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Who am I?
This is a question that individuals
in every walk of life ponder at some point and time. Our identities influence
our self-confidence and how others perceive us. Personally, this is important
to our joy and happiness. Professionally, identity is about branding. Defining
our reputation through our work ethic determines how others will trust us with
great responsibilities. It’s kind of a big deal. There are five areas of focus
that will collectively improve one’s personal branding.
To better understand personal
branding, I went to the internet, (after all, isn’t everything on the internet,
true?) Meg Guiseppi, a highly versed and well respect expert on personal
branding defined it. “Personal branding links your passions, key personal
attributes, and strengths with your value proposition, in a crystal-clear
message that differentiates your unique promise of value and resonates with
your target audience.”
Consistency –
We all know how corporate
consistency can build empires, McDonald’s is a well-known success story. We can
shift this global concept into a personal one. Maybe you will be known for wearing Seahawk ties every day, or fun, and funky socks? Pick something you can always do
or be, and stick to it. This shows your passion and your personality. I always
try to wear a smile, it is a simplistic way to create an easy and friendly
interaction. Side note, smiling activates dopamine, endorphins and serotonin.
Accuracy/Reliability –
Don’t confuse consistency with
accuracy, we can be consistently reliable, which is a worthy personal goal, but
in this context, accuracy means that you mean what you say, and say what you
mean. Embellishing sales achievements, making promises you cannot keep, or
telling those “big fish” stories have no place in professional branding. This
impacts your reputation as others will come to expect your word to have no
value or meaning.
I recently helped a friend and small
business owner negotiate a repair for their street monument sign. I asked
others I trusted for a recommendation and made the phone call. I spoke with the
sign company owner, who gave me a high- and low-end quote. The quote was agreed
upon and the repair was scheduled. Several no shows later and two months of
empty promises had me threatening with the only power I held over him – a
negative Google review. Two days later his team was out fixing the sign.
Integrity –
I am going to mention the sign
company again, probably because it just happened and it’s fresh on my mind. One
of his stipulations of scheduling work was that we needed to provide a credit
card number in advance. As a small business owner, I get it. We often extent a
hand of trust by billing later (Net30), only to find our judgement was
misplaced. (Tangent warning...pay your invoices, it shows your integrity too!)
The day following the repair, I contacted the owner for an invoice, he said he
wasn’t sure of the final costs. What? I reminded him of our initial
conversation, specifically the high and low quote. He didn’t remember that
conversation. I then quickly educated him about integrity, and reminded him of
his agreement. He called me a day later and said he would honor his word.
Halleluiah!
Follow-up –
Have you heard the term “ghosting”
yet? “Ghosting is breaking off a relationship by ceasing all communication and
contact with the former partner without any apparent warning or justification,
as well as ignoring the former partner’s attempts to reach out or communicate.
The term originated in 2011.” (Wikipedia) The original use was regarding
personal relationships but has since transitioned into the business world,
specifically sales. When you don’t hear back from a customer, vendor, or
potential client you have been “ghosted”.
It is an unfortunate product of the
social media world we live in. People have forgotten their manners, and in
doing so, leave others wondering. The best way to tackle ghosting is follow-up.
I was recently ghosted. I had done some direct marketing and visited their
place of business. We also had friendly email correspondence happening but
suddenly I never heard back. I emailed a few more times, and stopped by to a
locked door. (A side note here; follow-up and stalking are not the same thing.
Don’t be pushy.) I had done all I could with this potential customer and did
the next best thing ... I waited. About a month later, I checked in on them
again, and you know what? The decision maker had an emergency. Had I moved on, I would have not established
myself as a person who follows-up. I would have missed the opportunity to grow
that business relationship. Follow-up makes a difference in who people see you
for.
Patience –
The final area of focus for personal
branding is patience. Both patience with others, but also patience with
yourself. Branding is a process. Did you know it takes about four years to
build a solid presence on social media? 4 YEARS – those who are not patient
will not invest this time, be the person who is patiently persistent.
By following these 5 areas of focus,
you can brand your professional identity through building a reputation based on
consistency, reliability, integrity, follow-up and patience. Others will trust
you with great responsibility, you will enjoy successful relationships as well
as build a personal brand where you radiate sincere confidence.
Dawn E. Brown is a small business
owner living the suburbia dream near Seattle Washington. She is passionate
about print, marketing, people & family, and not necessarily in that order.
She doesn’t wear bow ties or silly socks, but she does like to see others laugh
and smile.
Minuteman Press of Kent 1819 Central
Ave. S. Ste 80, Kent, WA 98032
www.kent-wa.minutemanpress.com
References
https://www.northstarmarketing.com/2015/05/07/the-difference-between-a-good-brand-and-a-great-brand-consistency/
https://executiveresumebranding.com/what-is-personal-branding/
https://executivecareerbrand.com/about/
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201206/there-s-magic-in-your-smile
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