume current Volunteer for appropriate organizations Crystallize your leadership philosophy Host a signature event each year Build a list of your network contacts and touch base w/ each one quarterly

Branding Steps: Hardcore Attend 2-3 networking events each week Create a catchy tagline for yourself Take leadership roles in associations Create/moderate a LinkedIn Group Pursue speaking engagements Author a regular blog/column/article Tweet on Twitter Post expert videos on YouTube Develop a web-based resume/portfolio Adopt a stylized look or wardrobe Build a list of your network contacts and touch base w/ each contact monthly

The #1 tip of all? Make being thoughtful a daily priority

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. that s what great brands do!

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