Recently, I hosted the first Music Branding 2.0 event to a sold out crowd, which included an expert panel and a live rock band. I wanted to try something different with this event and I drew a connection between music, branding, and the internet. The focus of the event was on how artists can brand themselves in the digital world to achieve success. The panel included experts from across the industry. Here is a video clip, where the panelists introduce themselves, and then  discuss how important social media is for artists. The video script is below as well.

Tim Hare (moderator): How has social networking changed the way that artists promote themselves in this day and age?

Paul Rapp (entertainment lawyer): For one thing, the day of the paper press kit is pretty much over. Now you have to go and get photos and glossies, get them blown up, copied, get the piles and send them out. And most people don’t want to clutter up their offices. Most labels and most journalists don’t want to clutter up their office with paper anymore. I mean, the electronic press kit has kind of taken over.

Amanda Caswell (band promotions): In my experience, I feel that the artists sort of break down the walls. You know, when they’re on Twitter or even Facebook. They become touchable and you know, everything from their van broke down or..they’re having trouble getting through customs. You know, you’re right there with the band and you can reply to them and say “Oh hey man, my van did the same thing” and they just become…you become more of a friend through all that networking.

Andrea Johnson (professor at Berklee College): I’ll follow up with that; I totally agree with Amanda that what we’re looking for is to connect with fans and give them a reason to buy. To build premium levels for those fans so that the 13-year old who doesn’t have a credit card can legally download from the band’s website their music and be able to connect with them in that way. And also the rabid fan who wants the premium package-double DVD with live streaming video of a concert they did in a tent. They can pay $300 for that package. We’ve seen Trent Reznor do that with Nine Inch Nails, offering different premium levels in order to connect with fans at different levels, and it’s working really well for him as a major artist and a lot of independent artists are starting to follow in that realm.

Matty Trump (hip hop producer): Yeah, I think it’s given a chance for artists to actually break through on their own now, and not need as much help from the major labels or even independent levels. And you know, just in the last year, you had Soulja Boy who did a YouTube video and became famous on his own, and a project I’m actually currently involved with now with Sam Adams, who did a video. He did this little video rap thing and a million people watched, and then his iTunes came out last month and sold 8,000 copies. It was beating out Lil’ Wayne and other major hip-hop artists on iTunes, and the major labels went crazy. They can’t believe anyone did this on their own and they’re not happy about it. And they did actually spread rumors that the albums were bought and all this stuff. It’s been a pretty crazy month but I think you know that’s what it is. It’s given artists the empowerment to be able to come out on their own, whereas before you had to get signed by a label and that was your only chance. Like now, artists can do it on their own with a lot of hard work and dedication.

Related posts:

1. The “Music-Resume” Approach to Personal Branding The problem In mid-July, I was being smothered by…
2. Trend: iPhone Applications For Personal Branding It fascinates me how powerful information is and how…
3. Personal Branding Interview: Paul Dunay Today, I spoke to Paul Dunay, who is an…

Read More…

Today, I spoke to Elaine Meryl Brown, who is the coauthor of The Little Black Book of Success, and is the Vice President of Special Marketing in Creative Services at HBO. In this interview, Elaine talks about how to handle corporate politics, some successful networking strategies that she’s used to meet executives, how you can build confidence in yourself, how to avoid issues in the workplace, and more.

How do you navigate corporate politics?

The way I navigate corporate politics is by focusing on corporate objectives, providing direction to my creative team to help execute against these objectives, and building alliances with key people within the organization to help achieve these goals. In other words, the way I navigate politics is by understanding the corporate culture and being strategic.

What are some networking strategies you’ve used to meet executives and other successful people?

I’ve used a variety of networking strategies to meet executives and successful people. For example, I’ve written letters. On one such occasion, my first meeting at HBO was with an executive whose picture, name and short bio I saw in an industry event program and I decided to write. As I promised to follow-up with a phone call in a week or so to get on his calendar, his assistant was expecting my call and she scheduled the meeting. Other than that, at networking or professional events, I usually introduce myself to people, exchange cards and/or ask for a brief meeting if I have something specific to discuss. Also, doing research on a person beforehand is a great way to lay the groundwork for a short conversation. It lets people know you’ve taken the time and have done your homework. I usually weave the facts I’ve learned about the person into our chat in a way that is organic. Most people are flattered when you Google them. I also email to set up short meetings, offering to bring coffee or tea. I’ve even sent flowers to get a person’s attention with hopes of getting a few minutes of their time. However, meeting people is usually not the challenge.

The challenging part is establishing a connection and staying in touch with them for the long haul. In fact, we say in our book, The Little Black Book of Success: Laws of Leadership for Black Women, that networking is a ‘contact sport’. You have to reach out and touch someone. I’ve sent newspaper/magazine articles to people who I think may be interested in the subject with a note that may say, ‘saw this and thought of you’. Or I’ll send a link to a trade piece that I think will be of value. I’ll invite people to events that I think may be of interest to them. Even if I think they may too busy to attend, that’s not the point. The point is that I reached out and touched someone. When you do this, people tend to remember you – even those who are successful executives.

How can someone build self-confidence in themself? What would you recommend?

The first chapter in our book is “ Always Consider Yourself a VIP”. The reason for this is because we live in a society where people of color and women are not always valued, and some of us consciously or subconsciously transfer the notion that we are not valuable to beliefs of inferiority or inadequacy about ourselves. That’s why it’s incumbent upon us not to buy-into the negativity and negative self-talk that may be associated with these kinds of distractions, and to remember and to remind ourselves that we are very important people too. Subsequently, we must stay positive and fill ourselves with positive thoughts and thinking. We must change our minds to do this. When we change our mind-set, we change our behavior. When we change our behavior, our life changes. Affirmations and my spirituality have always helped me through time of self-doubt. Ultimately your thoughts will shape how you feel about yourself and determine your leadership success, moving forward.

In the workplace, how do people cope with stereotypes, racism, and ageism?

I only know how I cope with these things and how we advise people to cope with these things in our book. Basically, we tell people to be strategic and focus on achieving their goals and objectives. Often times, things like racism are used to distract us and throw us off course and we should not take it personally because racism is the result of some combination of ignorance, insecurity and evil. The old adage, ‘don’t make other people’s problems, your problems, applies here. In fact, in our book, we say use racism as a motivator. Instead of letting it frustrate you, get you down and defeat you, use it to make you stronger, more focused and determined to be successful. Whenever, I have encountered racism in the workplace, I’ve ignored it. It’s negative, non-productive energy that I want to avoid and I try to rise above it. I take the high road. When you have goals and objectives, it’s easier to go around, over, or under racism to achieve them as opposed to colliding with racism head-on. With goals, you don’t focus on the short term, but rather on the long-term. Of course, if the racism is blatant or at the point where it feels life-threatening, there is always legal action as a recourse. The other thing is to remember that you always have choices and if the environment you’re in is toxic, it may be time to move on. As far as ageism is concerned, change is inevitable so be prepared. People change, jobs change, styles change and situations change, and all these changes can prevent you from being stuck in a rut, or get you thinking about your options. Being open to change may lead you to more, better, or different opportunities.

