Brand Yourself – know it, sell it!

Author: Kathy Knott

Being married to a Marketer and Brand Strategist is no mean feat.  I hear a constant commentary/critique on the latest adverts, billboards, product placements or the myriad other ways that companies find to bring their product to your attention, and hopefully drive sales.  At times I find companies’ constant opportunism quite exhausting, and feel if I stand still long enough someone will stick a poster on me (if I’m not wearing a logo already).

Being a Counselling Psychologist I often see clients who are in a career process of some sort – whether it be for exploration, creation, transition or cessation.  The overlap between these two disparate fields – namely Psychology and Marketing – is rather intriguing.

It is well documented that the ‘World of Work’ has changed from a secure, stable, parent-child relationship to a much more flexible, dynamic, fast-changing, transient context where individuals need to drive their own careers.  The locus of control has firmly shifted from being external to being more internal.  With this shift, a great deal of responsibility has been laid on the shoulders of the individual – that means you.  Not only do you feel the pressure to perform well in your current position, but you have to constantly take stock and responsibility for where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there.

In the current economic climate it becomes even more difficult and important to use all possible techniques to distinguish yourself and ensure you are not left behind.  This is where the aforementioned synergy comes in.  A good marketing company first really understands what they have to sell, who they want to sell it to, creates a message, and then sells that message consistently.

So ask yourself the following key questions in relation to your career path:

-       What are your key differentiating factors?

• Who are you and what do you want?  What makes you competitive in your market?  Why you rather than the next person?  Does your relevance stand out in the crowd?

-       Who are you selling your services to?

• Who is your employer of choice?  If you are an independent consultant, who would be your ideal client or customer?  What are they looking for?  What are their expectations and what do they value?

-       How do you package and communicate those factors?

• To be able to sell yourself in the ‘Elevator Pitch’ you need a succinct message, a tag line for want of a better description.  Something that is true to who you are and something that the customer wants.  Your brand should be represented in your speech, interactions with others, dress code, CV, cover letters, online identity and more.

-       Do you do this consistently?

• Once you have identified your core essence, it remains consistent over time.  However, even though your essence will remain the same; the expression thereof should constantly evolve.  As your market may change, and as you develop more skills, so your brand should reflect that growing knowledge and experience.  Like a CV, your brand should accurately represent you in the here and now, but include a promise of where you are heading – your aspirations.

I think the first of these questions is the hardest to answer, and let’s face it, if you don’t know the answer, then how can you expect potential employers to ‘buy’ into you?  What you know, you can sell.  What you know, you can manage.  Otto Kroeger puts it succinctly in his DVD ‘The Basic Three’ when he says ‘The fundamental gift (of typology) is heightened self-awareness for greater self-management’ (1994).

Self awareness takes time and effort, but there are excellent processes and resources available to assist you.  In ‘Career Distinction – Standing Out By Building Your Brand’ Arrunda and Dixson lead you through a practical 9 step process:

1. brand yourself for career success
2. determine how others perceive you
3. develop your unique value proposition
4. define your target audience
5. tell your brand story
6. express yourself clearly and consistently
7. build and manage your online identity
8. stay on-message and on-brand every day
9. increase your “career karma”

They say “As a professional, your reputation is your most valuable career asset. Whether you’re climbing the ladder at your current company or seeking a new job, in today’s fast-paced work environment you must proactively and continuously position yourself for success.  Your credibility, visibility, personality and personal style all make up your brand.  Build and nurture your personal brand and you’ll make yourself a must-have, can’t-fail professional – and you’ll do it without having to be someone you’re not.” (2007).

Selling your brand is the hard part, but once you have the customer’s attention, heed Deming’s warning and don’t be ‘The Brand Who Cried Wolf’.  Deliver on promises and expectations your carefully crafted personal brand has created in your customers.

It takes a mind shift in managing your own career.  You may feel as if it depersonalises the individual, but if done correctly it can really help you present yourself in a congruent and consistent way, with a thought-through sense of purpose and direction.  But please always remember the golden rule of marketing:

A good brand promises; a great brand delivers.

This article originally appeared in the Human Capital Review

Tagged as: branding, career, counselling