This month Lisa Parker, CPRW, posted a great article with straight forward advice for establishing and marketing your business online.  Most of these principles can be applied to personal branding for other objectives, such as job hunting or hiring, as well.

The Art of Establishing Your Personal Business Brand

Each of us sports around our very own, unique personal brand. The many things that separate and identify us as individuals serve to become known as our personal brand. All of the principle components of our personal brand; to include first impressions, demeanor, accomplishments, and the value we place on interaction with others determine the level of success we experience in both our personal and professional lives.

As we establish our business and working relationships, we must incorporate those same principles in the strategy we use to develop our personal business brand. As an entrepreneur myself, I would like to share with you three basic steps I took to establish the foundation for personal branding in my business.      

Service and Reputation – The first step toward developing a personal business brand is to determine the type of service or product you intend to provide your clients or customers. You have to decide what your mission is and always deliver the service or product as promised; in the utmost professional manner. The expectation of, or perceived service is the reason your customers will choose your services over other competitors.  By visualizing the end result of your efforts, you will be able outline a plan of action in reaching your goals.    

In promoting my business, I researched other service providers in my career field, and chose to provide my clients with a level of service that I found missing in a sampling of my competition. Quite simply, “One-on-One Customer Service”.  The availability of this simple, consumer expectation is severely lacking in today’s market. A client can hardly expect satisfaction in seeking services when contact with a concerned service provider is practically extinct. As my business continues to grow, I note that most of the comments from satisfied customers focus on the need to express their appreciation of being able to contact an individual service provider.                        

Once you identify the needs of a potential client base, market your business based on the provision of those needs.

Marketing Strategy – The second step in promoting your personal business brand is obtaining visibility.  With the unlimited resources and marketing avenues available today, you don’t have to spend a great deal of money (if any) to establish your foundation. You may consider my techniques “shameless self promotion”, however I consider the results monetarily rewarding. In addition to a variety of local advertising assets such as newspapers, magazines and the Chamber of Commerce; there are plenty of online resources just waiting for you to tap into the benefits they provide. One little known example: using popular free blog websites such as “Word Press” will help you to get your information out on the world-wide-web in minutes.  I spent a short amount of time researching some of the opportunities available for free advertising, and you can view the results of my efforts first hand by taking time out to “Google” my business name in a variety of configurations (parker cprw, parkercprw, lisa parker cprw).  

Networking – The third step in laying a successful foundation for your personal business brand is to never underestimate the power of networking. In addition to the efforts you employ through other advertising and marketing resources, remember that opportunities for networking happen on a daily basis. Aside from the many organizations that enlist members to promote networking with others in your specific career field; there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer in support of events in your local community. As a business owner you can provide free workshops, schedule product demonstrations, distribute opportunities for entry into free drawings at local businesses and a number of other activities that will support the growth of your business. The key to effective networking is to be diverse in your connections, and by this I mean that you should not limit yourself to a particular region.  If your organization supports local events, wear a professional identification badge that mentions your business or service.    

A large amount of my clients have sought out my services after only seeing the business name, or speaking with other satisfied customers.

Association – The ultimate goal is to have your business name associated not only with the service or product you provide, but with your own personal name as well.  Most of us already have a business name before we begin to research and understand the importance of branding. That doesn’t mean that you should wait any longer to begin marketing your name side by side with that of your business. Consider “Trump Plaza”, Trump Towers”, “Trump University”, and “Trump Financial”. Do you know who I am referring to?

Personal Branding is the art of following the “Golden Rule” in the provision of service and interaction with clients and customers.  By learning how to manage other people and their perceptions of you and your business, you will naturally establish the unique value that sets you apart from competitors in your career field.

Labels: blogging, branding, careers, Hiring, marketing, Social Media, web2.0

"I am Elmer J. Fudd, millionaire.  I own a mansion and a yacht."  That is an example of a personal branding statement.  It's concise, to the point, and pulls no punches.  It sells the fact that you are in the presence of a successful and powerful person, sort of.  But you'll need more than that for a good first impression.

