Hello High-Achievers:
I received a call today, yes on Sunday from one of my corporate friends. Oh by the way I do not normally take calls on Sunday.
Here is what she asked, "Even though I am a career professional and not a business owner, I just realized that I should have a personal brand to identify myself as a professional in the customer service industry. How do I develop a personal brand?"
Here is my response, “One of the best ways to develop a person brand is to identify the ‘value-add’ that you bring to the table which your competitors do not. The value-add will separate you from your competitors and place you on the ‘sought after’ career list. The four elements that you need to develop your personal brand are:
1.Personal Appearance (take into account your clothing choices, style not fashion, and personal hygiene)
2.Personality (includes your personal goals, and values)
3.Competencies (the skill sets that enable you to perform your job better than others)
4.Differentiator (the benefit you bring to the table or what makes you different from others)
Once you have defined the components of these four elements, your personal brand will evolve from combining personal appearance, personality, competencies and differentiators that set you apart. Now that you have a well-developed personal brand statement, turn it into a story-like message that you can deliver over and over again. "
I also said, "Don’t forget that is important to get your name out there. Start by meeting key people, either online or in-person in your field. Send them an email or a message via their web site or networking profile. You will be pleasantly surprised at the results that a quick email will bring. If time permits volunteer in a capacity where you can utilize your skills and expertise. This is a great way to gain exposure as an expert in your career field and a great resume building tool."
If your need a great resume, feel free to utilize my ‘resumes for success” service and if your need a career success coach give me a call
Also if you have more suggestions on career branding, please respond to the blog... your comments are welcomed!
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What you achieve while moving through all of your next levels, is as important as what you become when you are at your pinnacle level” by Dr. Laureen
"If You Listen Better, You Will Communicate and Market Better, and With a Profit" Dr.Laureen
<< MORE >>Hello High-Achieving Entrepreneur Women,
For those of you who do not know me, I am the Chief Solutionary Officer of Masterpiece Solutions, LLC. Our company provides training in listening, communication, marketing, business strategy and networking skills to high-achieving women looking to move up to the next level in their careers and businesses. We can help you improve your success and networking techniques. We also offer virtual and laser coaching to female executives, female career professionals and women-owned businesses.
We consistently receive calls from women like you who need answers to career and business related questions. They call us because we are known as the "Resource Source". The top question today was from a female career professional who wanted to know what her personal value statement should contain. Here is my response…
The key to successful personal brand promotion is getting your personal value statement in front of as many opportunity sources as possible. You should include derivatives of your personal value statement in all your “collateral” such as your resume, bio, profiles and wherever possible on the Internet.
Some of you may have never heard of a personal value statement. Briefly, a personal value statement is a precise, well-rehearsed personal statement that highlights your value to a prospective employer or business associate. It includes your role, how you deliver value to the company and the quantifiable results you’ve achieved. Oh, I forgot to tell you that it is only 20-40 words. Yes, that’s correct. A personal value statement is 20-40 words in which you must convey your quantifiable value.
Here's another idea for a collateral piece that can enhance your value: Produce a short PowerPoint presentation describing your personal value statement. This is a great way to tell your story when the opportunity for a career discussion arises. A short PowerPoint presentation is a useful selling tool and a great way to capture your personal value statement, case studies and career path story.
Need answers, call us or email mail me at drlaureen@drlaureen.com. Until next time! If you have additional information about personal value statements, post your comment. Lets learn together.
For more information on building a personal brand, view my article (http://ezinearticles.com/?Career-Professionals—-How-to-Develop-a-Personal-Brand&id=1068176).
Greeting High-Achieving Entrepreneur Women:
I am not the greatest football fan because there are some parts of the game that I do not understand. But I recently read an article by Lou Bortone, the Online Branding Guy and Marketing Coach. He proposed the question... What are the “weapons” the Giants used that entrepreneurs can adapt? Here’s what he said:
1. It pays to be the underdog – Fly under the radar and you may surprise everyone!
2. There’s no such thing as a sure thing – Just ask the Vegas odds-makers and sportscasters.
3. Use “shock and awe” to overwhelm your competition – The Giants put incredible pressure on Tom Brady, sacking him five times. What can you do to shake up the marketplace?
