How to Create a Personal Brand That Works!

Do you know what role a brand plays in your business?  If you’re working for Apple, Nike, BMW, Mont Blanc, Oprah etc. you’ll appreciate the value of a powerful brand.

Sure companies are branded – sometimes as the good, the bad, and even the ugly.  A brand is a powerful thing to have.  Salespeople can be branded too.

Let’s say your brand is called “YOU.”  What’s your message? What do people think about when they think about you?  You can skip the dependable, reliable, and knowledgeable stuff.  I’ve never met a salesperson who didn’t honestly believe he/she was all that stuff.

When your prospects/customers think about your personal billboard, your personal brand, your (USP) Unique Selling Proposition – what specifically do they think about?  If you want your prospects/customers to think about it – you gotta invest time thinking about it first. If you don’t think about it – neither will they.  Then you’re doomed to mediocrity and end up forcing your prospects/customers to see pricing as the ultimate differentiator.  How horrible.

Here’s a provoking and I hope haunting question for you to consider. What’s the compelling reason for your prospects/customers to do business with you instead of all of your competition?

Chances are, when you can answer that question you’re on your way to building a recognizable brand in the niche markets you serve.

There are several crucial elements to creating and building your personal brand.

1. Who are you?

2. What do you do?

3. What (specifically) makes you different?

Before you can deliver the performance you have to cultivate the perception.  Being good or even great isn’t good enough, especially if nobody knows what makes you so special.

The reason most salespeople struggle when asked the three questions above is usually a matter of benign neglect.  They rely on shimmering personalities, communication skills, their appearance, and a host of other minor-league mindsets.  Your key to marginal success versus magnetic success may depend how good your answers are to these questions.

Once you feel confident in your ability to answer these questions, ask your seven best customers to answer the same questions.  You’ll have a rock-solid personal-brand if their answers match yours. Success in selling is no accident.  The most successful salespeople usually have the most cultivated and visible brands.

Your personal brand says a lot about you. Not having a personal brand may say more about you.

Ultimately your brand isn’t what you say it is.  It is what your clients say it is!