It's easy to forget that Personal branding is about more than your online persona.  Occasionally we must creep from our lair to venture out into the real world in the name of business and networking.  For those times when you have to endure a face to face encounter, here are some keys to making a strong first impression in the physical realm:

body language - establish your space, don't slouch, make eye contact;
conversation skills - focus on the person you are speaking with, not yourself;
your voice - avoid speaking in a monotone, too quietly, or too quickly, 
elevator pitch - aka your personal branding statement.

These excerpts from How to Make a Powerful First Impression, an article on Entrepreneur.com by Robert Jones, offer some great insight:

"Lillian Bjorseth, a communications consultant and author of Breakthrough Networking, says people decide many things about you within 10 seconds of seeing you--usually before you even open your mouth. That's why entrepreneurs should always be conscious of their aura, she says.

Body Language
"The aura is the area around you that you create by what you wear, how you act, how you look," she says. "It all goes together to make one impression. You could wear a very expensive suit, but if you stand slumped over with your head down, you won't give a confident aura."

Though every person's aura is complex and unique, Bjorseth says entrepreneurs can focus on a few simple, non-verbal priorities to appear confident and in control. First, don't slip into a room "all smiles." Instead, "claim your space" in the room by planting your feet six inches to eight inches apart, one slightly ahead of the other--a stance that will make you feel grounded and confident.

After you've established eye contact, Bjorseth says a smile will create an upbeat, positive environment. Maintain eye contact 85 percent of the time during a conversation, she recommends. Doing so will make you seem trustworthy and it will demonstrate that you're interested in what the other person has to say.

Conversation
When it's time to move beyond the handshake stage, simple conversational skills are the key to a successful first meeting, says Rosalie Maggio, bestselling author of How to Say It and The Art of Talking to Anyone.

"Prepare in advance, then just try to forget yourself," she says. "Being too self-conscious is the quickest way to shoot yourself in the foot. Remember that it's about the other person--that's the best possible way to make a positive first impression." 

Voice
Beyond body language and conversational skills, the actual tone of your voice is an important part of the impression you create, says Sandra McKnight, owner of Voice Power Studios in Santa Fe, N.M.

"In face-to-face conversation, the other person first sees you, then hears the tone of your voice, and only then listens to your words. It can create a negative impression very easily if you're not in control of the way you speak." 

Branding Statement
To avoid a fumbling introduction, Bjorseth says every entrepreneur should have in mind a "verbal business card"--a quick, 30-word summary of who you are and what you can do. Focus on benefits for the other person rather than job titles or even company names, she recommends. "You want to make sure people remember you as opposed to others who do the same thing you do."

When it comes time to offer your verbal business card, elevator speech, personal branding statement, or whatever you like to call it, an article on The Interview Edge entitled   Networking - How to Capture Attention offers these tips:

"You need to get around the barriers and cut through potential resistance to or apathy about your message.

Let’s say you’ve just met Jim, and asked him what he does. Which of these answers is more apt to peak your interest?

“I’m the VP of Sales at Company XYZ.”

“I deliver extreme bandwidth into people’s homes.”

I’ll bet you were more drawn to the second statement.

In the first response, Jim simply labels himself. The second answer describes an action (he delivers)…and the benefit derived from this action. That’s more effective than a label.

There’s also a good chance you want to know more. How does Jim accomplish this? What exactly does he mean when he says extreme bandwidth? How much is extreme? You might be a lot more interested in his company. Maybe you want to know how you might get that kind of performance in your own house…or how can you get it for your customers. You get the idea.

It’s a more effective conversation starter. It's more likely to engage the other person.

Think about what you do, and how you might describe it in a way that will make the listener want to hear more. Avoid labeling yourself (“I’m a financial analyst” or “I’m an ad sales director”).

Instead, turn it around. How do other people benefit from what you do? What’s “in it” for them? Try crafting your answer to “what do you do?” in those terms. "

If all else fails, tell the other party that you are, indeed, Elmer J. Fudd, Millionaire, and that you own a mansion and a yacht.  If they aren't too young to know what you're talking about, that will be a good icebreaker.  But I recommend working on your branding statement ahead of time so you don't have to resort to that.

I am Craig Fisher.  I use the power of social media to help great companies recruit talented people, and to help talented people get noticed and move ahead.  And I own a mansion and a yacht.