How have you built your personal brand? How would you describe it?

I’ve built my personal brand by walking the walk and talking the talk – by being reliable, smart, strategic and developing creative that supports marketing and corporate strategies. My personal brand is based on honesty, integrity and authenticity, on being a strong communicator, team-player, manager, visionary, and risk-taker who takes advantage of opportunities to learn as much as possible and share with others. . My brand also includes having good relationships with senior management and a reputation for doing great work. I always dress neatly, but never want to look too conservative and have adapted a kind of Sex and the City Hi-Lo style, or ‘funky conservative’ look always feeling more comfortable in True Religions than St. John, but the latter suits me too. That’s how I want to be perceived – professional, yet fun. – classy yet not too serious. My leadership style tends to be open and collaborative, always attempting to challenge, develop and inspire the best in my team, regardless of color, gender or age. In fact, one of my direct reports commented that my leadership style is demanding yet fair. I took that as a compliment.

——
Elaine Meryl Brown, is the coauthor of The Little Black Book of Success.  She is also the author of the critically acclaimed debut novel Lemon City, is Vice President, Special Markets in Creative Services at HBO, where her many responsibilities include On-Air Promotion for HBO Family and HBO Latino, Off-Channel Subscriber Acquisitions Campaigns, Segment Marketing and Brand Promotion for Satellite Cable, and Content Creation for new media platforms. Prior to HBO, Elaine was a Creative Director in Creative Services at Showtime Networks. While at Showtime, Elaine also directed promotional campaigns with stars, including Sidney Poitier, Angelica Huston and Louis Gossett, Jr. She executive produced added value shows for Showtime Original Pictures as well. Elaine is a graduate of Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts and UCLA’s Anderson School of Management Executive Leadership Development Program. She has earned many awards in the broadcast industry, including an Emmy Award for writing the critically acclaimed ABC-TV network series FYI, hosted by Hal Linden. She has also earned several Promax, BDA, Mark, CTAM and New York Film and TV Awards. Elaine began her writing career at Essence magazine and has written for other national publications such as Woman’s World. She is a Board Member of New Professional Theatre in New York City, a member of the President’s Commission Committee of Wheaton College in Massachusetts, and is professionally affiliated with several organizations including the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications, New York Women in Film & Television, PROMAX and CTAM. Elaine currently resides in New Jersey with her son, David. She encourages readers to visit her website at www.ElaineMerylBrown.com.

Related posts:

1. Personal Branding Interview: Peter Bregman Today, I spoke to Peter Bregman, who is the…
2. Personal Branding Interview: Caroline Ceniza-Levine Today, I spoke with Caroline Ceniza-Levine, who is a…
3. Personal Branding Interview: Michael Watkins Today, I spoke to Michael Watkins, who is the…

Read More…

On April 3, 2010, Apple finally released its long-awaited iPad. While I don’t plan to buy one myself (I used to be a Mac girl but switched to PCs when I went to college), I know there are plenty of you who can’t wait to get your hands on one. In that vein, which iPad apps do you need to grab today to aid in your personal branding?

1. LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook

We all know how important social networking (and networking in general) is to your personal brand. So, it makes sense to have these applications on your new iPad.

2. Gist

I’ve become a huge fan of Gist and will probably do an entire post on it sometime, but definitely check out this app to help you better know the people in your network.

3. WordPress

I have to admit, it would be pretty cool to be writing this post from the iPad. Not convinced you need a blog to advance your personal brand? Read this.

4. Wall Street Journal and/or New York Times

People with strong personal brands are well read. Keep up with the news with these great apps.

5. Evernote

As the App Store states, Evernote turns your iPad “into an extension of your brain.” Who doesn’t need that? This will help you blog and update your social networks – bookmarking sites and stories to remember for later, among other things.

What iPad apps do you recommend?

Author:

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder & president of Come Recommended, an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. She is also the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.

Related posts:

1. Establishing Your Personal Brand on Niche Social Networks Have an expertise? There’s a social network for that….
2. 20 Ways to Give to Enhance Your Personal Brand Giving is on my mind lately, with the tragedy…
3. Setting Goals and Your Personal Brand I recently spoke at Boston University’s 2010 PRSSA Regional Activity, PR…

Read More…

You’ve read about her in magazines. You’ve watched her music videos online. You’ve seen interviews on TV and listened to her songs on the radio. All of a sudden she’s everywhere and sometimes you aren’t quite sure how or why. If you haven’t guessed it, I’m talking about the music sensation who goes by the name of Lady Gaga. Why? Because she is a perfect example of incredible personal branding.

Lady Gaga exemplifies the attributes of someone who thoughtfully created their personal brand and lives it 24-7. She’s eccentric, eclectic, obnoxious, outrageous,  and over the top, but above all she is completely committed to living her personal brand.

Here are a few tips from her not so proverbial playbook:

Be authentic

As the saying goes, “Be yourself, because everyone else is already taken.” Gaga may be over the top, but she’s real about it and brings an authenticity to her personal brand that makes it believable and admirable. Your personal brand should be true to yourself, so that your brand has an authentic value to it.

It’s okay to be different

I wouldn’t show up to your next job interview with a coat made of stuffed animals, but I would recommend bringing out the elements of your brand that make you different. That’s how you’re going to make yourself stand out. The days of cookie-cutter images are coming to an end, and employers are looking for more diversity in the workplace.

Evolution is key

I wrote last week about personal re-branding. It’s very important to evolve your brand as time goes by, but it’s also important to make sure you’re keeping some of the core elements of your personal brand in-tact. Doing a complete 180 can give the impression that your personal brand is not authentic. Gaga’s music style has already begun to evolve, but it still stays true to her image and sound.

It pays to extend your reach

Lady Gaga has her fair share of endorsements and product placements just like other artists. They allow her to extend her brand image across other platforms and, of course, to make more money. Think about how to get your name out there within your industry. Find some organizations that you are interested in and join them. It’s a great way to meet new people inside and outside of your industry. In this day and age sometimes it’s all about who you know – just make sure your associating your brand with the right types of people.

Be creative

Don’t just do the same old thing that everyone else is doing. Find ways to differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack. Try to find some unique ways to promote yourself that will make your brand be the one that gets noticed when you want it to be.

