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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Authors should use design to extend and safeguard their brand beyond the cover of the book they wrote to build their visibility, attract new business, and establish a personal brand.

The book cover is the starting point; it’s the most immediately obvious visible symbol of an author’s personal brand.

And, in many cases, a book cover is enough; many successful careers and highly-profitable businesses have been built on the branding power of a single book cover.

Yet, authors have to think ahead to protect themselves and their personal brand.

Reasons not to build your personal brand on a book cover

Complacency can be a killer! There are several reasons authors should avoid building their visual brand around the cover of their book. Here are some reasons why:

• Lack of ownership. Except when books are self-published, copyright ownership is usually shared by authors and publishers. This means the publisher has a say in how the book title and cover can be used in the future. You may not be able to leverage the title and front cover of your book into back-end profits because your publisher doesn’t want your audios, e-books, or seminars to compete with what they sell–or may sell.
• Wasting time, waiting for answers. Even if your publisher doesn’t come out and say “no!”, you may waste valuable time and expensive resources trying to pin down a definite answer from the publisher’s legal department. Indeed, in this day of takeovers and transfers, your publisher may be purchased by another firm, forcing you back to square one.
• Out-of-print. Another problem occurs if your first book doesn’t do as well as anticipated. In this case, the publisher may not go back for a second printing, even if it is a consistently selling “back list” title. (There’s always more glamor and incentive to invest in a new book that might be tomorrow’s big hit.) Having your brand based on the cover of an out-of-print book will seriously undermine your career.
• New books. Let’s look at the problem from a different perspective; suppose your first book does so well that you’re approached by other publishers to do a follow-up book. (And, let’s face it, one of the reasons you wanted to learn how to write a book was so that you could continue to write!) If your entire visual brand is based on your first book cover, which you don’t have total control, you’ll have to start your visual brand-building from scratch with your next book. This undermines your personal brand, sacrificing the personal branding equity you gained from from your first book.

Bad things can happen to good books.

Protecting your visual brand

One of the easiest ways you can avoid branding obsolescence based entirely on a book cover is to create an icon, or visual, that reflects your book, but can live on beyond the life of your book.

1. Build on the colors and typefaces used on your book cover. Ask your graphic designer, or a design-aware friend,  to identify the specific color values and typefaces used on your book cover. Use these colors on your blog and website, as well as the marketing materials for your back-end products and services.
2. Don’t include your book cover in your website banner. Don’t create your banner around your book cover, unless it’s a website for just that book. Instead, place the book cover in the sidebar of your blog or in the text area of your home page.
3. Create a graphic that tells your story but won’t go out of date. Your graphic can be very simple, indeed, it should be very simple. It has to communicate at a glance. Your graphic should reflect your core ideas, reduced to their essence. Yet, it has to be based on “evergreen” ideas that are common to all of your activities.

Idea: Look for the underlying process

In many cases, your image can be based on the step-by-step process you’ve identified to help your market and your readers achieve their goals or solve their problems.

Not only is the process an excellent way to organize the information in your book, the basic process can become your visual brand, one that will continue to live beyond the life of any book, product, or service.

Best of all, when you create a graphic tells a story you tell, your story!, it becomes far more powerful than a logo.

Logos, especially in this age of “6 logos for $99,” are often “empty” symbols that may be distinct, but aren’t necessarily relevant to the story you want to tell or the image you want to communicate.

For example, I could take my initials, RCP, and have a graphic designer fiddle with them for several months, and–hopefully–create a memorable image out of them. Given enough exposure, people might begin to associate the letters with my name. But, the letters will never tell a story!

In my case, for example, I reverse-engineered everything I’ve learned about writing and publishing to 4 words: Plan, Write, Promote, and Profit. These, when placed in a cycle, became the unifying element for website, downloadable PDF’s, presentation visuals, and marketing materials.

Conclusion

I encourage you to do the same. Look to the future. Invest in your future.

You must control the visual representation of your personal brand and it must tell a timeless story!

Use design as a tool to extend and safeguard your brand by creating a visual identify based on a graphic related to the cover of your first book, but independent enough to have a life of its own. And, you must own all rights associated with the image. Look “beyond the cover” of your first book to your core values and messages, so your personal brand will outlive today’s strategies and tactics. A little extra effort now will save you lots of effort and costs later.

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. He’s currently waiting for copies of his next book, #BOOK TITLE Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, & Event Titles.

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Here are some ideas to get your creative branding juices flowing.

