2. The Cost of Admission (what we’ll cover)
Intro to Personal Start Building Your
1 2
Branding Online Brand
3 Components of a 4 Selling the Brand
Successful Brand
Some Final Thoughts Questions?
5 6
5. You may be their only hope …
There are situations where
YOU are uniquely qualified
for the mission at hand.
Are you ready for that?
Do they know it?
Branding Basics(1)Go beyond the resume and build a digital rep that precedes you(2) Sell yourself so others so they can pay you what you are worth (3) Take stock of your digital assets so you can exploit them(4) Identity: get clear on who you are and translate that to your online persona(5) Establish credibility as an expert on what it is you do
A New HopeRaise your hand if you've had these thoughts: (1) there are people out there who are better than me professionally (2) this person/customer/employer won't want to hire me because those people are out there (3) I should look for something less of a stretch and play it safe.(1) There are people out there who are better than me professionally: there are people out there better than you (believe it or not). Those people are maybe a 10 while you are only a 6. There are jobs out there that require someone with skills below a 6. Your job is to know yourself well enough to be honest with yourself of whether you can be of maximum service to the employer who needs a 6 or below.(2) This person/customer/employer won't want to hire me because those people are out there: there will be some jobs where a 10 is required and others where a 4 is required. If you are at a 6, the goal you have is to focus on helping the people who are 1 - 5 become a 6 or get quality results they would come to expect from a 6. In doing so, you will find yourself really helping people, while also developing your craft. This is called professional development. Consistently deliver results, push your boundaries, and look to be of maximum service to those who need you.(3) Self meet Resistance. In his book The War of Art, Steven Pressfield introduces this concept that plagues everyone. He says: "The more scared we are of a work or calling, the more sure we can be that we have to do it. ... The professional tackles the project that will make him stretch. He takes on the assignment that will bear him into uncharted waters, compel him to explore unconscious parts of himself. Is he scared? Hell, yes. He's petrified. ... So if you're paralyzed with fear, its's a good sign. It shows you what you have to do." Nothing could be more true of when we tell ourselves to play it safe, stay within our comfort zone, do what we know, or any number of self defeating comfort phrases that keep us from going beyond the resume. The resume is a prison. It will ensnare you if you let it. Are you trapped by one or two pages of bullet points hoping they will interest someone long enough not to throw your page in the rejection pile? Try this: print out your resume on one of these really pretty sheets of paper. You know the kind that have a weight assigned to them on the box that if folded right could be used for a wedding invitation. Then take a lighter and set that thing on fire. As it smolders tell yourself that you won't be imprisoned by a piece of paper anymore. Then get online and create something spectacular.
“Res IpsaLoquiter”This is Latin for "the thing speaks for itself." My story …When you create profiles, content, and connections online those things speak for you even when you are not there. A body of work searchable through Google can be worth hours of your time explaining and trying to convince someone of your worth. These are the places you network
Having a deep understanding of your expertise will enable you to bring a unique spin to your personal brand.Follow these three steps to create an Expertise Map:(1) Put your name in the center of a piece of paper or mind map (digital product)(2) Create branches about everything you know something about (biggest mistake is thinking your knowledge is common)(3) Solution Mode – pick one topic that you think will resonate with your audience and think of all the sub-branches of it; put “how to” in front of each branch and before you know it you’ve got an info product that you can use in a marketing campaign (“ex/ how to write blog posts that sell products”)
Use the worksheet provided.
Stories Sell.
Style is something that needs to come from your story. It needs to be your own and you must put it out there with no reservations. It’s what will define you.Refer to the Now Implement section of your workbook
There are so many places to make yourself heard. Pick one and go.Website, blog, Google+ profile, Pintrest account, YouTube channel, etc. (you don't need all of them - rather you need to really stand out and become a star with one of them)
Keep it simple and compelling: don't overreach; find ways to make things work in your circles and branch out from there