Labels: branding, Branding Statements, First Impressions, Social Media, Social Networking, web2.0

There is a great trail that goes around Grapevine Lake behind our house to some horse farms and Meadowmere Park. I take the kids hiking or on golf cart rides back there when their mom needs a break from the chaos.  It looks really cool back there when the leaves are falling.  I love this time of year!

Click for the pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fishdogs/sets/72157609726458176/

Labels: Family

I have been running across so many good articles with resume tips lately.  I pass most of these along on Twitter.  But I thought it would be a good idea to start compiling them in a post here every once in a while.  I will do additional posts like this with interview and job hunting articles.  You can also find additional resume tips in my blog post on the Best Modern Resumes.

These are the resume articles that I found were most worthy of late.  Hope you find some advice here that you can use.  -CF

Is that a gap in your resume? http://twurl.nl/3vspyx

5 Ways to Drastically Improve Your Resume in 10 Minutes: http://snipr.com/5heod

Are you sure your resume is accurate? Funny Job Search Article - http://snipr.com/5d8ar

A Unique Cover Letter Tip for a Tough Job Market http://snipr.com/5d43r

Answers to Some of the Most Frequently Asked Resume Questions http://snipr.com/5cebs

Renew your resume and get ahead: http://snipr.com/4jxwx

Labels: branding, Resumes

Can't find your one year old?  Try the dryer.

Or the toilet...

It's safe to say that our 14 month old Ethan is into everything.  Good times.

Labels: Family

As I sat watching live, streaming video from the Word of Mouth Marketing Association Summit and Research Symposium in Vegas last week from the comfort of my cushy office chair in Southlake, TX, it occurred to me that the corporate philosophy being shared by the enigmatic Zappos.com CEO, Tony Hsieh (pronounced "Shay"), echoed something written over 70 years ago.

The video stream was courtesy of Interactive Marketing expert, David Armano, who makes a habit of live streaming from the various high profile marketing conferences and other events he attends.  When he announced on Twitter (see my Twitter blog post) that he was about to stream Hsieh's presentation, my interest was piqued.  According to this recent interview, Zappos is on track to better the $840M in gross sales it did in 2007.  Hsieh previously founded LinkExchange which he sold for $265M to Microsoft in 1998.  I follow him on Twitter.  He's good.

So I clicked on the link and watched Hsieh as he shared some entertaining stories and interesting ideas.   It was a good presentation.  I made a couple of notes and prepared to turn it off.  But then he said something toward the end that struck a chord with me. 

He said that Zappos, which is known for being fanatical about customer service, does not hold customer service as its first priority.  He and the company are more concerned with its people - hiring great people and fostering an excellent company culture.  Hsieh believes that if you hire great people who share your corporate philosophy of great service, then great service will take care of itself.

This sounded to me like more of a partnership than a typical employer to employee relationship.  And it reminded me of something I had read in the seminal work of author Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich.  In this, perhaps the best selling success book of all time, Hill shares his 13 principles for success in the form of a philosophy of personal achievement. 

  The book, originally published in 1937 and abridged by Hill himself in 1960, was inspired by Hill's association with American billionaire Andrew Carnegie, and Hill's interviewing of over 500 of the most affluent men and women of his time.  The chapter on the "sixth step to riches" is entitled Organized Planning, and Hill has a section within called The New Way of Marketing Services-"Jobs" are now "Partnerships".  Here is the excerpt:

Men and women who market their services to best advantage in the future must recognize the stupendous change that has taken place in connection in the relationship between employer and employee. In the future, the "Golden Rule," and not the "Rule of Gold" will be the dominating factor in the marketing of merchandise as well as personal services. The future relationship between employers and their employees will be more in the nature of a partnership consisting of:

a. The employer
b. The employee
c. The public they serve

This new way of marketing services is called new for many reasons.  First, both the employer and the employee of the future will be considered as fellow-employees whose business it will be to SERVE THE PUBLIC EFFICIENTLY.  In times past, employers and employees have bartered among themselves, driving the best bargains they could with one another, not considering that in the final analysis they were, in reality, BARGAINING AT THE EXPENSE OF THE 3RD PARTY, THE PUBLIC THEY SERVED.

