It’s often said that people buy from and work with whom they know, like and trust. This is why it’s imperative that we build our brands relating to people, nourishing relationships, and being true to who we are.

Do you think of yourself as a perfectionist? It’s only natural to want to be the best, look our best, and perform our best. Realistically, everyone has imperfections. We’ve all made our share of mistakes. It shows that we’re human when people see them periodically, so no worries. Being vulnerable is better than hiding behind a shield of perfectionism.

Show that you’re human and you’ll build more trust.

How has being YOURself, helped you along the way? What life lessons have you learned?

Share Your thoughts,

Valerie

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Are you the same in person as you are in your social media profiles? I’ve heard many stories from people who have used dating sites to meet their “ideal” mate – only to find that in person they were fooled. It’s easy to create a persona online of what you “want to be,” but if that’s not the real you it will likely be found out, and that would be a disaster for you. 

Personal branding is the process by which you unearth your unique value and then communicate it to those people who can help you reach your goals. We call them your “brand ambassadors.”  Social media allows you to show your reputation to a wider audience, build your brand more aggressively, and develop a story of what you do and how you do it. It can shout your value to the world in a matter of seconds. What IS your value? What IS that unique secret sauce that no one else has? Why WOULD someone want to do business with you instead of another person who has the same type of service or products? Unless value is created, having hundreds of followers won’t make a difference.

How you brand yourself, your online presence, and how you build relationships with those followers is what makes the difference. So be socially savvy about what you post, the words you use, the opinions you share and the value your comments have to the readers. Your followers will get to know the real you and not just what they think they see from your picture.  Make sure people see your total package – whether it’s on a profile or face to face.

In the words of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, “The most exhausting thing you can be is inauthentic.”  

Click here for tips on how to value your authentic self beyond social media.

What tips do you have?

We look forward to hearing from you,

Valerie

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Whether you know it or not, you’re a brand. We’re all brands. By a brand, I don’t mean something that can be bought off a shelf. I mean that you are composed of values, stories, talents, expertise and so much more. Have you thought about how being authentic is important to your own brand? It’s a MUST in having a strong, powerful, and successful one.

Here are some components of a strong brand:

Align your brand in everything you do

Understand what makes you unique

Trustworthiness is a must

How do you create value?

Exceed expectations

Niche your brand differentiators

Take your brand online

Influence by being relevant

Contribute a unique ingredient

What words would you add above?

We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Valerie

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The significant business of your life is alive and well, awaiting discovery, within your very own soul. You and I were born to come into ourselves as complete and distinctive persons. Accepting this, we build a valuable life. 

~Marsha Sinetar

This quote speaks volumes. Not just about life but our own personal brands. When you have a distinctive and authentic brand, others are drawn to you. You are magnetic and unforgettable. Authenticity builds trust.

When you send an email, post on a social media site, or make a presentation at work, you are saying something about yourself.

Give some thought to the messages you are sending to others in everything you do, write, and say.

Share your thoughts and questions,

Valerie

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Authenticity can be defined as:

1. having undisputed credibility

2. the quality of being real and true

3. worthy of trust,reliance and belief

These are all powerful meanings. Imagine how powerful your brand can be if you build it authentically!

Two attributes of any authentic brand are honesty and consistency.

What are other ways you can show your authenticity? Why is that important?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Valerie 

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Question:

How would you describe someone who is authentic? Here are a few of my thoughts. What are yours?

• Someone who speaks to everyone, no matter what level of life or career

• Someone who asks questions about you, rather than talking about themselves

• Someone who is consistent – in how they look, act and communicate

• Someone who doesn’t surprise you with a different persona from time to time

• Someone who openly shares their ideas rather than withholding them

• And finally, someone who is not afraid of making a mistake and admitting it.

Now send me your thoughts!

 Valerie

Here are a few tips to keep in mind if you are engaged in a mentoring relationship:

1 Broaden your Definition of the Term “Mentor”

Another term for mentor could be “learning partner.”  We can learn from people older and younger than us. You should select a mentor who can help you with specific concerns like conflict resolution, etc.

Select them based on their knowledge.

2 Build a Board of Mentors

Sometimes, you may want a female mentor. Sometimes you prefer a male. Mentors may come from all walks of society, including professional organizations, alumni groups, community groups and women’s forums.

3 Vive la Difference

Find someone who is different from you. Look for differences. It’s okay to not be comfortable with the mentor you have. Embrace differences and learn from different perspectives.

4  Market Yourself to a Prospective Mentor

Learn the outside interests of this mentor. Maybe the two of you like some form of music, or jogging. You may offer a new area of interest to the mentor. Both of you could learn from each other.

5 Take your Mentoring in Small Doses

Approach your prospective mentor slowly. And be specific with your ask.  ”I need some help in marketing segmentation.” “I need to improve my networking skills.” Don’t be a pest to the mentor. Know when to leave.

1.    Imagine Yourself Successful: Visualize the new you that you desire to become. Set aside time each day to be alone and undisturbed. Close your eyes and reflect on where you are now and where you want to be in the future. Play out the story in your mind. If visualization is a tool used by sports teams, why not use it for yourself?

2.    Remember Your Past Successes: Rehearse your past successes. Never minimize any success you have experienced, no matter how small. Write them down. Then develop a habit of focusing your attention on these successes. By focusing on the positives in your life, you can generate more positive experiences.  Remember, we are what we think we are!

