What is Personal Branding?
Your personal brand is basically how the online and offline market perceives you as a business professional. Basically, what you are known for and how people recognize you as soon as they see you or hear you. Branding answers three important questions:
Who you are�
What you do�
Why you do it�
As an example, think of Tony Robbins�
Who: Tony is a very tall, energetic and a famous American motivational speaker and entrepreneur.
What: Tony conducts seminars, private consultation, and sells motivational products.
Why: Tony states that he is money motivated and loves helping people become successful in business and in their personal lives.
Branding reveals our personality and values in business. Your efforts to brand yourself online will benefit you in many ways. One way as Frank Kern says, "People know who I am, what kind of person I am and now most of my customers are just like me. We have things in common and I enjoy working with my customers." By making an effort to truly brand himself, Frank attracts customers to him; they trust him and like him. You can see how Frank comes across as a genuine person and because he brands himself as a person that keeps his word and you can trust, he is doing great and having a ball!
Most major companies within their market carry a brand and will do just about anything to protect that brand. I like to refer to the great retail store Nordstrom's. My wife shops there quite often and a while ago actually worked for them as a visual display contractor. She learned about their commitment to their guarantee and maybe some of you know that their guarantee is unconditional. This means that as long as you have a receipt, you do not have to explain why you are making a return. They refund or exchange no questions asked. Nordstrom's knows that the quality they carry is superb and they charge more than most; however, people do not mind paying a little more for this kind of guarantee.
In our business, that is, the online sales business, if you do not have a brand, most likely you will not have a following. Like Nordstrom's, you must have a consistent brand in order to have a consistent following.
Your Brand Must Have Clarity�
You must have a clear brand. The more clarity you have, the more concise your brand will be. It must be concise for you to attract a following. There must be clarity in the mind of your customer as to who you are and why they will trust and follow you.
I remember meetings with my last employer where we were discussing our brand and what the slogan should be. We all had ideas as well as our consultants. It was almost a year before we had our slogan and the funny thing is that it came from customer in-person surveys. Our customers told us what our brand was. We were close but how our customers perceived us is in fact, our brand.
Give your brand some careful thought. It takes time to build your brand and you have to be clear as to what that brand will be for you from the very beginning. Your clarity will equal your prospects clarity. The more clarity you have, the more conviction you will possess and with conviction comes the power to influence.
Without Passion, There is No Brand�
Passion is an attractive emotion. I again refer to Tony Robbins. This is a man that without doubt lives every day with passion. I am sure he has his moments, but just watching him work is quite an experience. His passion is seen and felt in the manner that he moves and with every expression he makes. His passion is what made him who he is today. He draws crowds easily and that is because everyone likes to be around someone who has passion.
Without passion, you will have no enthusiasm. No one will get excited about you
and your business if you do not show enthusiasm. Passion is one of the most powerful emotional frequencies in existence. It has literally been studied in laboratories around the world by quantum physicists and there is no doubt, there is tremendous power in passion. No passion, no persuasive power. If you have passion for what
you do, show it. Look at yourself by video and listen to your voice. If it doesn't feel right' get some advice from a leader in your business and make changes!
Focused Purpose�
By now, you know that purpose is a key factor for success. Having purpose will bring clarity. If your purpose is not focused, your brand will change. You will be swayed by people's opinions and even other opportunities. You brand will not have substance and the result in building your business will also lack substance.
Purpose and passion gives your brand meaning and a reason for people to follow you; to buy from you. Your purpose need depth, conviction and meaning top you and your customers. Think big. Make your purpose about something huge and wonderful; something so enormous that it will take much more than your efforts alone to make it happen. You will need to form a Mastermind Group which is one of the principles of success found in Napoleon Hill's book Think and Grow Rich.
Here is an Interesting Exercise for Clarifying Your Brand�
Many authors over the years engaged in the topic of success suggest that you think about how you would like to be remembered when you move on from this life. Think of your obituary and if you had the opportunity to write it now, how would you want it to read? Write it today or as soon as possible. Consider your brand and your purpose when you go through this exercise which I recommend. This exercise will give you insight into what you care about most, what you want people to think about you at the end of the day and it just gets right down to the bottom line for your purpose and brand.
Writing your obituary today may be uncomfortable for you; try to get over this
feeling. Growing in business is never easy and the good news is that this exercise can be fun with the right attitude. Just remember that you are writing today who you will become tomorrow!
The Only Questions You Need To Build Your Brand...
Who are you and how do you want to be perceived?
What do you do?
Why do you do it?
And�..
Why should a prospect work with you?
Work on these questions until your answers are one sentence in length. When they are one sentence in length, break it down to three words. When you have done this, you have created your brand, you now have clarity and you can now move forward with passion and purpose!
Remember - Life is Wonderful and is Short�.Enjoy It Starting Today!
Robert Quadra
Author of The 20% Stuff! Soar to Success by Getting on the 20% Side of The 20/80 Rule!
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