You may be shortchanging yourself.

As we all know, AI is dramatically reducing the number of hours needed to complete projects for clients.

Savvy entrepreneurs, consultants and freelancers are taking action so they don’t come up short financially. They are finding that the standard billing arrangement based on an hourly rate penalizes them and benefits the client.

For example, using AI, a freelance copywriter or marketer can produce 50 variations of copy for an ad in a matter of minutes, a project that would have taken hours pre-AI. Then they can choose to edit or curate their work so it’s totally on point for the client’s situation.

See the problem. Why should you get so much less for completing a complex project? Most clients would balk if you increased your hourly rate.

That’s why smart solopreneurs are moving over to pricing that pays based on what they deliver – what the project is worth or measurable results.

In short, they get paid a project fee regardless of how long it takes a task to do. After all, it’s your talent that gives value as you curate each project.

In brand building, successful marketers and entrepreneurs are looking for the “Big Idea.” So what do they mean by “big idea.” As my old boss, Al Ries, now in the Marketing Hall of Fame used to tell me, “It’s not enough to have a “better” product, you need to a product that’s “different” in an important way- a mold breaker.

That’s the premise of the book, “Pattern Breakers,” by Mike Maples Jr. and Peter Ziebelman. Successful entrepreneurs look for “inflections,” a “change in the power of a technology, a change in people’s attitudes, a change in regulations.” These are the forces that change how people think, feel and act that lead to different even radical ideas.

It’s an important distinction to understand because so many entrepreneurs tell me when their business idea doesn’t take off, “I don’t get it. My product is better, than the leader in the category.” But does it leverage an inflection point? Likely not.

You don’t have to launch a technology startup to take advantage of an inflection point. I was reminded of that truism when I was observing the new beauty and makeup line by Bobbi Brown  called Jones Road that’s running heavily on TV and in social media. Brown started out as a makeup artist who made her own homemade lipsticks. One thing led to another, and in the 1990s, Bobbi Brown sold her namesake makeup line to Estee Lauder. Now that her twenty-five year non-compete was finished, Brown felt she “wasn’t done yet.

The makeup and skincare category if notorious for its abundance of competitive brands and specialty products. Brown felt there was a change in attitude toward makeup that no brand was satisfying. In her kickoff campaign, the positioning is different and counter-intuitive.

It’s not about transforming your look through makeup like other makeup brands. Brown wants the Jones Road to be the brand that’s for women like herself that want a no-makeup look.

Rather than dozens of specialty products, most of Jones Road products are hybrid and can be used on your face, contouring your cheeks, for eye shadow or lipstick. Brown has created a different brand experience with products like Miracle Balm that have to be released with your fingers to give your skin an inner glow. (Directions on the website)

When Bobbi Brown launched Jones Road, fashion skeptics questioned whether women would want a no makeup look that was more about glow than coverage. But Jones found a vibrant community of brand fans who want to go au naturel (with a little smoothing out). She even eschews modeling agencies and finds her models on the streets so she has real people with freckles or a gap tooth.

#branding, #JonesRoad, #BobbiBrown

We are pegged in a matter of seconds: good/bad, like/dislike, winner/loser. That’s why you need to seize the first two seconds in an interview or important meeting. It’s all based on snap visual impressions: how someone enters the room, how they carry themselves, how they look, what they are wearing as I discuss in my book, “You Are a Brand, 2nd edition.

For most of us, our hasty first impression will be indelible. The importance of a first impression is not only in establishing who you are, but also in selling how good you are.

We’re all guilty of snap judgements based on looks and how someone expresses themself. People that create a strong first impression benefit from a halo effect. People with a positive visual identity are deemed smarter, more likable, talented, successful and better in so many ways in studies.  That’s why you need to understand the laws of visual identity and verbal identity.

 

As a remote worker you can lose out on so many of the relationship-building encounters and ad hoc meetings that used to be part of everyday life – of your office life – when you worked in person full time. “Good riddance!” you might be thinking. “It should be just about the work. But it’s never just about the work. Relationships and being recognized as an important team worker are important too.

If you work remotely, you can’t just knock on a senior manager’s door and say, “Let’s chat.” And you’ll be competing with ambitious coworkers who maximize their office time to their advantage and show up when the boss is in.

You’ll miss out on asking colleagues how their kids are doing, the kind of conversations that build closeness and aren’t likely to be brought up on a Zoom call or an email. You’ll lose out on the opportunity to meet senior members of different teams, or just bumping into people in the hallway.

The reality is, no matter how many check-ins you set up with your boss on your calendar, you can’t connect with your boss like you did when you were sitting one desk over.

So what can you do?

Incorporate these 3 activities into your job routine:

1. Ramp up your real-time and in-person contact

As I outline in my book, “The New Brand You: How to Wow in the New World of Work,” there are two basic means of communication:

• Real-time synchronous communication: messages are shared in real-time like phone calls, face to face and video meetings.
• Asynchronous communication: messages are shared and consumed without regard to time and place like emails, texts and online forums.Asynchronous communication is the default channel for many remote workers and it’s easy to understand why. It’s so efficient to dash off an email or text. But beware. It’s the least powerful means of communication compared to connecting in-person and in real-time .

