Building a Personal Brand

The Flow for Today’s Session

BrandManagement

101Introspection

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The Tools You WillNeed to Build APersonal Brand

Brands Begin with a Vision

•A Vision of What You Want Your Company to Be•H&R Block – You’ve Got People

•A Vision of What You Want Your Product to Be•Bud Light – Drinkability (all light beers don’t taste the same)

AT&T Vision

Connect people with their world,

everywhere they live and work,

and do it better than anyone else.

The Vision Drives a Brand Strategy

• AT&T’s Brand Strategy Delivers Three Elements• A Brand Promise – An unwavering

commitment to customers

• Brand Pillars – how they deliver on the promise

• A Brand Personality – the way they act in delivering the brand pillars

All 3 Will Also Help in Building A Personal Brand

AT&T New Brand Strategy

Brand Promise

Brand Pillars

Brand Personality

Your World.

Delivered.

Our unwavering commitment to our customers

AT&T: New Brand Strategy

Brand Promise

Mobilitywhatever, whenever, wherever

Progressive Innovation

Constant, meaningful innovation

Passion to ServeThe Customer Rules!

Brand Pillars

Brand Personality

Your World.

Delivered.

Our unwavering commitment to our customers

How we deliver on our promise

AT&T: New Brand Strategy

Brand Promise

Mobilitywhatever, whenever, wherever

Progressive InnovationConstant, meaningful innovation

Passion to ServeThe Customer Rules!

Brand Pillars

Brand Personality

Your World.

Delivered.

Our unwavering commitment to our customers

How we deliver on our promise

The way we act to deliver the pillars

Energetic

Fast

Friendly

Flexible

Helpful

Innovative

Reliable

Taking Brand to the Next Level

• Personal Brand Management• Applying Brand Principles to Individuals

• Why? – Brand is Strong Tool in Building Company Values– Why Not Leverage the Same Dynamic for Ourselves

• Acknowledgment• Be Your Own Brand by David McNally and Karl Speak

• 101 Successful Sales Strategies by Stephan Schiffman

• Countless Bosses

• 30+ Years of Successful Sales Experience

Brand – An Academic Perspective

• A Brand is How Businesses Tell Customers What to Expect

• A Brand Establishes a Relationship between Buyer and Seller• It Meets the Essence of the Value System of the Buyer• It Builds Trust Through Repetitive Experiences• Grows Over Time with Successive Reinforcement

• Is Stored in the Brain of the Customer• A Perception / Emotion That Describes the Experience

Every Time the Product or Service is Consumed

• It is Not a Jingle / Slogan / Fancy Packaging

Starting a Personal Brand?

• Essential Element – Reflects Your Values

• Visible Expression – What You Do and How You Do It

• The Target – Establishes the Relationship

• Deepening the Relationship – Consistent Execution Builds the Perception and Cements the Value

Brand Strength Drivers

1.Distinctive – Stands for Something

3. Consistent – Repeats, Repeats, &…

2. Relevant – Important to Prospect

Personal Brands / Brand Strength Drivers

• Distinctive -Committed to Certain Values• Judged on Your Actions Against those Values

• Personal Brands Connect As Distinctive When You Are Focused on Meeting the Needs of Others– Without Sacrificing the Values Upon which Your Brand is

Based

• Your Personal Brand is Based on Your Values– Not the other Way Around

Personal Brands / Brand Strength Drivers

• Relevant – What You Stand for Must Be Important to Your Customer• Internal / External / Family / Social

Contacts All See One Personal Brand• Begins When They BELIEVE You Understand and Care

About What Is Important to Them– Gets Stronger Every Time You Demonstrate What Is

Important to Them Is REALLY Important to You– Get Out of Your World and Into Theirs

• We EARN Relevance by the Importance Others Place on What We Do for Them / Perception of How Well We Do It

Personal Brands / Brand Strength Drivers

• Consistency• The Hallmark of Brand Management

• This Is the Attribute that Builds Trust

• Trust is the Key to Relationships

• Endorsements Can Work Once– Your Actions, Not Your Intentions, Drive Perception

Personal Brand – Where to Start

• Introspection – Look to See What Internal Values are Most Important to You

• Be True to Yourself• Don’t Believe that You Can Fool Others

• Stick to Values that Reflect the “Real” You

• One Alternative – Personal Brand Dimensions Model• Provide Some Exposure Today, But It Is Hard