4. Use your full arsenal of weapons – One of the pillars of the marketing philosophy is to use a variety of marketing weapons. Look how the Giants used every element of the game – passing, rushing, defense and more - to dominate.
5. Unleash a relentless attack – The Giants kept coming back at the Pats, again and again and again. Their never surrender attitude is an example you should use in your business.
6. Take a page from the competition’s playbook – On the final, winning drive of the game, the Giants looked like, well, the New England Patriots! What can you learn from your competitors?
7. A win is a win is a win – It doesn’t have to be pretty, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Learn as you go, make adjustments, and find a way to win!
There are some great words of wisdom in this article, however if I cound change one thing it would be the word 'weapon". I wuld replace the word weapon with 'skill-sets.' I sure that weapons work for the guys, but for we women, skills-sets makes more sense. And last but not lease item #4 could be changed to "develop a marketplace presence, markeing consistently, don't give up and you will win."
What your thoughts on Lou's 7 tips?
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It just amazes me how much we all love to get free stuff. Giving away freebies may cost you in the short term but giving something away for free can boost profits in the long term. It is good for clients to know that you are not charging them for every little thing. Remeber not charging for every minute thing promotes good will and makes customers feel like you are in their corner. You can offer a free service or discount coupon as a reward for continued busness.
Consider the following five ideas to increase your traffic count.
1. Provide a service for free. Perhaps you are a consultant or maybe a chiropractor. Offer free, reduced fees or possibly an add on service to your website visitors. While you may not be able to provide a free service all the time, by changing your offers and promotions, you will continue to draw your prospect back again and again.
2. Provide a free e-zine subscription when they purchase another e-zine. Buy one get one free promotions are a great way to draw repeat customers. For example: offer them a free e-zine on weight loss tips when they purchase an e-book on fitness for beginners.
3. Give the visitors a free product when another product is purchased. People love two-for-one deals.
4. Offer to list their website free in your e-zine when they subscribe to your publication.
5. Provide one-two-months of free membership to your information portal. Often times people need to see the value in a product before they will consider purchasing it. Provide a trial offer so that the customer can see if it is good fit.
Hope these tips help you to get more traffic to your website. Let me know what you are doing to get more traffic to your website.
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What you achieve while moving through all of your next levels, is as important as what you become when you are at your pinnacle level” by Dr. Laureen
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Let others tell their own stories first. — When others explain their situations, they may reveal interesting facts and valuable clues that will aid you in helping them solve their problems or satisfy their needs. By letting them speak first, you also save time. When their interests are revealed you can tailor your discussion to their particular needs, goals, and objectives and can dispense with inappropriate conversation. — Dr. Tony Alessandra
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What you achieve while moving through all of your next levels, is as important as what you become when you are at your pinnacle level” by Dr. Laureen
Finally, how can you measure if your blog is effective? Here’s my suggestions:
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What you achieve while moving through all of your next levels, is as important as what you become when you are at your pinnacle level” by Dr. Laureen
Hello Female Preneurs and Business Owners:
A potential client emailed me a question this week that I thought would be appropriate to share with all of you because you may have asked yourself this very same question.
The Potential Client Asked: If I have two aspects to my business to market: (a product and a service) do I need a separate marketing plan for the product an another for the service.
Here is my response….
Any time you can add products to your business, it is a definitely a smart move. But allow me to say that I recommend that all service providers create or acquire products that you can sell in addition to your services.
By doing so, you take yourself out of the "trading hours for dollars" trap that many solo-professionals find themselves in. Once you have a product, you must then address the question of whether or not you need two marketing plans.
Now... to answer this question, you must first answer the following two questions to determine if you need a separate plan?
1) Is the product in the same category or industry as your services?
2) Are the products and services designed for the same type of client? (i.e. are your target clients the same for both the product and the service?) If you answered "yes" to both of these questions, then one marketing plan is all you need.
But remember, you may, however, need different marketing strategies and tactics (the actual ways you get the word out, such as press releases, advertisements, partnerships) defined within your marketing plan.
If your products and services are totally unrelated, and they are aimed at completely different clients,
then you will need two marketing plans.