Author:

David Trahan is currently working at leading social marketing agency Mr Youth in New York, and previously held positions with the Ad Council, Goldman Sachs and others. He is a recent graduate of Pace University where he received many scholarships and awards and is now a mentor in their Alumni Mentor Program. David also serves as a member of the AD Club of New York Young Professionals Steering Committee. Connect with him on LinkedIn, Twitter, and on his website.

Related posts:

1. Personal Re-Branding Creating a personal brand is like creating a product…
2. Being Yourself vs Being Professional One questions that I keep hearing again and again…
3. Personal Brands: How to Think Your Way to Fortune and Fame Would you drop out (or drop in) to think…

Read More…

Before starting to write a nonfiction book to build your personal brand, take the time to write a mission statement for your book. The afternoon, or two, that you spend on your mission statement will ensure that you write the right book.

Don’t “jump the gun” at the beginning of a project and spend too much time thinking about titles, contents, and publishers. Instead, identify what you want out of your book.

By identifying the specific goals and objectives you want your book to provide creates a framework for planning, writing, promoting, and profiting from your book.

Preparing a mission statement ensures that your decisions at every step will be consistent with the goals and objectives you want to achieve.

A 2-page mission statement ensures that you will make the most of each of the 100-plus pages you write for your book.

Start with a vision

Bob Bly’s latest book, The Marketing Plan Handbook: Develop Big-Picture Marketing Plans for Pennies on the Dollar, begins with a great example of creating a marketing plan by working backwards from the desired results.

Bob’s one of America’s most respect direct response copywriters and the author of 78 books. I’ve been turning to Bob and his books for guidance for over 25 years.

When Bob was, himself, working with a coach, his coach had Bob write a vision statement of what a typical day in his life would be like. The 9 brief paragraphs in Bob’s vision statement described all aspects of a day in his “ideal” life, including the specific tasks to spend time on, his finances, and–most important–his personal relationships with wife and family.

Bob reports that, although he didn’t take specific action on his vision statement and his coach’s follow-up comments, he was “energized” from the process. He also reports that “somehow the goals containing within my ideal day description implanted themselves in my brain.” As he continued:

“Not everything in my ideal day essay has come true, but I have moved forward it in several significant directions.“

Elements of an author’s mission statement

If you’re preparing an author’s mission statement for your personal branding book, start by asking yourself the following questions:

1. Where is your income coming from? What is your monthly, or yearly, overhead, and how much is left over after the bills are paid? How much of a cushion, or financial buffer, do you want saved in the bank? How did you leverage your personal branding book into new product and service opportunities?
2. What kinds of people are you dealing with? Who are the clients and prospects you deal with every day? What do you like about them? What are their characteristics? What are their concerns and concerns? How do they benefit from working with you?
3. What are the skills you’re using each day? What are the daily duties and tasks that you look forward to performing in order to leverage the opportunities created by your book into day to date income? Did you need to master new skills to efficiently perform your post-publication ideal tasks?
4. How do your clients and prospects discover you? Describe your ideal marketing funnel. What are the steps involved in your process, or a system, for converting readers into prospects and clients?
5. Networking. Beyond clients and prospects, have you expanded your contact sphere through networking with others who share your interests? What kinds of individuals are new to your contact sphere, and what do you like about them?
6. What kind of hobbies, interests, or passions, are you now able to indulge in? What do you do when you’re not working? What kind of family or leisure pursuits do you engage in? What kinds of passions and pleasures do you now have both the time and the money to indulge in?
7. How did your book make the above possible? What was the contribution that your book played in making your ideal day possible? More important, how did each of the the decisions you took planning, writing, promoting, and profiting contribute to your ability to life a life of “ideal days?”

Starting your mission statement

Avoid procrastination. Create and save a new document entitled Mission Statement for Book and begin by entering the 7 questions above, and formatting them as headings. Then, without further ado, answer the above 7 questions as accurately and quickly as you want. Avoid the temptation to self-edit or prejudge the feasibility of your responses. (There is no “grading” involved!) When you’re through, save your work and close the file. Review it the next day, and continue to review it as you create the content, writing, and marketing plans for your personal branding book.

Author:

Best-selling author and book coach Roger C. Parker helps business professionals plan, write, promote, & profit from a brand-building book at his daily writing tips blog. His latest book is #BOOK TITLE Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, & Event Titles.

Related posts:

1. 4 steps to Writing a Brand-Building Book in 2010 There’s more to writing a brand-building book than just…
2. Are You Really Ready to Contact Literary Agents with Your Idea for Writing a Nonfiction Book to Build Your Brand and Promote Your Business? Getting a literary agent to represent you is an…
3. Creating Your Personal Vision Statement How well do you know your personal brand? If…

Read More…

I haven’t written many posts that added a personal element to the mix of content. Today… I want to change that. I recently had the pleasure of taking a two week trip with an organization that helps the development of non-profits with marketing and creative ideas. I wanted to help out with the organization and actually give back to the process.

Service above self

I decided to join a group of guys to go on a road trip for a national organization. We went on a two week road trip where everything was donated from clothes to cars to hotels. Our food was donated and we had to scrape to put together interviews for building brand awareness for the organization we were supporting.

The purpose of the trip was to use our business, professional, networking, and marketing expertise to help an organization that was in need of marketing. I helped the best way I knew how…. by using social media.

The point of the story is simply this… you don’t have to fly to Africa to give back… you don’t have to travel down to your local soup kitchen… you don’t have to join an organization… you can simply use your talents to make a difference.

This does not mean that Africa, relief organizations, and local soup kitchens are a bad idea… it just means that you were given talents to help support and make life better for other people… friends, family, and strangers.

Anna from Chicago may fly to Africa twice a year to help build wells.

Matt from St. Louis may send money to sponsor a child in a developing country.

I used social media to build brand awareness and financial support for an organization.

The question you should be asking yourself amidst all this content about personal branding is… how are you using your talents to change the world?

… or not.

Author:

Kyle writes a regular blog at KyleLacy.com and is founder and CEO of Brandswag, a social media strategy and training company. His blog has been featured on Wall Street Journal’s website and Read Write Web’s daily blog journal. Recently, Kyle was voted as one of the top 150 social media blogs in the world (on two websites), and produces regular keynote speeches across the Midwest. He also just finished writing Twitter Marketing for Dummies by Wiley Publishing.

Related posts:

1. From Identity to Personality. Be Remembered. “Identity is recognition. Personality is about character and charisma!”…
2. Why Being Known as a Change Agent Can Add Significant Value to Your Personal Brand Are you good at handling change? Or do you…
3. The Must Have Skill Sets For the New World What are the skills that you will need to…

Read More…

How well branded are you? One way to find out is to use metrics – something you can measure against.

The metrics below don’t necessarily measure how effective your personal brand is (go to a personal branding consultant for that), but they do measure your online visibility and engagement.