Join a new community

Find a new forum or niche social network and become an active member of the community, participating for at least 15 minutes every single day until you are a recognized expert on the basis of your participation alone.

Create a new community

Sometimes creating and building a new community might seem easier than trying to stand out in an older established one, or you might have discovered a part of your industry that is under-served, either online or in the real world.

Launch an initiative

In your industry, is there a fight no one is fighting? An issue that you feel isn’t getting as much attention as it deserves? Become the motor for change. In 25 Easy Ways To Grow Your Personal Brand in 5 Minutes, I suggested you “start an industry-related petition” but that’s just one example. Launching initiatives is also a great way to build a community.

Go on a speaking tour

Who would be most interested in hearing you speak? What kind of audiences have you had in the past? Where else can you find more such audiences? With those thoughts in mind, plan a tour. Start small, aiming for 3-5 events in relatively close succession, where you can give the exact same talk, tweaking as you get a feel for the audience response. As you get comfortable, you’ll also have more inspiration about where to speak next. As you impress people, others will come with invitations for where to speak next.

Launch a guest post campaign

If you’re a blogger, more comfortable in front of a screen than a live audience, prepare 3-5 blog posts and offer them as guest posts to large/leading blogs in your industry. This is a great way to generate exposure for any new initiatives, communities or websites launched (or that you’re planning to launch).

Become a regular contributor to a newspaper, magazine or group blog

Put yourself in front of a new audience on a regular basis, building your brand as they get to know and trust you. The results aren’t as immediate as a guest post campaign, but there’s much more potential over time.

Explore other media

Writing online? Try creating an audio podcast series. Already doing that? Go into video. Have that covered too? Try offline content, whether contributing to mainstream media, putting out a press release, or other.

Launch a new website

If you’re not yet blogging, start. If you are blogging already, considering starting another blog, similar but different in its perspective, such as an “ask the expert” type of blog. Other types of websites you could start are forums, galleries, social bookmarking networks, e-commerce sites, etc. Just remember that the new website should be industry-related or very close to it. You want to grow your personal brand, not dilute it.

Volunteer a service

Look for an entity that has either a large audience or an influential one, and then offer a free project or service. Ideal choice if you can get it- the standards body in your industry.

Release a free resource

Have an idea for some sort of content that you know people will find valuable? Perhaps a special report or video? Create and release it for free, encouraging people to share it openly with each other, spreading knowledge of your brand where ever it goes.

Author:

Jacob Share, a job search expert, is the creator of JobMob, one of the biggest blogs in the world about finding jobs. Follow him on Twitter for job search tips and humor.

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Today, I spoke to Lisa Johnson Mandell, who is an award-winning multi-media journalist, author and Career Image Specialist. She is the author of Career Comeback– Repackage yourself to get the job you want and blogs for AOL’s new Dime Crunch. In this interview, Lisa explains how to make a career comeback, how she’s made her own comeback, how she’s gotten a lot of press attention, and more.

How can someone make a career comeback now?

There are myriad resources available to us today that didn’t exist even five years ago, so while the economy is flagging, technology and communications are racing, and a career comeback can be more successful now than ever before. For example, many headhunters and HR specialists begin by doing a LinkedIn search for likely candidates before they even post the job opening. But you have to know how to position, promote and brand yourself so that you catch the right people’s attention. And, since the internet never sleeps, these tools can work for you 24/7. I’ve been approached by many employers via my presence on specialty career sites and social networking sites. You can market yourself worldwide with a few strokes of the keyboard.

If it takes you fifteen years to figure out what you want to do, are you at a major disadvantage?

Not at all! You just have to know how to spin the invaluable experience, skills and knowledge you accumulated during those 15 years, so that they work to your advantage in your new-found field of choice. Almost everything you’ve done in the past has lead you to where you are currently–you just need to figure out how to connect the dots and promote this in a positive way. A teacher, for example, has developed all sorts of varied skills that would help him or her in just about any field. Same thing with a stay at home parent, by the way. No matter what your field, there’s probably an article somewhere online that will help you word your resume so that you can optimize the skills and experience you’ve developed up to this point. Also, these days, many people are changing fields, some involuntarily. No once looks askance at you for this. Point out the fact that it proves you are flexible and eager to learn.

You’ve received a lot of press in a very competitive field (careers). How have you managed to do it? What got you started?

