STAKING YOUR CLAIM ON THE CLIENT

Thursday, 30 November 2006 10:09

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Personal Branding is one of the hottest - and most misunderstood - concepts in modern marketing. It means projecting your best qualities and characteristics in front of your potential clients. It means offering a target audience (domain) a demonstrated benefit (single focused attribute).Your Personal Brand conveys your value. It stakes a claim in your clients’ minds. It positions you as "the answer" to the prospect’s dilemma. It links your identity to the services - and service relationship - they need.You can build a corporation off a great Personal Brand. Look at Charles Schwab; his Personal Brand is the core of a multimillion-dollar company. People think of Schwab as a hero who helped middle-class investors by creating the "discount brokerage." By positioning his Personal Brand front and center, Schwab helped put a personal and friendly spin on an impersonal industry. By driving a brand home with years of relentless marketing, Schwab - the man, the company - has come to own the "discount brokerage" position in consumers’ minds.Why Is Personal Branding Important?Think about your domain, the circle of prospects and contacts you mine for new clients. How crowded is it? Are there 20 competitors? 50? 100? Hey, maybe your competition is the world!A Personal Brand can make you stand out from the crowd, rise above the noise and be remembered. The alternative? Say what everybody else says, offer what everyone else offers, conform to the norm - and flush your true potential down the toilet.How Can You Brand Yourself?Branding isn’t just for corporations. Any independent professional can benefit from it. It’s simply a matter of telling your domain who you are, what you do, and what you stand for - and presenting that message in a classy way that will set you apart from your competitors. Your Personal Brand is that thumbnail description people have of you - associated with the benefit or value you provide. Here are some examples:

The altruistic athlete whose philanthropy has transformed a neighborhood The architect who’s made Mission Revival hip again with a new post-modern edge The former pro golfer turned chiropractor who understands and treats golfers’ unique back and spine problems

Types of AttributesYour Personal Brand is built around a single focused attribute that will appeal to your target audience. There are three types of single focused attributes:

Experience. Your Personal Brand capitalizes on your personal history - say, your compelling life story, your adventures, your military service, or your accumulated values and wisdom-to capture prospects’ attention. Expertise. Specific skills and knowledge set you apart. Your expertise might be in corporate benefit planning, HTML design, landscape photography, or restoring Early American antiques. Understanding. You share common interests or passions with your prospects - sailing, golf, travel, classic automobiles - and you enjoy a common lifestyle, with similar goals and aspirations.

A good Personal Brand takes advantage not only of a focused attribute, but also of your personality. It’s the starting point for your Personal Marketing. For example, a Personal Brand built to attract the attention of golfers will suggest artwork for your brochure, promotional ideas at the local country club, and even a logo and slogan for your business cards.Start Building a BrandBuilding a solid Personal Brand takes time and research. Here are the basic steps:

Define your target audience. Who are they? What are they interested in? Do they live in a specific community? Work in a specific industry? Are they over 55? Under 30? A little market research helps you hone your brand. Decide on a single focused attribute. You’ll probably have several to evaluate. The key is to narrow them down to one. That doesn’t mean you can’t offer other services, but you better promote and hammer home the main value you can provide. Check out the competition. Collect brochures, direct mail, print ads and other materials put out by your competitors. Are their Personal Brands particularly memorable? Or are they all claiming to provide "quality service?" If they are memorable, why? Asking these questions will help you refine your Personal Brand, and make it stronger in comparison.

Before long, you’ll have a Personal Brand that will serve as the foundation for your career.

Published with permission from Peter Montoya Inc.

Peter Montoya is president of Peter Montoya Inc., the world’s only Personal Branding agency. For information on Personal Branding Magazine or his acclaimed book, The Personal Branding Phenomenon please visit www.petermontoya.com or call (866) 288-9300.