Now, if you are still unsure whether you need two plans, sit down and start putting together your marketing plan. I believe that it will become clear very quickly whether you need one or two plans.
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What you achieve while moving through all of your next levels, is as important as what you become when you are at your pinnacle level” by Dr. Laureen
Hello High Achieving Women:
This is worth sharing... Last week I received a call from a potential client asking how she could determine her target market without doing costly research. Here are my responses for how to narrow down your possible target markets.
1. Ask current customers why they buy your product or service.
2. Now, ask then why they specifically buy from you.
3. Ask non-customers why they do not buy from you. (You can find these non-customers at social networking events; they may be family members or you can find them while you're networking with professional organizations.)
4. Ask your competitors' customers why they are buying from your competitor and not from you.
5. Ask trade associations and organization representatives if they have any relevant research about your product or service.
6. Investigate and visit your competitors. Start by viewing their annual reports, website, visit their location and look at their in-store promotional displays, their advertisements, the content of their advertisements, brochures, and other literature.
7. Search the web for key information; don't forget to look at information from other countries - who know what you might find.
Finally, once you get the answers, you must translate the data and develop a marketing plan.
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What you achieve while moving through all of your next levels, is as important as what you become when you are at your pinnacle level” by Dr. Laureen
"If You Listen Better, You Will Communicate and Market Better, and With a Profit" Dr.Laureen
Hello High Achieving Women:
Did You Know... There are many great people involved in online marketing forums and internet business forums. There are many great people on these forums with a wealth of information. Below are 4 reasons why you should participate in forums when you are promoting your business, products, or services.
1. Trust - You will seem knowledgeable about the discussion subject when you help someone in the discussion group by providing a good answer to his/her question or problem. As long as you give good advice and not spamming the board, people will think that you are someone trustworthy and who knows — it may lead to a new client.
2. Joint Venture - In the introduction part of the forum, you are given a chance to blurb about your business. This may lead to the formation of a new marketing alliance with someone on the forum.
3. Back Links - Forums will also allow its members to insert links in their signature. We all know that the more links to your website, the greater the probability for more visitors and search engine visits.
4. New Ideas for Your New Products - The responses and posted articles on the forum will help you create or develop new products lines and services. People are always sharing ideas on these forums — who knows, your million dollar idea may come from your next visit to the forum.
Today's Listening/Communication Tip:
Repeat a person's name when you first meet him/her. This will make you listen first and talk second. You want to have a mental set to become a better listener, and repeating a person's name will help you do that.
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Hello High Achieving Women:
Picture This —- I received a call last week from a new entrepreneur and she asked "At what stage should she hire a consultant? She said "Should I start running the business and have some results so there's something definite to improve on?
As a business and marketing consultant here's what I recommended:
1. You need a consultant when you are planning, like you are now, and trying to identify your market. (or while finding your "pockets of revenue"). By using a consultant at this point it will help avoid wasting money in the future.
2. You need a consultant when you must plan/revise/create specific marketing strategies and tactics to suit your selected niche. There are many marketing tactics you "could" employ, but you must use the right tools for the job.
By having a consultant on your team during the early stages of development, helps you assess your market more accurately. You can then move forward with much confidence.
In the early days of your business, I suggest you implement the most cost-effective tactics (often for little financial outlay) to build a revenue stream which enables you to then invest in more marketing tactics and profit-generating activities.
Remember Listening, Communicating and Marketing must be done together. You can't market with a profit without listening and communicating.
Today's Listening/Communication Tip:
Keep an Open Mind - Don't judge. Jumping to conclusions or looking for the right or wrong in what is said prevents you from listening and ultimately closing the sale. Think before you say anything in response, especially if it is an emotional reaction.
Hey Fellow Networkers:
Sorry I have not made an entry the past couple of days. I have been busy working on an series of teleseminars with three other great entrepreneurs. More about that later. Lets talk about marketing and networking.
Here is a helpful hint: The more hobbies and group activities that you participate in, the more opportunities you have to network and market your business products and/or services. Leisure activities such as softball leagues, girl's or boy's scouts, golf lessons, aerobics or yoga classes provide a natural venue for networking and can encourage relationship building much easier than some of the formal networking events often attended.