3.    Forget the Failures: What do we do with the failures? Yes, they are real too. If we’re smart and care about our own well-being, we’ll learn from the failures…and then forget them. Dwelling on past failures causes “loser’s syndrome.” Instead, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep striving for that Image of Excellence. Here’s a fact – successful people fail 70% of the time. Whew – we can all make it!

4.    Celebrate Your Successes: No matter how minor they may seem at the time, celebrate your successes! These are your memory makers. I don’t care if you celebrate with a chocolate chip cookie or a fine meal – do something meaningful to YOU. It makes the wins more fun.

5.    Set Definite Goals: Nothing happens by accident. Luck is when preparedness meets opportunity. You must be ready for them. We all know that writing goals down and reviewing them regularly does make a difference.

6.    Respond Positively to Life: There are more and more things in this world which are completely beyond your control. But your image, your positive reaction to life, and the decisions you make are completely within your control. So take control of what you can – and for the most part, THAT’S YOU!

Have a positive and prosperous 2013!

Valerie
http://valerieandcompany.com/

Last night I started reading entries from a year ago. How interesting to find how often I wrote about the little things that happened to me. These included:

• “Today I spent quality time with a friend I hadn’t seen in awhile.”
• “I love snuggling into my big, fluffy bed after a long day at work.”
• “My grandchildren spent the night and we made cookies.”
• “A client sent me a lovely testimonial she posted on LinkedIn regarding the value she received from working with me”

As you can see, some things were work related and some more personal. And as I read several pages, it reminded me that gratitude changes attitude. That’s the power of this tool. After journaling for a year now, I find myself looking far more for the good things that happen every day rather than spending wasted energy grinding over the drainers of the day.

Start your own Grateful Journal on January 1, 2013 and begin the year with energy and positivity. Just something to consider!

Blessings to all my loyal readers during this special time of the year.

Valerie
http://valerieandcompany.com/

It starts on the inside…and it’s all about you

By now, you’ve probably had a “crash course” on personal branding and the importance of creating your personal brand…perhaps from an article you saw in an in-flight magazine or maybe something you heard during a seminar or keynote address.

But, what’s it all about…really? And why should you make that first appointment with a branding coach anyway?

Let’s start with the easy answers. Building your personal brand is a process that sets you apart from the competition. It could be competition for a new job, a promotion, a new client or the opportunity to win a new account or new product line. Your personal brand is a laser-like beacon that attracts new business, maintains long-time clients and earns you top-of-mind positioning in today’s marketplace.

So as a certified branding strategist, here’s what I’d tell you in our first meeting to build your personal brand: The branding process is an inside job. It’s about taking time now — when many of us are seeing a momentary lull in business volume – to take an honest look at what we bring to the table, examine the contents and worth of our personal tool boxes and drill down to identify those attributes that set us apart – way apart – from the rest of the herd.

Before you can go forward in the branding process, it’s necessary to determine who you are, what’s important to you and what makes your brand (and you) successful. Could this “wow! factor” be your classic good looks, your record-breaking productivity, your high energy work ethic…or are you that one in a million who always gets results?

What Makes Your Brand?

Be honest. There’s no one to say you’re right or wrong about what you find as you dive into this moment of self-examination. So, feel free to explore your entire track record, even if it’s decades old…and did you remember to look at the year you served as PTA president or Cub master for the Boy Scouts? Yes, those types of activities do count in building your brand, just as much as the professional certificates that hang in your office.

Once you’ve launched this in-depth self-assessment, you’ll want to keep in mind that all of us have brands, whether we know it or not. As one expert pointed out: “Brands happen.” The question is, do you allow your brand to happen and grow, like “Topsy” in Harriett Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin?” Or, do you build your brand, direct its evolution and guide its growth through a strategic plan?

In my opinion, as your brand evolves and grows, it continues to be an “inside job.” It’s all about your “feel” for each client and every market turn and trend. It’s that intuitive voice that reminds you to keep moving toward your goals, no matter what the competition might say or do.

Ultimately, your brand becomes a statement of your personal value system and represents the standard you set for yourself as a professional. You can think of it as your reputation.

What’s Your Next Step?

So, what’s the next step, once your brand is created and strategically positioned?
It’s all about maintaining consistency – in the expectations you set for yourself, in the service you deliver, in the level of integrity you represent and the level of performance you expect from yourself and those associated with your brand.

Obviously, Coke would never have become a market-leading brand if product quality and service standards had not remained consistent over the years. Neither would Southwest Airlines continue to be a respected brand had the airline stumbled in its on-time arrival rankings, its low percentage of lost baggage and it’s adherence to the high level of service that has become its hallmark in the airline industry.

Oh…and one more thing. Once you’ve built your brand and have consistently offered the professionalism, the service, the quality and the consistency required for the marketplace to recognize your brand, your next step is to market your brand – or as business guru Tom Peters called it, “Brand You.”

Corporations begin the brand marketing process with a logo, bolstered by thousands – even millions – of dollars in advertising. However, you don’t need millions to get the word out about your brand.

Once again, it’s an inside job – one that requires the stellar service and results that make clients want to share their experience of your brand with their friends. It’s what I call “the Nordstrom Syndrome,” where service soars so far above expectation, the client is momentarily speechless. Yet, once they recover from the shock of service excellence, they cannot wait to tell friends and neighbors about the Nordstrom’s clerk who accepted a set of tires a customer wanted to return, even though Nordstrom didn’t even sell tires.

Without a doubt, beginning your personal branding process is definitely an inside job…and, by researching the “inside” and what it has to say about you, you’ll be amazed at the business your truly personal brand can deliver.
Remember, it’s a brand new world!

Valerie

http://www.valerieandcompany.com