Tuesday, June 23, 2009

So...what's your brand?

Every time I am going to meet a prospective client I Google his/her name to find out more about that person. I am truly interested in understanding whether that individual is up to date in knowing and marketing his/her professional brand or what makes him/her distinctive. Or as William Arruda says: 'What makes you unique makes you successful'.
It is an evolutionary process that implies daring to dream BIG and self-explore and re-discover yourself with glasses that will go through every strength, skills, ability, previous successes, personal characteristics and lessons learned...your own expertise in that personal/professional self is what will make you successful in developing your own brand. There is just one single YOU! Once you have clarity on that dream and you have discovered what makes you unique, then there is time to design the path that will help you fulfill your destiny. And believe me, that path is brand-embedded and self changing.
All strong brands evolve with the times. You can read the current US automobile industry crisis in newspapers and their own critical evolution to adjust to a greener and a more fuel efficient demanding crowd.
Who does not know" 'Change you can believe in' as such a powerful brand backed up by not just words but facts. Independently of your political views you've got to admire the ability to put together such a powerful image in the voters' minds.
You MUST really know yourself, so you can have a successful brand.
If I ask you what makes you distinctive or what hiring managers ask a lot of times: Why should I hire you and you do not have an effective and passionate reply then, you are losing your momentum to distinguish yourself from the crowd, from those zillion applicants to the job you want...it is not what makes you right to a job what will get your foot into that office but what makes you the best possible fit for it.
Tom Peters in his marvelous way puts it this way: "We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."
So, there you go, you either have a distinctive brand on these particularly competitive times or else!

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