One thing about leisure time networking and marketing is that leads will come your way from these venues without you having to do the hard sell — just because of the relationship you have built during your leisure time activity.
Enjoy your Leisure Time and let the Networking come naturally through your Leisure Time Activities.
Remember Listening and Marketing must be done together. You can't market with a profit without listening.
Today's Listening/Communication Tip:
The Focus Factor —— This is the most obvious — and the most broken — rule when it comes to listening. Be in the moment. Put other thoughts out of your mind. You can feel when people aren't truly listening to you, and you know when they are. Make sure whoever's speaking feels you are really listening.
Focus on what your clients are saying, and don't let yourself get stuck on any one point. Don't try to answer your question in your own mind while the client is still speaking. If you have to, make a note on a piece of paper about a question regarding what's been said, but don't let it distract you from listening to the rest of the client's conversation. It you listen well, you market well and you impact the bottom line with a signed contract.
Don't give advice unless asked for it. You can't listen and talk at the same time. Feelings are neither right or wrong.
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Hello Everyone: I just wanted to share this with you. I received a call yesterday from a client and she asked what she could do in 2007 to better serve her clients. This is what I told her:
1. Value:
Give customers more than they expected for the price.
2. Speed:
Never miss a promised deadline, and deliver early if possible.
3. Information:
Provide additional information so customers can easily use your products and services.
4. Personality:
Make sure your company projects a friendly image. Greet your customers and always, always smile. Also don’t forget to greet every
person with a smile who is not your customers – you never know; they may be your next customer.
5. Value-Add:
Always, always give customers something extra. Maybe give credits toward free merchandise, or discounts on their next purchase or
develop frequent buyer promotions.
6. Convenience:
Make it easy for folks to do business with you.
Hope this helps all of you successful entrepreneurs! Oh, if you have anything else to add to list send in your comments.
FYI:
Have you ever heard of Wizard Academy?
On Saturday, August 19, 2006, I attended a one day seminar overview session. The three of us left Houston at 9:00 AM driving to Wizard Academy in Austin Texas. The seminar was a full day. We departed Austin, Texas around 11:15 PM. Oh, I forgot the most important part of the day. I purchased three great books, Waiting for Your Cat to Bark by Bryan & Jeffrey Eisenberg; Making Ads Work by Craig Arthur, and The Wizards of Ads by Roy Williams and one CD on Million Dollar Radio Mortgage Marketing. The seminar was absolutely fabulous - I came back with a lot of great marketing ideas.
Movin on.. I got home at 2:15 AM. Most people would have gone to bed, but I was so fascinated by the book, Making Ads Works, that I begin to read the book. When I got to page 23 I found the following information. I just had to share it with you.
The growth of a business is determined by the following five factors:
1. Total Market Potential
How much will be spent by the public in your product or service category this year? What is the depth of your current market penetration? How many dollars remain on the table?
2. Message Development
How well do you tell your story?
3. Media Plan
How efficiently are your ad dollars being spent?
4. Competitive Environment
How good are your competitors at what they do?
5. Competency
How good are you?
That's just lik a Wizard to give you some great information!
Much Success!!!
Greetings:
It amazes me how many business owners and entrepreneurs realize the importance of developing a business plan (power tool #1) but so often forget to prepare the marketing plan (power tool #2).
By far the “marketing plan” is the most powerful tool that any business owner can possess. When you think about it, the marketing plan is designed to expand the business plan by identifying the specific target market(s), the company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) and how to position the company for target market advertising.
In my upcoming book, The Dr. Is In:... Keys to Winning Customers: How to Prepared a Dynamic Marketing Plan, I outline how to prepare a marketing plan and where to place your focus when trying to build your customer database. Visit my site: http://www.masterpiecesolutions.biz/products.html
What you want to remember is that the marketing plan should be defined in such a manner that everyone in your company, network and client base can clearly understand the purpose, core values, products and services offered along with the benefits.
Most new businesses fail because they have not allocated monies for marketing. They seem to think that just because they open a store front that the customers will come. The truth of the matter is that you must advertise and promote you business daily. Yes daily!