1. Do a Google search for a leader in your field. Try searching for their name, plus:

• [First Last] +blog
• [First Last] +article
• [First Last] +author

This gives you an idea of how your content creation efforts stack up against theirs. It also shows what they’re writing about, and where they’re doing it. You may want to piggyback off their efforts if they’re publishing on popular niche sites you haven’t heard of.

Next, do same thing for your name and compare your results. How well are you doing? If they have twenty more blog posts under their belt, set out to bridge the gap. Also, where are they showing up that you aren’t?

2. Use grading tools to measure your engagement.

1. If you use Twitter, measure your Klout score. Compare it to an industry leader’s score.
2. If you have a website, measure your website grade with WebsiteGrader. Compare it to an industry leader’s grade.
3. Calculate your Google Grade. Compare it to an industry leader’s Google grade.

3. Set goals for yourself. Now that you have tangible metrics to measure against, it’s time to set goals.

You may want to set a goal like:

• I will post one new article on a website in my field every week
• I will comment on two blog posts in my field every week
• I will read the latest bestseller in my field and write a review on Amazon.com once a month

Start small and work your way up. It’s  easy to gain momentum if you set concrete, achievable goals. The more you start achieving smaller goals, the more you’ll be motivated to continue onto bigger goals. Start getting out there in front of people in your field and demonstrating your value in a memorable way!

Author:

Pete Kistler is a leading Online Reputation Management expert for Generation Y, a top 5 finalist for Entrepreneur Magazine’s College Entrepreneur of 2009, one of the Top 30 Definitive Personal Branding Experts on Twitter, a widely read career development blogger, and a Judge for the 2009 Personal Brand Awards. Pete manages strategic vision for Brand‐Yourself.com, the first online reputation management platform for job applicants, named one of the Top 100 Most Innovative College Startups in the U.S.

Related posts:

1. How to Measure Your Personal Brand Today I was going to write a post about different…
2. A Quick Way To Measure Your Personal Brand Using Twitter Lists Use Twitter Lists to see how people are branding…
3. Personal Brand Audit: What’s Your Google Score? This is part 3 in the “Personal Brand Audit”…

Read More…

Micromarketing is a weapon in the arsenal of most every big brand that distributes products to your supermarket. For example, the flavors of Philadelphia brand cream cheese available in the dairy case differ, depending on what your zip code eats the most. That means in my local Ralphs, I can’t find smoked salmon flavored spread for my bagel. Apparently, not a sufficient number of my neighbors find it appealing. But I can drive 10 minutes to a sister store in another neighborhood, that stocks plenty of it.

Personal brands, via social media you enjoy an easier, cheaper channel to YOUR highest consuming audience: people who crave and consume what you offer.

Music marketing expert Bobby Borg recently interviewed me for a sliver of the tribe he leads: indie hip-hop musicians with no budget for marketing. Because his people are so committed to their art and so intensely focused on connecting with their audience, he gave rise to my own same intensity for his people. At a past life in business, this serious consulting was once reserved only for big brands and their highly paid consultants. A silver of our interview is on Bobby’s channel.

Do not fear the big fish

Unfortunately for most of us in business today, our perspective about success is tainted by the pejorative snorts that someone is “big fish in a small pond.” You’ve heard these joy killers’ snarky pronouncements. These couch sitters deride the gymnast who won her country’s competition, and fails to medal in the Olympics. They snarl: “Well she was a big fish in a small pond, but she can’t compete on the world stage.”

Personal brands: Don’t be afraid of being called a big fish in a tiny pond. It is what all successful people are doing.

The web is comprised of a zillion slivers of the market, aka special interest groups. Each sliver is either organically or commercially created. And, unlike a country’s citizens who feel enraged that special interest groups drown out their voices, their sentiment about being in a special interest group is totally different.

What’s so powerful is these social communities provide the perfect forum for you to express your personal brand, lead some portion of your tribe, and at the same time be embraced by advertisers who want to reach the same people you do.

Sunday’s New York Times Magazine devotes a full page-plus to describe the unbelievably rich veins running through one such group. It’s almost impossible to imagine the deep engagement, unshakable loyalty and commitment to sharing ideas within the community they focus on: NaturallyCurly.com.

The site is a perfect icon for micro markets, and a hugely teachable moment for personal brands.

Seek, listen and lead

Who knew curly hair was the huge self-identifier for such a disparate group of people? The depth and breadth of relationship curly-haired people have with their hair, and with like-burdened or blessed among us, surpass any demographic, psychographic, lifestyle or behavior that market research trained brains could previously imagine. But we know by the web behavior of the curly-haired: the frequency of their interactions, comments, tips and product evaluations, that this is a defining characteristic for a significant group of them. Obviously, if your personal brand includes a philosophy, tonic, or other reason to seek a leadership position in this tribe of the curly-haired: you’ve hit pay dirt.

Personal brands seek, listen, and lead these relevant slivers. We now see demonstrated and repeated studies that show people with a passionate interest, who have self-identified with a subject, cause, personal issue or a zillion other micro characteristics of their lives, are hungry for the ties that bind them together.

Ignore the naysayers who scream, “Stick the landing” when their national hero falters in the face of world competition. Don’t act as if you only are hugely successful if your being or brand is broadcast to more than a billion passive people.

For example, joyfully create and accept offers for YouTube or Blogtalkradio. Great personal brands treat seriously any opportunity to deliver their messages on a defining point to the silver of people who get shivers or giggles just by its mention.

Come on into the small pond, the water’s fine.

Author:

Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! & Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen.

Related posts:

1. Personal Brands are Today’s Leaders, Not Tomorrow’s Ouch. I keep reading about personal branding being a…
2. 20 Ways to Give to Enhance Your Personal Brand Giving is on my mind lately, with the tragedy…
3. Personal Brands Bring Life to the Sport of Kings For those of you who like horse racing, May…

Read More…

Today, I spoke to Marla Tabaka, who is a Million Dollar Mindset Coach, Inc. blogger, and host of two popular radio shows.  In this interview, Marla talks about the difference between business and life coaching, the qualities all entrepreneurs have, how to decide if you want to be a solopreneur or have multiple employees, and more.

What the difference between a business coach and a life coach? How did you choose your path, which lies between both?

Experience has taught me that utilizing a combination of both approaches is the key to success in my niche. When the business owner is able to identify and resolve their stress and self-imposed limitations, they can achieve what I call The Million Dollar Mindset. With this empowering thought-process in place she can run the business from a confident, calm, and unlimited perspective – and the business will thrive.

This sets the client in motion to stretch beyond their current “comfort zone” and fulfill their purpose and passion in a life that brings them joy. When a client is stuck, for instance, I may ask, “What may be the negative consequences of achieving this goal or vision?” This helps the client identify unknown fears and stressors and gives us the opportunity to work through them.

