Stand Out From the Rest

Excerpt from The Star Metro Classified front page 1/9/2007

1) Other from having talent, skills and knowledge to be successful, one need to have a strong brand image as well, in order for them to succeed and keep ahead of competitors.

2) As businesses become more and more competitive, there aer many people out there who offer the same products or services as you do. Regardless of which organization (MNC or small org) or position (CEO or clerk) that you work in or hold, you need to stand out from other people so that you can be in control of your your business or career.

3) Personal branding is a powerful way of communicating the unique promise of value which you offer to your boss or clients.

4) Regardliess of position, busineses we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are the CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc.

5) 6Ps to make your personal brand comes alive:

a) Personal
-Begin by understanding your true self. You are original, not one else is quite like you. What do you stand for? What are your beliefs? Joe down a few phrases that describes your unique value, vision, purpose and passion. Tkae some time to discover yoru strengths, weaknesses and hidden talent. Ask yourself what impacts you the most and what drives you.

b) Perception
-It is imperative that you be aware of how you are communicating yourself to those around you. You will need to know your attributes and how others perceive you as an individual. Ask for feedback from those that is close and around you.

c) Position
-You must know your target audience and business or job competitors. How can you stand out unless you know whom you are standing with? When people see your name or face consistently over a period of time, they will assume that you ahve something special and taht you must be successful. Having your own brand keeps you visible within the marketplace as it sends out a clear message about you that makes you worth contacting.

d) Performance
- Establish yourself as an expert in your field because expertise can bring you incrased recognition, allowing you to position yourself well in the hearts and minds of your target audience. Get good testimonials from your satisfied customers. As an employee, create an outstanding portfolio of your past accomplishments. Create a personal mission statement and tagline.

- Seek out new and challenging assignments that will build your brand. Write articles to showcase your knowledge and get them published or better still, igve speeches or presentations to share your expertise and achievements.

e) Promote
- You can have an amazing brand, but if no one knows about it, you will not go ahead.
Nothing in marketing is more powerful than a promotion tool called word-of-mouth. What your network of friends, colleagues, clients and customers say about your brand is what the market will ultimately gauge as the value of the brand. Get a personal website. Take your personal image seriously because your appearence is the packaging of your own brand. Remember, you are the product, adn your packaging will either attract or detract people from your product.

f) Planning
- Make an appointment with yourself at least twice a year to re-evaluate your personal brand statement. There will always be competing brands ready to fill in any gap that you leave, so you must work consistently to close the gap. Personal branding works for everyone, no matter which sector you are in.

Generally, people work with you for three main reasons:
i) They know you
ii) The like yoru character or reputation
iii) You create value

When you know yourself, what you offer and what makes you unique, your business or career will progress more effectively.