There’s nuance and connection in real-time conversations that isn’t likely to occur in emails and texts. That’s why you need to make a point of developing a  personalized approach. Pick up the phone when it’s important or set up a one-to-one Zoom call. Attend meetings in the office or at employee events that offer good networking..

2. Find a work bestie

According to the Wall Street Journal, “It has never been harder, or more essential, to have a work best friend.”(June 26, 2024 https://www.wsj.com/lifestyle/workplace/it-has-never-been-harder-or-more-essential-to-have-a-work-best-friend-57d14222

There’s been an uptick in #Workbestie on Instagram and TikTok. But more than having an office friend to share what’s going on at the job, you’ll benefit in other ways. Gallup data demonstrates that work besties feel more connected in their jobs and more productive.

Yet, because many employees are working from home, fewer have a work best friend.

A Gallup survey of nearly 4,000 hybrid workers in 2022 found 17% said they had a work best friend, down from 22% in 2019. The results haven’t been good for employee morale and people can feel isolated and disengaged.

Connection is particularly important for younger people who are more eager to bring their whole selves to work. “Any corporate leader will tell you that fostering friendships at work ranks among their toughest challenges,” opined a recent cover story of Briefings Magazine, published by Korn Ferry, a management firm.

3. Launch a personal marketing plan

In the new world of work, having a visibility plan is more important than ever. That’s why if your company has gone hybrid the smart choice is to be in the office the same days as your boss so that you have lots of face-time opportunities.

Being visibility challenged can hurt you as a client named Josh discovered. When his workplace been hybrid, Josh decided to abandon his long commute and work from home, while his boss and most colleagues decided to work from the office full time or on a hybrid schedule.

Now Josh’s nose to the grindstone, text-only workstyle turned into a liability. His boss started asking questions like, “How long did that project take?” Or, “how many hours did you work yesterday?” Never questions you want to hear from your boss.

Josh had to come up with a “richer” style of communication that kept the boss up-to-date and his colleagues involved every step of the way.Toiling out of sight remotely wasn’t working.

The online job application was supposed to make everything easier. But it didn’t turn out that way. Job seekers are frustrated, even angry, after filling out dozens of applications and getting nary a response.  Now employers are buried under hundreds of job applications for every post. They’re not happy either.

As one recruiter said, “There’s an idealist in me that wants to look at all of those resumes. The reality is that you just can’t.” That’s why they put so much focus on referrals. In one study cited in the Wall Street Journal, 30% of eventual hires had referrals, even though people with referrals represented just 5% of the applicant pool.” Be part of the 5%!

Let’s look at the story of a client I’ll call Gemma, a talented project manager, that I talk about in my book, “You Are a Brand.” Gemma applied for a job that was a perfect fit for her skills and background. She even scored a series of interviews. Another candidate, Josh, who had been referred by another employee got the job, even though Dina had more experience. Turns out Josh had called around and was connected with a friend of a friend who agreed to refer him.

So I asked Dina, “Did you talk to people in your network to see if anyone had a connection that could lead to a referral for the job?” Dina’s reply: “Shouldn’t it just be about the experience you bring to the role.”

In a perfect world, maybe. Realize that it’s never just about the work. You need a network to succeed.

A recommendation can be the secret sauce that sets you apart from others, whether the referral comes from inside or outside the organization. In research done by Greenhouse, a hiring software company, candidates with referrals had a 50% chance of advancing.

As I like to say, “There’s nothing more powerful than positive word of mouth.”

No cameras are allowed in the courtroom at the State Supreme Court in Lower Manhattan where the Hush Money trial of former president Donald Trump was being held.

We were only able to see a glimpse of Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen as they entered or left the courthouse. Later were got a verbal description and sketches to look at.

It’s clear both Stormy and Cohen were dressed for history and a jury.

Both were portrayed by the Defense as liars and money-chasing self-promoters. But they didn’t look like attention-getters in the courtroom now. The challenge was to be low-key and forth-right, yet authentic.

Stormy wore a scoop-neck jumpsuit and cropped black pants on her first day of her testimony. She had black-frame glasses, little makeup and pulled-back hair. Cohen wore a dark suit and pale tie.

Cohen used to be known for his flashy suits and a European luxury look with Hermes “H” belts, Italian tailoring, and open-necked shirts with loafers and jeans.

Stormy refuses to be type cast. She seems to be telegraphing that she is more than a porn star, she is a writer and director of adult films. She may be a provocative dresser as a film star, but she is unapologetic about her choices and that strength of personality comes through in her clothes and testimony, particularly her testy answers to questions.

How we dress and present ourselves is something we should all think about at the office or wherever we want to make an impression. Clothes talk. Strong visual identities are a quick read. Clothes are one of the quickest ways to communicate a message about who you are.