Traditionally, a business coach works with Profit and Loss statements, business and marketing plans, and other business-specific items. While those things are important, I believe that working from “the inside out” (the person first, the business later – or simultaneously) helps the client achieve The Million Dollar Mindset, which leads to success in life and business.

How can you spot an entrepreneur? What qualities do all entrepreneurs have?

Million Dollar Mindset coaching includes identifying key values and how they create the foundation for a happy, balanced life and successful business. When I ask, “what do you value the most? What can you NOT live without?” Invariably, “freedom” is one of the top three things an entrepreneur cannot live without. I hear varying definitions of what freedom means, but being their own boss serves a critical role in their happiness.

Entrepreneurs are creative, resourceful individuals with a strong drive and determination to live their ideal life and support others in a meaningful way. Oftentimes, the business is an avenue to serve a higher purpose, contributing to the greater good.

Entrepreneurs are “idea machines” and are most happy and productive when they are working in the creative realm. They also possess a certain degree of willingness to take the risks necessary to achieve success. These are not exclusive to monetary risk, but include “putting themselves out there” and risking rejection, failure, and embarrassing moments. But a true entrepreneur will turn a potential setback into a positive opportunity and learn from every experience.

How does someone decide whether they should be a solopreneur or start a company with multiple employees?

In their eagerness to launch a business, people often neglect asking themselves some of the critical questions like:

• What is the five and ten year vision of your business?
• What is your exit strategy?
• What is the purpose behind starting your own business?
• Do you want a job or a business that you can scale and perhaps sell somewhere down the line?

If you want a job, then doing all of the work on your own is fine. If you want a business, and have hopes of selling it in the future, you will need support. In a way, the word “solopreneur” is a misnomer because solopreneurs do not have to remain “solo” through the long haul. You do not have to hire full time employees in order to free yourself from the technical work in your company and to work on your business instead.

When do you know you’re ready to hire your first employee if you’re looking to scale your company?

I remind solopreneurs that they may not need to hire an “employee” for a long time, if ever. Many entrepreneurs hire contractors to fulfill their obligations. But if you are truly scaling your company and have a solid plan in place (and the financial resources) here’s a good question to ask yourself. “Does at least 90% of the work I do on a daily basis contribute directly to the growth of my company?” If you are stuck in a technical or administrative role, your company will not grow to its full capacity, if at all.

You recently wrote about endorsements. How valuable are endorsements? Can they be trusted?

My personal belief is that endorsements and testimonials are very important. But, you’re talking to someone whose “buy strategy” is complicated. Prior to purchase, I’ve been known to email people who have given testimonials, just to make sure that they still feel the same way about their experience today! What would happen if your prospects did that? Would your testimonials hold water? Testimonials should “prove” to your prospect that your product or service can address their problem and surpass their expectations. I also caution business owners that their endorsements must be authentic, truthful and relative. Otherwise, they may drive people away.

With this said, a properly-written sales letter or email may not require the support of testimonials to drive and convert traffic. Unfortunately, not everyone has the skill or resources to craft such a letter, so testimonials and endorsements can take up the slack.

———-
Marla Tabaka, a Million Dollar Mindset Coach, believes that with the right mindset – anything is possible! She has seen many of her clients reach one million-dollars in annual revenues – and beyond. Marla’s success comes from her intimate understanding of the entrepreneurial mindset and her proprietary inside-out approach to business, known as the LifeMap™ Method. Marla is the author of the popular Successful Soloist Blog at Inc Magazine on-line where she shares insights, experiences, and tips based on her experience in life, business and as a coach. She is also the host of two popular radio shows, The Million Dollar Mindset and Million Dollar Tapping with Marla Tabaka. If you are interested in working with Marla, contact her through her website at www.MarlaTabaka.com.

Related posts:

1. Personal Branding Interview: Robert Kiyosaki Today, I spoke to Robert Kiyosaki, who is the…
2. Personal Branding Interview: Pamela Slim Today, I spoke with Pamela Slim, who is the…
3. Personal Branding Interview: Alaina Love Today, I spoke to Alaina Love, who is a…

Read More…

Today, I spoke to Marla Tabaka, who is a Million Dollar Mindset Coach, Inc. blogger, and host of two popular radio shows.  In this interview, Marla talks about the difference between business and life coaching, the qualities all entrepreneurs have, how to decide if you want to be a solopreneur or have multiple employees, and more.

What the difference between a business coach and a life coach? How did you choose your path, which lies between both?

Experience has taught me that utilizing a combination of both approaches is the key to success in my niche. When the business owner is able to identify and resolve their stress and self-imposed limitations, they can achieve what I call The Million Dollar Mindset. With this empowering thought-process in place she can run the business from a confident, calm, and unlimited perspective – and the business will thrive.

This sets the client in motion to stretch beyond their current “comfort zone” and fulfill their purpose and passion in a life that brings them joy. When a client is stuck, for instance, I may ask, “What may be the negative consequences of achieving this goal or vision?” This helps the client identify unknown fears and stressors and gives us the opportunity to work through them.

Traditionally, a business coach works with Profit and Loss statements, business and marketing plans, and other business-specific items. While those things are important, I believe that working from “the inside out” (the person first, the business later – or simultaneously) helps the client achieve The Million Dollar Mindset, which leads to success in life and business.

How can you spot an entrepreneur? What qualities do all entrepreneurs have?

Million Dollar Mindset coaching includes identifying key values and how they create the foundation for a happy, balanced life and successful business. When I ask, “what do you value the most? What can you NOT live without?” Invariably, “freedom” is one of the top three things an entrepreneur cannot live without. I hear varying definitions of what freedom means, but being their own boss serves a critical role in their happiness.

Entrepreneurs are creative, resourceful individuals with a strong drive and determination to live their ideal life and support others in a meaningful way. Oftentimes, the business is an avenue to serve a higher purpose, contributing to the greater good.

Entrepreneurs are “idea machines” and are most happy and productive when they are working in the creative realm. They also possess a certain degree of willingness to take the risks necessary to achieve success. These are not exclusive to monetary risk, but include “putting themselves out there” and risking rejection, failure, and embarrassing moments. But a true entrepreneur will turn a potential setback into a positive opportunity and learn from every experience.

How does someone decide whether they should be a solopreneur or start a company with multiple employees?

In their eagerness to launch a business, people often neglect asking themselves some of the critical questions like:

• What is the five and ten year vision of your business?
• What is your exit strategy?
• What is the purpose behind starting your own business?
• Do you want a job or a business that you can scale and perhaps sell somewhere down the line?

If you want a job, then doing all of the work on your own is fine. If you want a business, and have hopes of selling it in the future, you will need support. In a way, the word “solopreneur” is a misnomer because solopreneurs do not have to remain “solo” through the long haul. You do not have to hire full time employees in order to free yourself from the technical work in your company and to work on your business instead.

