Companies invest a fortune in their brands. Why do they do this? Because they know and understand that the brand is not a tangible thing, but rather, it is a mental construct that exists purely in the minds of its consumers.
What companies invest their marketing dollar in is the opportunity to build a perception that their brand is:
a) superior to its competition
b) differentiated in some beneficial way and
c) is the most desirous product of its kind on the shelf.
People-brands, just like consumer brands, take time and investment to establish in the minds of the people around them.
Do the people around you - whether at work or socially - have a perception of you that you are proud of? And if not, why not?
Your personal brand is a vital part of your armoury. And you have the power to create a phenomenally powerful personal brand if you choose to.
What is important to note is that it is not neccesarily what you think you are projecting, but what the people around you see and experience of you for themselves that matters.
Here are some questions to help you:
1. How do you want people to regard you? As a strong decision maker? An office gossip? A solution-orientated thinker? A strategic visionary? A dictator? What you say is only part of the story... your actions say much, much more to the people around you.
2. So decide on the actions that are needed to support you. You may need to change some behaviours if the image people have of you is not the one you want.
3. Review your consistency. None of us would buy Coca Cola if every time we bought a can it tasted different. Consistency matters.
Be really honest about how your emotions; moods; or day of the week might affect your consistency. Being inconsistent will make the people around you feel uneasy, which is not a positive feeling to instill in others.
- RW
No comments:
Post a Comment