In the future, both employers and employees will recognize that they are NO LONGER PRIVILEGED TO DRIVE BARGAINS AT THE EXPENSE OF THOSE WHOM THEY SERVE. The real employer of the future will be the public. This should be kept uppermost in mind by every person seeking to market their services effectively.

"Courtesy" and "Service" are the watch-words of merchandising today.  They apply to the person who is marketing their services even more directly than to the employer whom he serves, because, in the final analysis, both the employer and his employee are EMPLOYED BY THE PUBLIC THEY SERVE. If they fail to serve well, they pay by the loss of their privilege of serving.

Tony Hsieh's approach of carefully hiring great people, and placing the employees and the company culture first is an inspiring means to this end.  Everyone is on board and understands that great customer service will be what sets the company apart.  And the customer benefits because the whole organization is made to feel they are playing a critical role, plus they like their job and love their company. 

This is a partnership based on mutual commitment.  Zappos notoriously offers new employees a $1000 bonus to quit after the first week of  its four week new hire training.  About 10% accept the offer.  The rest are committed to the cause.  And the company is committed right back.

According to a recent article in the Las Vegas Sun online, Zappos is a tight-knit company that buys its employees lunch each day and has a dodgeball room in its corporate headquarters.  And when the company reluctantly  laid off 8% of its 1,300-member workforce earlier this month due to the economic downturn, Hsieh said in an email to the employees, that "laid-off employees will be paid through the end of the year, and employees who have been with the company for three or more years will receive additional pay. He also said Zappos will pay for six months of health coverage for all laid-off employees."

"In doing all of this to take care of laid-off employees, we expect that it will actually increase, not decrease, our costs for 2008, but we feel this is the right thing to do for our employees," Hsieh wrote.  "It will put us in the position of having a lot more financial flexibility in being able to respond to potential changes in the economy in 2009."

The book, Think and Grow Rich has many more lessons that apply here.  But this book was originally compiled over a 10-year period beginning just prior to the Great Depression.  No streaming video, no Twitter, no Internet.  Hill just found, through exhaustive research, the common qualities that bound hundreds of highly successful people and organizations.  And he was undaunted by the financial woes of the time.

In our current struggling economy employers and employees alike can benefit from thinking of our jobs as partnerships.  And, like Zappos, we can create a competitive advantage by employing the "Golden Rule," and not the "Rule of Gold" as the dominating factor in the marketing of merchandise and services.

Labels: branding, careers, Hiring, jobs, marketing, Social Media, Twitter

Image via Wikipedia

In general it's a good idea to avoid a scorched earth policy when leaving a company, even if you were treated unfairly.  I'm all for standing up for yourself, but it's not worth it to tell off your employer and then trash their name publicly after you leave their employ. 

If you are tempted to do so, just sing "It's a Small World After All" to yourself to remember that there may very well come a time when someone from that company will come back into your professional life one way or another.  I see it all the time.  And I am always amused to see the "scorcher" acting surprised that the "scorchee" has somehow come back to bite them. 

Etiquette writer Jodi R. R. Smith of the Huffington Post has written a nice article outlining how to graciously leave your job.  Here are the high points:

I Quit! ~ While it is tempting to include a manifesto of the company's ills in your resignation letter, you are better served by keeping it simple. A resignation letter needs only three pieces of information. 1. Your last day. 2. Contact address and phone number. 3. Your signature with a date.

Time Your Timing ~ Once you have decided to leave a company you often become a lame duck. Plan your announcement and your time remaining carefully. When quitting, be sure to factor in time for a replacement to be found and some training to take place. Do not linger.

Let's Celebrate ~ As employees leave a company, it is common to arrange a good-bye party. The company should cover the costs of such an affair. The celebration can range from an after-hours cocktail party to cake in the break room. (Be aware, sometimes it is best not to have a public good-bye.)

Exit Interviews ~ Many companies interview outgoing employees to gather information. Answer all questions judiciously. Some exit interviews are confidential, while others are not. In addition, you want to be sure not to burn any bridges. Boomerang employees are more and more common. (Employees who leave a company only to be hired back a few years later.)