When do you know you’re ready to hire your first employee if you’re looking to scale your company?

I remind solopreneurs that they may not need to hire an “employee” for a long time, if ever. Many entrepreneurs hire contractors to fulfill their obligations. But if you are truly scaling your company and have a solid plan in place (and the financial resources) here’s a good question to ask yourself. “Does at least 90% of the work I do on a daily basis contribute directly to the growth of my company?” If you are stuck in a technical or administrative role, your company will not grow to its full capacity, if at all.

You recently wrote about endorsements. How valuable are endorsements? Can they be trusted?

My personal belief is that endorsements and testimonials are very important. But, you’re talking to someone whose “buy strategy” is complicated. Prior to purchase, I’ve been known to email people who have given testimonials, just to make sure that they still feel the same way about their experience today! What would happen if your prospects did that? Would your testimonials hold water? Testimonials should “prove” to your prospect that your product or service can address their problem and surpass their expectations. I also caution business owners that their endorsements must be authentic, truthful and relative. Otherwise, they may drive people away.

With this said, a properly-written sales letter or email may not require the support of testimonials to drive and convert traffic. Unfortunately, not everyone has the skill or resources to craft such a letter, so testimonials and endorsements can take up the slack.

———-
Marla Tabaka, a Million Dollar Mindset Coach, believes that with the right mindset – anything is possible! She has seen many of her clients reach one million-dollars in annual revenues – and beyond. Marla’s success comes from her intimate understanding of the entrepreneurial mindset and her proprietary inside-out approach to business, known as the LifeMap™ Method. Marla is the author of the popular Successful Soloist Blog at Inc Magazine on-line where she shares insights, experiences, and tips based on her experience in life, business and as a coach. She is also the host of two popular radio shows, The Million Dollar Mindset and Million Dollar Tapping with Marla Tabaka. If you are interested in working with Marla, contact her through her website at www.MarlaTabaka.com.

Related posts:

1. Personal Branding Interview: Robert Kiyosaki Today, I spoke to Robert Kiyosaki, who is the…
2. Personal Branding Interview: Pamela Slim Today, I spoke with Pamela Slim, who is the…
3. Personal Branding Interview: Alaina Love Today, I spoke to Alaina Love, who is a…

Read More…

The web, in general, has always been a positive place for personal branding. No one is going to write someone else a negative LinkedIn recommendation, and even if they did, it doesn’t have to be accepted and published. Most people aren’t going to speak poorly of another individual in a public saying because it makes them look bad as well. They are easily identifiable based on their name, picture and language, and their negative comments are search-able. But, you will always have critics, trolls, and other types of people who seek to do you harm online, but those opinions are typically washed away by the power of community.

On November 23rd, 2009, I wrote a post called “The Personal Brand Marketplace of the Future.” I knew that the future would be different for our brands because the world isn’t full of care bears, rainbows, and peace. There are wars, robbery, rape, violence, etc. The online world is a complete representation of the offline world. There are also a lot of people who want to see you fail, who talk behind your back, and who will sabotage you, whether they are your competitors or not. That is how life is, and now the web is starting to move to complete transparency and “truth,” so I’m not surprised that a new site called Unvarnished is about to launch.

People trust recommendations

It won’t surprise you that people trust other people, especially if they are your friends or family. You would trust your mother over some random person from Alaska, but you might still trust that person if they are an expert or used a product or a service that you’re interested in. The following research proves just how important recommendations are, especially online where people are searching for reviews before they make a purchase. You will always trust a third party over a company just like how you’ll trust PR over advertising. You know the company is trying to make a sale, but if someone else recommends that product, it carries more weight.

• 90% of consumers online trust recommendations from people they know; 70% trust opinions of unknown users. (Econsultancy, July 2009).
• 85% of people tell their friends when they have a problem with a brand (eMarketer, March 2010)
• 83% of online shoppers said they are interested in sharing information about their purchases with people they know, while 74% are influenced by the opinions of others in their decision to buy the product in the first place. (Manage Smarter, September 2009)
• 67% of shoppers spend more online after recommendations from online community of friends. (Internet Retailer, September 2009)
• 42% trust word-of-mouth recommendations (eMarketer, May 2009)

Unvarnished: An online resource for building, managing, and researching professional reputation.

Online reviews and your personal brand

The more money a product costs, the more time people will spend actively researching it. If a product has received one hundred negative reviews, the consumer is going to be suspicious and might seek a similar product elsewhere. This typically occurs for products of all kinds, regardless of brand, and brand names do have an advantage because consumers already trust them. Online reviews have taken many forms, from consumer reviewing products on a flip camera and then uploading them to YouTube, to a simple 140-character tweet review.

Websites that offer product / service reviews

• Glassdoor.com – You can review your experiences working at a company anonymously. CEO’s are also given ratings in the same fashion. They usually receive a lot of negative reviews from people who have gotten fired or laid off too.
• Yelp – You can review restaurants, bars, schools, hotels, stores, and a variety of other places. Users aren’t anonymous on Yelp, and they are rated on how helpful they are.
  
• Amazon – You can review books, kindle editions of books, DVD’s, CD’s, toys, electronics, clothing and more. You don’t have to actually own the product to review it, as long as you’ve made at least one Amazon purchase.
  
• Rotten Tomatoes – You can rate movies and establish your own online profiles.
  
• NEW Unvarnished – You can rate people anonymously.
  

When you rate a product or a service, that might hurt a company, but few individuals take it to heart. When you rate the average person, that’s when feelings get hurt. Calling someone ugly, fat, annoying, or making fun of them in some other way, can have a devastating effect on them. Unvarnished is about to turn the recruiting, career, and reputation game on it’s head and there’s no going back!

Unvarnished reviews personal brands

When Unvarnished launches, everyone in the world will be held accountable for their brands on it, and it will force everyone to search their name online much more often. You will also have to claim your profile page before someone else does for you. As you can see from this screen shot, taken from TechCrunch.com, people get reviewed based on skill, productivity, relationships and integrity. If you have a bad rating, the system allows youto invite your friends to post positive ratings and comments. Just like Amazon.com, and the Google search results for your name, you can’t remove negative comments from your profile. This makes them more legitimate, yet poses a threat to people who either should get bad reviews, or has people who disagree with them.

The workplace is an environment, where many interactions and experiences occur. If you have a bad manager, you could give him a negative review, which will hurt his brand forever (or as long as this site exists). They may know it’s you if it’s the first published review and you’re the only person they manage. Would you hire a person who received a poor review on this site? You probably won’t unless you already know, like, and trust them. The key here is that people will judge you based on what’s observable online and more and more people do research before they go on dates, or do business deals, so you better make sure you have your head around this site.

