Outfluence Online » The <b>Job Seeker</b>, Part VI

The Job Seeker, Part VI, Branding Yourself

Congratulations!  You have been hired as a permanent staff member in the job of your choice in the company of your choice.  Nice going.  Now what?  How are you going to make certain that your position is secure and that you can earn advancement opportunities?

            In this series we have not yet focused on personal branding.  Now is the time to establish your brand.  What is it that you want everyone with whom you come into contact, both within the company and external to the company, to remember about you?

            In my business what was most important to my clients was my responsiveness.  That’s what I wanted them to know about me every time they saw me.  I wanted all of my clients, and everyone in my company, to know that whatever my clients wanted, I would deliver.  And I would deliver it because I had prepared myself to deliver it.  I knew what my clients wanted, needed, and expected, and I prepared myself to meet their wants, needs, and expectations.

            The great artist, actor, performer, and author Steve Martin said, upon being asked how to succeed in Hollywood, “Be so good that they can’t ignore you.”  That is his brand – he is too good to be ignored.  You just have to pay attention to him.  He always delivers what his audience wants.

            Two things will differentiate you in the marketplace, your reputation and your brand. Reputation emanates from your performance, but someone else attaches the reputation label

to you. Your brand is established and promoted by you and you alone. These are important concepts to understand. When you differentiate yourself, you have added a value to your

service that your clients won’t find anywhere else. You may be very good at what you do, but many others in your marketplace are also good at what they do. While your skills may get you through a prospective client’s door, they may not get you a whole lot further. A prospective client wants a special reason to notice you, use your services, or purchase your products.

            The key here is to decide if differentiating yourself is important to you. If it is, then you must decide how you will do it. What will you do that you know your customers need and

that you know your competition is not providing or not providing very well? When you decide what that differentiator is going to be, you must sleep, eat, and breathe it. You must promote yourself based on that differentiator so that you will stand apart.

            Let’s see what your branding acumen is by taking this quiz developed by my friend George Fulton, a marketing and advertising consultant.

            Branding is:

?     Nice to have, but it is really just a cost center, and now is not the time for more costs

?     Really only applies to companies that sell consumer products

?     Something you resort to doing if sales start to fall

?     Necessary folklore that spawned hundreds of 1950’s TV westerns.

?     The most important part of your vision, your strategy planning, and your future.

Only the last two statements above are true. 

            If you are going to take the knowledge you have gained in this Job Seeker series and apply it in a business of your own, here are six headlines about branding that you may want to explore further with George Fulton and the bright people at Outfluence, LLC:

Branding is about values.  Ensure that the values that drive your company are clearly discussed, decided upon, and communicated.Branding is a strategic asset.  In 2002 the market value of Coca Cola was $136BB, yet its book value was only $10.5BB, which meant that there was $125BB of shareholder confidence in the company, of which $70BB was attributed to just the Coca Cola brand name!  (Coke is the number one brand in the world.)  You want to sell that company of yours one day?  Brand it!Branding is a mirror image of everything you, the company and every employee does.  What drives your company also drives your brand and how it is perceived by your employees, customers, and suppliers. Branding takes a lifetime.  It begins with the foundation of the company values and must continually be watered and fertilized, adjusting to changes in the attitudes, behaviors, and needs of the market.Branding requires customer intimacy.  If you don’t know how you are perceived today and if you don’t know what customers really want and are willing to pay for, then you can’t design programs to gain add-on sales, to acquire new customers, to keep old customers happy and to develop reference accounts.  These, when done properly, build strong companies and strong brands.Branding is a promise kept.  There is no faster way to cheapen a brand than not keeping your promises. 

Acquiring a job, starting a business, or establishing a career, are serious undertakings.  I hope this Job Seeker series proves to be a valuable asset to your planning process.  Best of luck!

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