Six Degrees Of Separation ~ Just like the song says, it is a small world after all. If you have specialized in a specific field it is highly probable that you will cross paths in the future with the people you are leaving behind today. Keep relationships positive and the communication open. You never know when you might see these people again.

Take The High Road ~ Leaving a company can be a stressful and unnerving time. But it is at times like these that it is especially important to keep your wits about you. Do not yell at anyone, do not destroy company property, and do not disparage the organization to the media or to the clients. What you do reflects on you.

Keep In Touch ~ Be sure to build and maintain your professional networks: join professional organizations, attend alumni events, and subscribe to journals relating to your field. These networks help to ease the transition process.

Always Update ~ Even after you have found the job of your dreams, you should always keep your résumé updated. Because, as you have learned, you never know!

Jodi R. R. Smith: Gracious Good-Byes - Careers in Transition

Labels: branding, careers

Image by Jacob Bøtter via Flickr

A solid list of personal branding tips today on Resume Spider by John O'Connor.

5 Tips for Executive Jobseekers Who Want to Integrate Personal Branding Into Their Search

November 10th, 2008 by John O'Connor
Check and Refine Your Existing Online Brand. Your personal life is part of your professional brand, so inventory every part of it – in person and online. “I realized that I was casually on MySpace, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook and even YouTube,” Jane Harding says. “I didn’t have anything embarrassing out there, but I wasn’t doing anything to properly network and raise my positive impressions when you Google searched me.” Jane Harding reduced and focused her social status online and immediately posted professional images and short videos, as well as gained references and referrals.

Associations Work, So Work Them. Immediately after noticing her lack of participation in groups supporting her volunteering efforts, she jumped back into those groups and took on leadership roles. “My network probably increased directly by 200 professionals overnight,” says Ms. Harding. “I put the causes and organizations first in my efforts, but also utilized this time to professionally let people know what I was looking for inside and outside of healthcare.”

Use Your Expertise to Contribute. “With some coaching,” says Ms. Harding, “I developed and delivered three speeches, filmed them and posted them on YouTube and to my online web portfolio. I started my own blog and wrote book reviews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble online. Additionally, I authored four articles and published them in a volunteer magazine, on an online blog and in a regional sales magazine. It’s really stuff I could have and should have done while I was working; I learned that looking for a job is about branding yourself, not just pumping resumes out. The funny thing was that by doing this I got more responses from TheLadders and other postings too!” Join groups like Toastmasters and industry-related associations. Network and find ways to contribute productively first then ask for advice. Build relationships first and focus on what you can do for others. Then find subtle ways to introduce your needs.

Stop Making Excuses about Building Your Brand. Ms. Harding states, “On the surface I was successful and busy, but when I visited some young cancer patients during my job search I realized how lazy I was. I always had time, no matter how busy I was, to give back. I will never make excuses like that again.” For example, Ms. Harding hated writing, but she did it anyway because publishing helped her personal brand. She always seemed to be too busy to do the fundraiser, put in an hour at the hospital for volunteer stuff or to capture and edit video during her educational and other appearances. “So many opportunities are available to you to build your personal brand while you are deeply focused on your work. Even my former boss asked me why I hadn’t thought of it while I worked with him.” Ms. Harding also states, “I did things during my job search to take my own excuses away and it worked.”

Define Personal Branding for You. “What I found out is that personal branding is not a phony line made up by an advertising person,” says Ms. Harding. “For me it was about reinventing myself to be more like myself, if that makes sense. I decided to start by committing to things that mattered most to me – kids, volunteer activities, causes – and this inspired me to push myself way out of my comfort zone. I developed new, strong and enduring relationships. I became more like myself.” This advice can work for you. It simply does not matter if you find yourself in a high-flying sales position or in a low-profile operations position; you need to light a fire under your career and the core values of your personal brand. In today’s world of intense competition for the best jobs, becoming and staying proactive in developing your personal brand alongside your career is a must. Don’t wait until a layoff like Jane Harding. Staying proactive about your personal brand while employed is mandatory. Lightning can hit any global or highly-exposed industry at any time. For Jane Harding, the skies didn’t seem to be gray. It may take a forward-thinking friend or career coach to push you to work on your personal brand when you’re comfortable. So, what should you do now? Stay proactive about personal branding and it will drive current and future career opportunities. 

