New and Improved!

Marketers are always looking for ways to improve their brand with updates and new features, and to communicate those brand benefits to customers, and you should too.

Often people focus on being promoted, but sometimes a lateral move is the best one because it adds to your skill set and experiences in a way that the next move up the ladder doesn’t provide.

Sometimes, it even makes sense to take a step backward, if it points you in a new direction whether there are fewer entrenched competitors and more potential for you to stand out and be a leader.

Power and strength in the career are also based on how you carry yourself.

Do you walk into a meeting looking rushed and like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?

Or do you take a few seconds to catch your breath and walk in confidently with an open expression on your face?

Our facial expressions talk even when we’re not saying anything.

Studies show that women are more animated with more smiles, expressions, winks and nods than men on average. And that’s attractive!

Positive expressions like smiles are contagious and bring about pleasant responses in others (MRI tests of brain reactions demonstrate this.)

We may not like it, and it may seem superficial, but our image and self-presentation are important.

How your “package” yourself affects how people see you.

But your image can influence your attitude about your self and your confidence.

This is more important than you realize. I used to think that looking the part didn’t make a difference in how well you can do you job. New research has debunked that.

Feeling confident that you are dressed well and look good can even it make a big difference in how you perform your job.

Why is that?

The way something looks, its visual identity, have what social scientist call a halo affect. When something is attractive – be it a product or person – we assign many other positive attributes to it that have nothing to do with looks. For example, tests show that products with nice packaging are perceived to be bigger and have more volume than products in the same size container but with packaging that is deemed “unattractive.”

If you don’t think the power of packaging is important for people, look at the power of a first impression. Research shows that we are pegged in the first couple of seconds. Social scientists call it “thin slicing” and Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Blink, demonstrates how quick and often accurate these blink-of-the-eye impressions are.

The good news is that all of us can package ourselves attractively and we don’t have to have a perfect figure to do it. Studies indicate a variety of factors in attractiveness:

But if you have “true grit,” if you are determined to succeed despite all the pitfalls and warnings, become an entrepreneur.

You’ll feel the joy shared by entrepreneurs of all kinds: those who are following their hearts and minds, doing what’s important to them, and making their own decisions despite the risks and naysayers.

The tools in my book, “Breakthrough Branding” are for all those who say yes to being an entrepreneur.

Over my years of working with entrepreneurs and budding leaders, I have come to realize that I can’t always coach someone into being a successful entrepreneur.

I can’t provide the grit, enthusiasm, and courage you’ll need as an entrepreneur. It’s risky taking the entrepreneur’s journey.

You have to rely on yourself. You have to come to terms with standing up and standing out as a leader.

You can never, ever give up.

You may not know any real celebrities (I don’t either).

But you no doubt know another type of “celebrity,” such as the CEO, President or SVP of a company where you worked, or a senior executive who could vouch for you.

These are your celebrities.

Ask them to provide a short sentence or two about your ability and character and use it as a third-party endorsement. You can use the quote in an addendum to your resume or in cover letters. (You may want to make it easy by offering to draft the short testimonial so they can do the final editing.)

Your resume is often the first impression your personal brand makes on a potential boss. And we all know how lasting first impressions are.

Many resumes are a laundry list of skills and jobs with no focus or message. Most are boring; a high percentage are downright terrible.

Think of your resume as an “ad” for Brand You.

Tell a compelling, relevant story with the resume beginning with the profile at the top of the page. Everything should work together to position you and tell a cohesive brand story for you and the job you are exploring.

Brands try to take advantage of every touch point so that everything works together when a customer comes into contact with the brand: advertising, PR, the in-store experience.

Likewise, you should make sure your brand conveys a consistent image and message at every touch point:  your appearance, your resume, your phone message, your emails, your follow-up letters, your business card, your office. Everything should scream out a consistent, relevant brand message

The elevator speech is a must that many people overlook. Hence they stumble through explaining who they are and why that is important when they are in the job interview or at a networking event. The “elevator speech” is short. (That’s why they call it that.)

It should be your thirty-second personal commercial. It’s your introduction to yourself that is colloquial, conversational and memorable. That’s why you’ll want to use a sound bite or analogy or anecdote to set yourself apart. In essence, an elevator speech should convey the key highlights of what you have done, how you did it, and imply, there’s more that you can do for them.