Clothes are such a strong branding device that for centuries there were laws in many regions of the world about what you could wear. Only specific classes could wear certain colors, fabrics and clothing styles. Few of us face restrictions on how we dress today. But clothes can still make or break you.Think of the drill you put yourself through before an important meeting or job interviews. “What should I wear?” “Ask yourself, what are my clothes, accessories and hairstyle saying to the world?” (And is that what I want to communicate?)

A rising star in Republican politics, Noem’s story about killing her wirehaired pointer Cricket in her memoir, “No Going Back,” proved that there was no going back. That story will likely dog her throughout her future career.

It wasn’t just politically incorrect, it was political suicide as political strategists have pointed out.

What’s the lesson here?

People at the top of their game often develop a false sense of invulnerability.

In fact, they are more vulnerable.

 You should realize that you will be living in a fishbowl when you become more prominent in your industry, in your company or neighborhood. People will scrutinize your words and actions more closely that they did when you were not so well known.

People will be looking for mistakes, false claims and questionable activities. Reporters started analyzing Noem’s book further and questioned her claim that she met Kim Jong Un, North Korea’s dictator, when she was a member of Commerce. It can start to seem like jealous competitors may try to take potshots at you.

As I point out in my book, “You Are a Brand,” as much as the media likes to build people up, it also like to take people down. The story of Ms. Big’s fall from grace sells. As does the juicy scandal that Mr. Big got caught up in. Hence the global interest in the trials of former president Donald Trump.

When someone’s career success craters, it often gives people the feeling of schadenfreude, or delight in the misfortunes of others. Don’t make it easy for others to bring you down. Realize that your actions will be studied. So make sure you double-check everything before posting on social media or in a book.

Remember: You have a lot to lose. It takes years to build a reputation. And minutes to tear it down. That’s why it’s smart to adopt the mend-set that everyone will find out everything. Let opportunities pass you by that could hurt your reputation. Losing your reputation is more valuable than losing your possessions.

If you are about to get into a PR nightmare, try to take control of the story. As the old PR saying goes, “Tell them everything and tell them first.”

Most of us have low wattage on the visibility spectrum. We are unknown outside of a small circle of friends and professional contacts. We are not a boldface name like Taylor Swift.

Visibility is important for brands and important for you, especially in today’s more virtual business landscape. You need to aim to be famous on some level – in your industry, in your company, with your clients or in your neighborhood. It’s impossible to become a brand without visibility, and mindshare brings big rewards. You can get a higher price for your services. People will seek you out. People will be attracted to your ideas.

Sometimes, visibility is the only strategy for a celebrity, for example, the Kardashians.

But too much visibility can have a harmful effect. Look at the example of Taylor Swift. She’s been everywhere this past year. But as the New York Times points out, “with the release of “The Tortured Poets Department,” her latest (very long) album, some seem to finally be filling fatigued.

Four new studio albums. Four rerecorded albums, too. A $1billion oxygen sucking world tour with a concert movie to match. And, of course, one very high profile relationship that spilled over into the Super Bowl.”

Dare I say, it’s too much?

While I think that modesty is a virtue, but visibility pays. Saturation can hurt a brand. Sometimes you have to pull back from the spotlight or people will tire of your omnipresence and you become yesterday’s news. This is true whether you a in a high profile role or a regular Joe.

#personal branding, #taylorswift, #brandsaturation

In my book, The New Brand You, I talk about ten personal branding strategies. Arguably the most powerful is number 10, “Own a Cause,” because it’s not about you and how wonderful you are, but about your quest to make the world better in some way

Celebrity chef Jose Andreas is a case in point.

The occupation of chef once tended to be rather mundane. Chefs were closer to working stiffs than sought after celebrities. That is, until some chefs hopped on the branding wagon and the celebrity chef was born. Think of Julie Child, Doug Ramsey, Ina Garten, James Beard, Wolfgang Puck and “Naked Chef” Jamie Oliver.

And no chef is more of the moment today than Andres and his World Central Kitchen. We’ve all been traumatized by the war in Gaza, a war ignited by Hamas militants who killed some twelve hundred Israelis and took more than two hundred hostages. And Israel has killed over thirty-two thousand people.

But it was Israel’s fatal attack on seven aid workers in Gaza, all part of Jose Andres’ WCK that grabbed the media’s attention and world outrage.  Outside of one Palestinian, all were aid workers from various countries around the world, including a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen. It was an event so heinous it compelled President Biden to issue a strong rebuke to Israel.

Andres, a Spanish-American chef, was first known for creating popular restaurants in Washington D.C., that is until an earthquake struck Haiti in 2010. Since then he has put together an amazingly high visibility relief organization, which specializes in preparing local food for people in areas torn apart by natural disasters and war. Andres, in a recent

 interview with Reuters, urged the U.S. to do more to end the war, saying that it is “complicated to understand” how the U.S. could send the “military to do humanitarian work, while weapons it provides “are killing civilians.”

Andres says he is not giving up hope even in a war that he sees as a war against humanity. In such a war, “humanity eventually will always prevail.”

Andreas and his cause is an example of personal branding at its best.

#JoseAndres,$clebritychef,#gaza