Many of us are partial to certain merchandise brands out there, whether it be a brand of car, or a brand of clothing. However if you take the item out of the picture,think about the other parts of the brand that have "hooked" you into it ,as well. For example, when thinking about the brand of car, maybe it was the first impression of the salesman who gave you a good" feeling". Or, when going to a clothing store, maybe it was the salesperson there who was so helpful that you knew that this was the place that you wanted to shop.
In business sales, of course, there's a lot more involved. However, the basic message is clear.
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO NOTICE YOU - THE BRAND OF "YOU", BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE.
Ok….there are those rare exceptions, such as when you want a particular car, and nothing will stop you from getting that car. However, you may have had a situation where the salesperson turned you off so much with their "salesy" ways, that you left one dealership to go deal with another one.
Your personal brand is who you are, at the core – all of your knowledge, values, beliefs – and how you bring that to whatever you career path you choose.
Think hard about this: What is YOUR brand? Because another truth of sales is that prospects are going to buy the salesperson first. And if you succeed in getting prospects to be fans of "you", the chances are that they are going to want to buy from you, as well.
Here are a few things to pay attention to in order to make sure your brand is real, and effective.
1) Establish yourself as an expert. There are many other people out there doing whatever it is that you are doing. What is it about YOU that can put you at the top of this group?
2) Being a leader. Be the one in the group that people will want to gravitate to and listen to. Be the person who will LEAD others, and who others will see as a person of VALUE.
3) Being consistent. Always do what you say you are going to do, and do so in a positive way. You are only as good as the image that you portray to others. Always do whatever it takes to keep that image in a good light.
And, the positive outcome of doing this will be that people will then carry these good feelings and associations that they make with you, over to your company, products and services, as well.
It will turn the tables around from you having to "sell, to people wanting to "buy".
Another good gauge of your brand is to look at how others are branding you, making sure that it directly represents the image that you want to project. This is one sure fire way to know that you are communicating your brand effectively when you see that people are perceiving you correctly.
A final word on this topic. When considering branding yourself, do this with the thought process of an entrepreneur. If you think in that frame of mind – always going the extra mile, always increasing your value, being a leader – these are all empowering and impressive traits that will help you in your branding process.
Marco Giunta
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Ann Zuccardy • Absolutely! People buy from people they like and trust.
RAVI .. • Ann I agree but does that mean whether you like the seller(in this case the retailer) & trust them in person for what they are providing OR is it that just all & only about brand loyality(wht generally happens) ?? In case if it comes to brand loyality thn what if you are a new brand, trying to establish yourself & yet not known much to your target customers OR to retailing partners..then what could be the best way out in such circumstances..is it that you need to keep your efforts ON to reach out people minds/hearts by all "formulated" means of marketing/branding strategies & keep patience till you or your "perfect" brand gets thru to reach the point of "Like & Trust" ?? Can their be any other perspective or method to overcome this scenario ??
(Hope this isn't confusing..)