To be honest, the fact that I was already a journalist and had many established media relationships was very helpful. This is one of the few areas where my age works to my advantage–I’ve been networking for years! Although a savvy social networker can develop great contacts in a matter of hours with the resources available these days. I also know how to give a good sound bite. I have a pretty good idea of what will be most useful to journalists, and I try to make their jobs easier by giving it to them as concisely and wittily as possible. That’s the true secret: Instead of coming at it from the perspective of “This is my message and you need to broadcast it,” come at it from a perspective of “How can I adapt my message so that it will help your readers/viewers and make you look like a genius for reporting it?” It just so happened that my own career comeback corresponded with unemployment making a mercurial rise. Suddenly, I had a message that was of value to everyone’s readers/viewers. Timing is just as critical as message.

What tools can people use to help repackage themselves?

There are so many! Education, specialty books, blogs (like this one), enewsletters, specialty websites– I’m a Lead Career Blogger for AOL now, and I constantly marvel at the usefulness and diversity of the articles my colleagues write — every day! It’s important to pay attention to the way you appear online, on paper, and in person. What does your resume really say about you? What does the picture you post on your online profiles and blog say about you? What do the written parts of your personal profiles say about you? What do your tweets, texts and comments on other people’s blogs and articles say about you? The answer to these questions is all a part of your package, and if your message is confused, inconsistent or nonexistent, you need to repackage yourself.

How did you make your own career comeback?

My own career comeback was three-fold:

1. I took a look at my resume and “Botoxed” it, a term the Wall St. Journal coined for me. It had a lot of sagging age spots on it, and it needed to be firmed, tightened and freshened. Some of the methods I used to accomplish this involved removing dates of graduation and highlighting my latest and greatest accomplishments at the very top, rather than writing a boring and burdensome career summary. BTW, hiding your age like this can work at the other end of the spectrum. If you graduated recently you can also delete your year of graduation and put your career highlights at the top of your resume–you don’t have to mention right off the bat that they happened during an internship…or in high school, even.
2. I created a fresh, hip image of myself by having some professional photos taken that presented me at my current best. This may sound frivolous and vacuous to some, but why not let a smile and successful, professional look tell potential employers that you’re at the top of your game and excited about it, things you can’t necessarily convey on a resume?
3. I worked the internet like a maniac, starting a blog (posting that fresh, hip picture) and talking about the hottest happenings in my field. I started professionally-oriented pages (again with the picture) on Facebook, LinkedIn and other networking sites that were specific to my profession. I joined many online groups. Did it work? I started getting responses to my my new resumes within 20 minutes of sending them out. I started getting full time job offers within two weeks, and I sold that website at a remarkable profit within two months of launching it. If I can do this in Los Angeles, where you’re practically invisible if you’re over 24 and under 36DD, anyone can do it anywhere.

——-
Lisa Johnson Mandell is an award-winning multi-media journalist, author and Career Image Specialist. She has been featured in The Wall St. Journal, as well as on Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, Bravo, Forbes, the CBS Early Show, NBC Today, Fox News and many, many other media outlets. Lisa wrote Career Comeback– Repackage yourself to get the job you want (Springboard). She is currently blogging for AOL’s new Dime Crunch, where she receives millions of hits and thousands of comments, which she finds incredibly enlightening — some even in a good way. Lisa graduated cum laude with a degree in journalism, and has authored several books released by major publishers. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband James and their Golden Doodle, “KC.” When she is not helping people land jobs they love, she’s probably interviewing movie stars or sitting in a dark theater, preparing film reviews for radio stations in major markets, and for Filmazing.com.

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Today, I spoke to Lisa Johnson Mandell, who is an award-winning multi-media journalist, author and Career Image Specialist. She is the author of Career Comeback– Repackage yourself to get the job you want and blogs for AOL’s new Dime Crunch. In this interview, Lisa explains how to make a career comeback, how she’s made her own comeback, how she’s gotten a lot of press attention, and more.

How can someone make a career comeback now?

There are myriad resources available to us today that didn’t exist even five years ago, so while the economy is flagging, technology and communications are racing, and a career comeback can be more successful now than ever before. For example, many headhunters and HR specialists begin by doing a LinkedIn search for likely candidates before they even post the job opening. But you have to know how to position, promote and brand yourself so that you catch the right people’s attention. And, since the internet never sleeps, these tools can work for you 24/7. I’ve been approached by many employers via my presence on specialty career sites and social networking sites. You can market yourself worldwide with a few strokes of the keyboard.