Your turn

What are your feelings about Unvarnished? Do you fear it?

Related posts:

1. The Personal Brand Marketplace of the Future. Are Your Prepared? I think it’s an understatement to say the world…
2. Content Management Tips for Personal Branding Content management doesn’t sound very exciting, but content management…
3. Reputation Accounts For 30-70% Of Your Value Certain elements of what is collectively called your reputation or…

Read More…

Last week, I wrote about the importance of an original message in sales. This week we tackle the six stages of sales genius.

One: Set Your Goals

The best way to get started in sales is by setting daily goals for yourself (daily goals are easier to accomplish and less daunting than weekly or monthly goals). Write your goal out on paper every morning and refer to it for inspiration throughout the day.

Two: Get Organized

Create a database of accounts and assign each one an A, B, or C ranking. A-level status is designated for clients and current customers, B status is for hot prospects and C status is for people who have rejected you now, but might be ready in the future. Be fanatic about keeping this list up-to-date and commit to taking action on all of your A and B prospects within 30 days.

Three: Make Contact

The main goal of your initial contact is usually to get an appointment with the decision maker. Depending on how many calls/emails you make per day – some people make 100 or more – the best way to stay organized is to create a simple log. You don’t have to be fancy, but you should always keep records of everyone you speak with or email, as well as the gist of each correspondence. This will save you loads of confusion – and possible embarrassment – if a prospect calls and you can’t remember who they are, when you last spoke, or why.

Four: Ace the Meeting

Note I didn’t call this a presentation. Presentations imply that the prospect sits quietly while you extol the virtues of your product. Sadly, this is what most salespeople do. Sadder still, these poor folks usually find the end of their spiel met with a polite smile and a don’t-call-us-we’ll-call-you walk to the door. Instead, use every meeting to really listen to what your prospect needs. Focus on their goals (as opposed to your goals) and the sale will come.

Five: Follow-Up

If you ask for and receive a commitment on the spot, send your new client a handwritten thank you note immediately. One savvy real estate agent I know sends personalized gifts after every closing – a plant, fruit basket, a bottle of wine, etc. – as a token of her appreciation. (This same saleswoman also enjoys TONS of referrals from raving fans.) If the prospect still needs time to marinate, send a brief letter of thanks outlining their issues from your conversation with crafty reminders about how you plan to address each one.

Six: Debrief

Of all the ways to grow your sales (and your career in general), few are greater than self-assessment. After every pitch, while the meeting is still fresh in your mind, take a couple minutes to ask yourself ‘what worked’, ‘what didn’t’ and ‘what could I have done better?’ Write your answers down in a spot where you can refer to them often and judge yourself on the following:

Did I?

STAND FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT!
FOCUS ON THEIR NEEDS!
GET TO THE BOTTOM OF ANY RESISTANCE!
ASK FOR THE SALE!

Author:

Emily Bennington is the author of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. She hosts a popular blog for career newbies at www.professionalstudio365.com and can be found on Twitter @EmilyBennington or via email at ebennington[at]msn[dot]com.

Related posts:

1. How to Be a Closer: Part 1 Regardless of whether you want to work for yourself…
2. What Have You Done Today to Win Iowa? “Focus is bringing everything you have to what you…
3. Branded Introductions The way we introduce ourselves and others can leave…

Read More…

Today, I spoke to Chris Houchens, who is a marketing speaker, writer, blogger, and consultant. Chris’ latest book is Brand Zeitgeist: Embedding Brand Relationships into the Collective Consciousness. In this interview, Chris talks about what the brand zeitgeist is, how to attract customers to your brand, how blogging has helped his career, first and last impressions, and customer relationships.

What is the Brand Zeitgeist?

The Zeitgeist is an abstract concept to describe the evolving collective consciousness of society.

It’s what’s on people’s minds, what they’re talking about in their social circles, and it shapes how trends are developed. Branding is also an abstract idea to describe the relationship between consumers and a company. It struck me that the best conduit and medium for brand messaging to aspire to was the zeitgeist. A zeitgeist brand is always top-of-mind and become part of consumers’ lives. I wrote Brand Zeitgeist to reinforce basic marketing and branding principles in a way that even marketing novices could understand and teach businesses how to use fundamental aspects of human nature to develop a brand strategy.

What does it take to get under your customer’s skin?

To get under their skin, you have to get inside your customers’ heads and integrate your brand into their lives. The mistake many small businesses make is that they approach their marketing from their own perspective. You always have to market from the mindset of the customer.

Brand Zeitgeist teaches that a brand is nothing more than a long-term relationship between a customer and the business. The question is how do you nurture that relationship and develop other relationships with new customers?

The answer is to use fundamental aspects of human nature to develop the brand strategy. How do your customers interact in their personal social circles? Instead of trying to force the brand message, make it a natural part of the customer’s life. In Brand Zeitgeist, I delve into Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to see where brands fit in the human relationship. I discuss sociological and anthropological structures of society to see how companies can emulate personal relationships. I talk about three points (development, messaging, and customer service / experience) that all brands need to address in order to build a brand zeitgeist.

Businesses can tap into the power of the zeitgeist to spread their marketing messages by bringing their brand to the forefront of customers’ minds. Businesses can also use the zeitgeist to provide those customers the tools to spread their message through word-of-mouth and other viral channels. Customers now have partial control of the brand and are developing conversations about the brand in real life and online. Smart companies will help guide those conversations.

When did you decide to start your blog and what success have you had with it so far?

I’ve been blogging continuously at the Shotgun Marketing Blog since January of 2005. Previously, I had just been posting white papers on my marketing speaking and consulting web site and I found that blogging allowed much more flexibility in content.

Over the past few years, I’ve really enjoyed the interaction and success that the blog has enabled me to have. I was a guest blogger on Fast Company’s FCNow blog. I was one of the first 5 entries on the Z-List. Seth Godin included my blog on his Bullmarket directory after he published Purple Cow. I debuted on the Adage Power 150 in the top 50. But the big success of the blog has really manifested itself in a few major ways: it’s enabled me to spread my ideas, it’s allowed my business to grow and it has opened up a world of new connections and friends all over the world.

Unfortunately, in the past year or so with my focus on writing the book and interactions on other platforms like Twitter, I pushed the blog to the back burner. I’m renewing my focus on blogging and I’m looking forward to revitalizing my posting schedule.

Is a first impression more powerful than a last impression? How do you make sure you nail both?

The first snap judgment influences all interactions that come after it. It’s important that there’s a clear sense of what you want that impression to communicate. That’s why a strategy is so important. It’s regrettable that many companies (and with personal branding, people) don’t have a clear strategy of what they want to convey to others.

Why long-term relationships off of quick money-makers?