Labels: branding, careers, jobs, Social Media, Social Networking

Image by Ujwala Prabhu via Flickr

I don't know about you, but I constantly tweak my professional bio.  When I see someone do it better, I take a lesson from theirs and make improvements to mine.  Pete Kistler at www.blog.brand-yourself.com has written a great piece that not only breaks down the great professional bio of branding mogul, Dan Schwabel, but also offers a follow-up with 8 really helpful tips for writing your own.

I especially like tip number 6, mostly because it always feels so silly to describe yourself (or what you are doing in the case of Facebook and LinkedIn updates) in the third person.  But it is a necessary evil. 

6. Talk in the third person. Since your bio is something other people use to describe you, make it sound like someone else is talking about you. Good: “John Doe is a portrait photographer with six years of hands-on experience working with clients… etc.” Bad: “I am a portrait photographer… etc.”

So here is the link to that article.  Now I have to go tweak my bio!  -CF

http://blog.brand-yourself.com/2008/how-to-write-a-short-professional-bio-on-yourself-learn-by-example/

Labels: bio writing, branding, Social Networking

I have a problem.  I really like Twitter.  And you should too. 

In my quest to learn and pass along personal branding tips I have experimented with all kinds of tools.  I firmly believe you need a good blog to help establish your personal brand.  But you need to get people to read it.

In addition to consistently posting Pulitzer quality articles about your area of expertise or interest, you need to utilize the most effective  Web 2.0 tools to generate traffic for your blog.  And right now one of the best tools for that is Twitter. 

Not familiar with Twitter?  I hear a collective groan from the existing Twitterers and Tweeps out there (skip to "Tweeting is fun" below).  I won't spend too much time explaining what Twitter is.  Suffice to say it's like public instant messaging where you update those who choose to follow you about what you are doing, reading, find interesting, etc. in 140 characters or less.  Mahalo has a comprehensive guide here.

LinkedIn and Facebook have similar "what are you doing" updates.  But I found that my blog traffic increased dramatically once I began following people on Twitter who in return followed me back.  I occasionally post my blog updates to Twitter and I have my blog url listed on my Twitter profile page. 

Tweeting is fun.  Maybe too fun.  I'm pretty new to Twitter and decided to jump in with both feet in the spirit of good research.  And I liked it.  I caught myself sneaking in updates during breaks from Tivo or movie watching.  I even joined a Ning network group called Twitters Anonymous!  Gasp!  And then someone invited me to a local Tweetup, and...I went. 

Being a career sales guy I've been to lots of networking events, most of which were fairly useless and pretty lame.  But this Tweetup was different.  It was hosted by Forrester Research, who's marketing conference was going on nearby at the Gaylord Texan.  However at least half of the 50+ people who attended the Tweetup were just area twitterers and social media fans.  The topics of conversation were about Twitter, Tweeting, Social Media, and how all this is effecting marketing and business. 

I met some great people, including such Twitter and social media luminaries as Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang - see top photo above from the event, he recently won the 2008 Personal Brand Gold Award by Dan Schwabel, congrats!) , and David Armano (@armano) .  I even made a silly name tag to wear that looked like my Twitter profile so tweeps would remember me.  And of course I took a stack of business cards. 
 

And guess what, my Twitter following grew and so did my blog traffic. 

Twitter has also helped me grow my networks on both Facebook and LinkedIn.  If you use the Twitter application on Facebook you can kill two tweety birds with one stone by simultaneously updating both.  And both Facebook and now LinkedIn have apps that allow you to feed your blog updates directly to your respective profile pages.  Do this and many more readers will peruse your bloggy blog, provided you are writing that Pulitzer quality material, or at least something interesting, informative, or funny.

I can't wait to post an update about this on Twitter!  Tweet me @fishdogs -CF

And now here are a whole bunch of helpful links about Twitter...

Labels: blogging, branding, FACEBOOK, LinkedIn, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter