Be more successful: create "I inc"
Would you like some more…
– State of … “Mind to Achievement” in your organization or with your customers?
– …The right kind of projects or clients?
– …Gaining potential?
So take three steps to develop an image that does you! Get started today creating “ME INC.”
In our chaotic lives filled with confusing messages from a plethora of competitors, a personal brand makes you impossible to ignore and prevents you from becoming a commodity like wheat, sugar, or coffee beans. Commodities are bought and sold every day on the world market with their prices determined by the forces of supply and demand. The brand with better perceived value has the advantage and achieves greater results.
Gone are the days when you could just show up, do your job, and expect to get noticed. In our global economy, bright and brilliant people from all over the world compete for the same positions. Many are willing to work for commodities such as prices. Developing your “Me Inc.” You will brand yourself and create a distinctive value that will allow you to stand out from your closest competitors. This is true whether you are an entrepreneur, small to medium business owner, or someone looking for an upgrade to the executive suite.
Personal branding is a natural aspect of how people evaluate each other. You don’t need a master’s degree in marketing to put it to work. Personal branding allows you to control how other people perceive you. You’re telling them what you stand for, but in such an organic and unobtrusive way that they think they’ve developed that insight themselves.
Personal branding, the brainchild of “Me Inc.”, takes your unique skills, personality and characteristics and packages them into a powerful identity that increases your visibility in crowded markets. It starts with the way you walk, talk, and dress and includes your education, profession, car, friends, and choice of neighborhoods. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin has found a unique way to dial in her physical appearance. She wears a colorful flower on the left side of her outfit, creating a unique brand perception that is easily recognizable.
However, the entire brand is not just good looks, polished shoes, the car you drive, or how you present your business card. Following these externally-branded physical features, the creation of “Me Inc.” moves the heart and soul with attitudes and emotions. To more fully develop your brand:
– Show enthusiasm and positive attitude.
– Demonstrate persistence and the ability to meet and secure commitments.
– Live with integrity and honor your commitments
Which of these brand virtues describes you? Did you realize that others may rate you as…negative or positive…as unreliable or trustworthy?
After marking your physical appearance and your attitudes, move on to the final step: your nature and brain. Accomplish this third step by distinguishing yourself by marking your innate talents, knowledge, and abilities.
– Innate talents – What is easy for you? What do you like to do? What behavior when repeated seems to perform like magic?
– Knowledge – What do you know that could be flagged?
– Skills – What skills have you practiced over and over again until the gap between potential and actual is barely recognizable?
For example, if you want to be a better sales professional, you need an innate talent for persuasion, then deep product knowledge and a quiver full of sales skills and techniques. Hone your step three by practicing your skills, whether selling your ideas inside or outside your organization, and focus on your closing techniques. The good news is that what is practiced improves. In summary:
Innate talents + Learned knowledge + Practiced skills = Own brand and more complete results
Creating “Me Inc.” it distinguishes and differentiates you and allows you to shine among the crowd of people who compete for promotions or for the same client. As you develop your brand and operate from within, you will become a virtual magnet, drawing to you people who want to do business with you or who are willing to give you more responsibilities in your organization. Through this process, you catapult yourself into an elite league of achievers.
“If you work hard at your job, you will make a living. If you work hard on yourself, you will make a fortune.” ~Jim Rohn