There’s the old saying of you meet the same people on your way back down the ladder as you met on the way up. It’s important to build a positive relationship with all interactions with all customers because you don’t know what role those customers will play in the future.

An immediate concern now is that the consumer may create a long-term brand effect with a quick money-making interaction. If they have a negative customer experience, the story of that experience may spread exponentially through social media. The same thing can happen with a positive experience. The most important aspect of building a brand is the customer experience.

——–
Chris Houchens is a marketing speaker, writer, blogger, and consultant. He has spent years working in both media and marketing including as the operations manager of a radio group, as the online director of a newspaper, and as the marketing director of a healthcare organization. Houchens is a dynamic marketing speaker traveling worldwide delivering marketing keynotes and other presentations to conferences and corporate events. Chris’ blog, the Shotgun Marketing Blog offers common sense insights on marketing and has been ranked as a top marketing blog. Chris’ latest book is Brand Zeitgeist: Embedding Brand Relationships into the Collective Consciousness. He also is a co-author of the 2007 book, Achieving Customer Mindshare through Advertising. In addition, Chris is a contributing writer and source for numerous online resources and print publications. Chris is a past president of the Professional Marketing Association and was honored as that organization’s 2007 Marketer of the Year. He was privileged to have been selected as a Forum Fellow for the Louisville Courier-Journal. He serves as a volunteer for several non-profit organizations and has served on several non-profit boards as a marketing advisor. Follow Chris on Twitter at @shotgunconcepts.

Related posts:

1. Personal Branding Interview: Chris Anderson Today, I spoke to Chris Anderson, who is the…
2. Personal Branding Interview: Chris Cameron Today, I spoke to Chris Cameron, who is a…
3. Personal Branding Interview: Brian Clark Today, I spoke with Brian Clark, who is known…

Read More…

What are the skills that you will need to have in the new economy? If you’ve ever wondered what some of these skills are, this post is for you.

Skill sets for the new world

1.) Social media and Web 2.0 know how:

To understand how social media and Web 2.0 are changing industries gives you a deeper level of understanding on the new economy. It will be a competitive edge as you think through challenges and opportunities in your marketplace.

2.) The ability to write effectively:

The need to be a good writer is increasing every year. We write more email, send more text messages, and write more blog posts than ever before. Good writing skills help you to communicate your thoughts and blogging can help you reach your goals faster.

3.) Ability to create relationships virtually and physically:

Nobody can do it alone; you are going to need a lot of help along the way. Opportunities come to individuals that have taken the time to create their social network both virtually and physically. It has never been easier to have a wide social network. Start connecting.

4.) Knowing how to leverage your network

Knowing how to approach those in your network so they can help bring you opportunities is an art form. Start getting in the habit of expressing your ideas to influencers in your niche. Some will work, some won’t, but the one’s that work will push you down the path to success.

5.) Knowing how to get to to influencers:

Learn how to get to influencers using social media, email, and yes, even the good old telephone. The more you start to reach out to others to connect with them the more influential connections you will have. Half the battle is just trying, you will be surprised what happens when you try.

6.) The ability to sell yourself:

Get really good at expressing your interests and what makes you different. Have fun with it and just be yourself. This is not about being a walking blow horn, but knowing how to take advantage of the opportunity when it is staring at you in the face. These 30 seconds can make or break you.

7.) Having a platform:

You need to have a home base that can be indexed by Google. You need a place where you have complete editorial control. The easiest way to do this is with a blog. Blogs can launch you into some very exciting and interesting work. You need a platform.

Get good at these seven skills, they will become increasingly important in the evolving world we live in. If you are not good at some of these skills head to Google or Amazon and do some reading. You will be happy you did.

Author:

Chad Levitt is the author of the New Sales Economy blog, which focuses on how Sales 2.0 & Social Media can help you connect, create more opportunities and increase your business. Chad is also the featured Sales 2.0 blogger at SalesGravy.com, the number one web portal for sales pros, the professional athletes of the business world. Make sure to connect with him on Twitter @chadalevitt.

Related posts:

1. World Wide Rave with Your Personal Brand Great video from David Meerman Scott author of the…
2. The Lost Opportunity Costs of Not Creating Your Personal Brand Everything in life has an opportunity cost associated with…
3. 19 Qualities of The Best Handshake in the World Your handshake is a convenient personal branding accessory right…

Read More…

What are the skills that you will need to have in the new economy? If you’ve ever wondered what some of these skills are, this post is for you.

Skill sets for the new world

1.) Social media and Web 2.0 know how:

To understand how social media and Web 2.0 are changing industries gives you a deeper level of understanding on the new economy. It will be a competitive edge as you think through challenges and opportunities in your marketplace.

2.) The ability to write effectively:

The need to be a good writer is increasing every year. We write more email, send more text messages, and write more blog posts than ever before. Good writing skills help you to communicate your thoughts and blogging can help you reach your goals faster.

3.) Ability to create relationships virtually and physically:

Nobody can do it alone; you are going to need a lot of help along the way. Opportunities come to individuals that have taken the time to create their social network both virtually and physically. It has never been easier to have a wide social network. Start connecting.

4.) Knowing how to leverage your network

Knowing how to approach those in your network so they can help bring you opportunities is an art form. Start getting in the habit of expressing your ideas to influencers in your niche. Some will work, some won’t, but the one’s that work will push you down the path to success.

5.) Knowing how to get to to influencers:

Learn how to get to influencers using social media, email, and yes, even the good old telephone. The more you start to reach out to others to connect with them the more influential connections you will have. Half the battle is just trying, you will be surprised what happens when you try.

6.) The ability to sell yourself:

Get really good at expressing your interests and what makes you different. Have fun with it and just be yourself. This is not about being a walking blow horn, but knowing how to take advantage of the opportunity when it is staring at you in the face. These 30 seconds can make or break you.

7.) Having a platform:

You need to have a home base that can be indexed by Google. You need a place where you have complete editorial control. The easiest way to do this is with a blog. Blogs can launch you into some very exciting and interesting work. You need a platform.

Get good at these seven skills, they will become increasingly important in the evolving world we live in. If you are not good at some of these skills head to Google or Amazon and do some reading. You will be happy you did.

Author:

Chad Levitt is the author of the New Sales Economy blog, which focuses on how Sales 2.0 & Social Media can help you connect, create more opportunities and increase your business. Chad is also the featured Sales 2.0 blogger at SalesGravy.com, the number one web portal for sales pros, the professional athletes of the business world. Make sure to connect with him on Twitter @chadalevitt.

Related posts:

1. World Wide Rave with Your Personal Brand Great video from David Meerman Scott author of the…
2. The Lost Opportunity Costs of Not Creating Your Personal Brand Everything in life has an opportunity cost associated with…
3. 19 Qualities of The Best Handshake in the World Your handshake is a convenient personal branding accessory right…

Read More…