Work and Requires Commitment

Personal Brands Dimension Model

Role – Who You Are in Life

Standards – How You Do It

Style – Personalizing Our Standards

Remember the Brand Promise, the Brand Pillars & the Brand Personality

Personal Brands Dimension Model

Role

Standards

Style

Roles: Examples•Parent•Teacher•Coach•Friend•Salesman

Standards: Examples•Proficient Networker vs. Focused on a Tight Circle•Consensus Oriented vs Independent & Self Directed•Highly Tolerant vs. Very Demanding•Reliably Efficient vs. Creatively Undisciplined

Style: Examples•Fun•Friendly•Intense•Professional•Introverted

My Brand Dimensions Model Outcome

Role

Standards

Style

Lane: Sales Leader, Parent,Spouse, Coach, Friend

Demanding, Goal Oriented, Well Prepared, Detail Oriented

Enthusiastic, Intense, Humorous,Collaborative, Direct

Creating a Brand Promise

• A Short Concise Statement to Guide You and Inspire You In a Consistent View of Interactions from a Variety of Relationships Encountered in All Roles

• Examples• Enthusiasm that will make your day

• The discipline to achieve world class results

• Smart ideas put into action

• Do it right for the right reason

• The insight to guide, the compassion to inspire

• Committed about work, passionate about family

• Building skills and relationships. Documented. (Lane)

This is Your Version of: Your World. Delivered.

My Brand Promise Comes to Work Everyday

• Help Sales Teams Set / Execute Strategy• Bring Alternative Perspectives• Ask Questions to Gain Another Viewpoint • Escalate / Fight for Your Requirements Internally• Executive Presence: Customers / Internal Partners

• Set & Measure Objectives• Distribute and Manage TBR / NSR Objectives• Serve as an Advocate to CRB

• Administer the Governance Process• Balance Competing Objectives• Track Progress / Create Correction Plans for Gaps

• Help Motivate Staff• Town Halls• Sales Recognition Notes

• Develop Succession Plans• Identify High Profile Candidates• Work to Develop “Ready Now” Candidates

BuildingSkills

& Relationships.Documented.

Establish Your Brand

• Add Your Own Passions

• Be the Best You Can Be

• Be Distinctive, Be Relevant, Be Consistent

• Examples for You to Weave Into Your Personal Brand:• How You Look

• How You Listen

• How You Take Notes

• How You Follow Up

Looks Contribute to a Personal Brand• Your Appearance Needs Attention 3-4 Times Per

Day• In the Morning At Brand Presentation Time

• After Lunch

• At Every Health Break

• Dress to Fit Your Image• Failure to Look Sharp Provides Risk Your Customer Believes

You Don’t Sweat the Details

• Professional Appearance Communicates You Mean Business– Save Casual Dress Fridays for the Weekend– The “B” Shirt Does Not Appear Monday-Friday– If You Want to Be a Sales Executive, Look Like an Executive

Listening Builds Your Personal Brand• The ONLY Way to Understand Needs

• The SUREST Way to Deliver Compelling Messages

• The Key to Being Relevant & Building Trust

• Listen for Words & Non-Verbal Signals

• NEVER Interrupt or Finish Thoughts

• TEST for Understanding without the Parrot Routine

• When Asked a Pointed Question, Reply Succinctly & Listen

• Concentrate – How Much of Your Time Is Actually with a Client

Taking Notes – Personal Brand Style

• THE Essential tool in Information Gathering

• Underrated in Rapport Building• Establishes Customer as SME

• Establishes You As Caring and Interested

• Generates More Information than Conversing Alone

• Focuses You as Solution Oriented versus Product Dumper

• Increases Your Retention

• Ask for Permission

• Be Uncluttered – Pad Only or Empty Folder

• Verify Charts, Diagrams, to Validate Your Understanding

Follow Up Builds Personal Brands Quickly• The Post-Appointment Note

• Reinforces Your Interest• Reinforces You Learned Something• Reinforces Your To-Do List AND Theirs• Makes You Memorable / Distinctive

• Recommend a Typed Letter • e-Mail if Speed is an Issue• Later in Relationship, Hand Written Appropriate to Reflect Intimacy (Don’t Go There Too

Quickly)• Always Spell Check, Read / Print / Read Again Before Sending

• Also a Good Way to Cycle• Use Clips to Remind Them of Your Concern over What Concerns Them• Foreshadow Your Plans to See Them Next Month

• Have A Fool Proof Follow-up System• Voice Mail• Note Cards• Outlook To-Do List / Tasks• The Journal book

The Next Steps

• Assess Your Values

• Assess How You Do Things

• Assess Your Personality Traits

• Create Your Brand Promise

• Find a Way to Match Your Brand Promise to the Needs of Those with Whom You Interact

• Repeat, Repeat, and Repeat Again…