If it takes you fifteen years to figure out what you want to do, are you at a major disadvantage?

Not at all! You just have to know how to spin the invaluable experience, skills and knowledge you accumulated during those 15 years, so that they work to your advantage in your new-found field of choice. Almost everything you’ve done in the past has lead you to where you are currently–you just need to figure out how to connect the dots and promote this in a positive way. A teacher, for example, has developed all sorts of varied skills that would help him or her in just about any field. Same thing with a stay at home parent, by the way. No matter what your field, there’s probably an article somewhere online that will help you word your resume so that you can optimize the skills and experience you’ve developed up to this point. Also, these days, many people are changing fields, some involuntarily. No once looks askance at you for this. Point out the fact that it proves you are flexible and eager to learn.

You’ve received a lot of press in a very competitive field (careers). How have you managed to do it? What got you started?

To be honest, the fact that I was already a journalist and had many established media relationships was very helpful. This is one of the few areas where my age works to my advantage–I’ve been networking for years! Although a savvy social networker can develop great contacts in a matter of hours with the resources available these days. I also know how to give a good sound bite. I have a pretty good idea of what will be most useful to journalists, and I try to make their jobs easier by giving it to them as concisely and wittily as possible. That’s the true secret: Instead of coming at it from the perspective of “This is my message and you need to broadcast it,” come at it from a perspective of “How can I adapt my message so that it will help your readers/viewers and make you look like a genius for reporting it?” It just so happened that my own career comeback corresponded with unemployment making a mercurial rise. Suddenly, I had a message that was of value to everyone’s readers/viewers. Timing is just as critical as message.

What tools can people use to help repackage themselves?

There are so many! Education, specialty books, blogs (like this one), enewsletters, specialty websites– I’m a Lead Career Blogger for AOL now, and I constantly marvel at the usefulness and diversity of the articles my colleagues write — every day! It’s important to pay attention to the way you appear online, on paper, and in person. What does your resume really say about you? What does the picture you post on your online profiles and blog say about you? What do the written parts of your personal profiles say about you? What do your tweets, texts and comments on other people’s blogs and articles say about you? The answer to these questions is all a part of your package, and if your message is confused, inconsistent or nonexistent, you need to repackage yourself.

How did you make your own career comeback?

My own career comeback was three-fold:

1. I took a look at my resume and “Botoxed” it, a term the Wall St. Journal coined for me. It had a lot of sagging age spots on it, and it needed to be firmed, tightened and freshened. Some of the methods I used to accomplish this involved removing dates of graduation and highlighting my latest and greatest accomplishments at the very top, rather than writing a boring and burdensome career summary. BTW, hiding your age like this can work at the other end of the spectrum. If you graduated recently you can also delete your year of graduation and put your career highlights at the top of your resume–you don’t have to mention right off the bat that they happened during an internship…or in high school, even.
2. I created a fresh, hip image of myself by having some professional photos taken that presented me at my current best. This may sound frivolous and vacuous to some, but why not let a smile and successful, professional look tell potential employers that you’re at the top of your game and excited about it, things you can’t necessarily convey on a resume?
3. I worked the internet like a maniac, starting a blog (posting that fresh, hip picture) and talking about the hottest happenings in my field. I started professionally-oriented pages (again with the picture) on Facebook, LinkedIn and other networking sites that were specific to my profession. I joined many online groups. Did it work? I started getting responses to my my new resumes within 20 minutes of sending them out. I started getting full time job offers within two weeks, and I sold that website at a remarkable profit within two months of launching it. If I can do this in Los Angeles, where you’re practically invisible if you’re over 24 and under 36DD, anyone can do it anywhere.

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Lisa Johnson Mandell is an award-winning multi-media journalist, author and Career Image Specialist. She has been featured in The Wall St. Journal, as well as on Dr. Phil, Rachael Ray, Bravo, Forbes, the CBS Early Show, NBC Today, Fox News and many, many other media outlets. Lisa wrote Career Comeback– Repackage yourself to get the job you want (Springboard). She is currently blogging for AOL’s new Dime Crunch, where she receives millions of hits and thousands of comments, which she finds incredibly enlightening — some even in a good way. Lisa graduated cum laude with a degree in journalism, and has authored several books released by major publishers. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband James and their Golden Doodle, “KC.” When she is not helping people land jobs they love, she’s probably interviewing movie stars or sitting in a dark theater, preparing film reviews for radio stations in major markets, and for Filmazing.com.

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