Building your personal brand – take five!
Easy– Is it easy to do business with you? Will the learning curve be short for new clients? Doing business with you and your company must be painless. One of your biggest obstacles will be getting people to change so do not discount it.- Tip: If they see a need and it is easy to work with you (saves time and effort), your success rate just increased exponentially.
- Educating– What do you offer in terms of educating your clients? You should be an encyclopedia of knowledge about your niche, your service, the industry, the market and their needs.
- Tip: Teaching someone something new greatly enhances your professional credibility and is a whole lot of fun.
- Exploring– Are you comfortable inquiring as to why they prefer this over that or how they decided to be a ___ vs. another. Get comfortable asking questions about whom they are, what drives them, what they do beyond the “right now,” etc…
- Tip: Build relationships, ask for commitment, ask for referrals, provide new ideas, ask probing questions, and be as concerned about their results as they are.
- Brandpreneur = Client Advocate
- Engaging- Are you likeable? Are you genuinely interested in them? What makes you different from the 10 other Brandpreneurs who are also calling on that very same person?
- Tip: They will not allow you in until they trust you and they will not trust you until they know you genuinely care about them.
- Exceptional- Spend less time selling and more time creating memories in the minds of your clients. Your mission is to be different, talk different, ask different questions and be more prepared than anyone else in the industry. Are you creating an experience that is authentic?
- Tip: Your true competition is your ability to create value in the process by adapting, evolving and delivering outstanding customer service across all touch points.
Author:
Devin Hughes is a former college basketball player, sales and marketing aficionado, keynote speaker, part-time academic and frequent eclectic thinker. He draws on a variety of ideas, disciplines and trends to inspire “Big Thoughts” and facilitate conversations. He is an avid storyteller who has the unique ability to connect with audiences by inspiring them to be the change they wish to see in the world. A graduate of Colgate University, he lives Carlsbad, CA with his wife and four daughters. You may contact him via e-mail at devin@devinchughes.com. His website is: http://www.devinchughes.com/
