If you were planning on introducing a new product the first questions you might ask are.
Why would someone be interested in buying my product?
What is special or different about my product?
Am I offering a high quality service?
Does my product "stand out" from other products?
How can I improve my product? Is it the best it can be?
How will I market it?
How will I promote it?
How will I develop it?
The great news is you have an amazing product to offer and that product is YOU.
YOU ARE THE PRODUCT! YOU ARE THE BRAND!
The bad news is you do not know your own "product" so you do not know what you are selling.
You are too busy to STOP and examine who you are and this is slowing your advancement personally and professionally.
KNOW YOURSELF! KNOW YOUR BRAND!
Successful companies know their products and services "inside and out" and so should you.
Most of us make the same mistake and focus only on "Hard skills" and not on "Soft skills"
Many of us become too complacent and stop reinventing ourselves.
We do very little to market, promote, or develop our ourselves.
So let us start over and ask ...
What is my specialty?
What makes me unique?
What is my image or reputation?
How do I make people feel?
What do I offer?
What is my niche?
What actions would increase my value?
WHAT IS MY BRAND? WHO AM I?
Great brands have earned our trust by specializing and offering us predictable excellence in a patient and consistent manner.
You have to define and refine your brand just as Toyota, Google, and Coke does.
You have to know the quality of your product before you can effectively sell it.
What do you project when you enter a room?
How do you want your colleagues, clients, and friends to think of you?
What do you need to change? Do you stand out?
What is your vision?
What is your personal mission statement?
What do you want to be famous for?
To understand yourself you need to take an honest look at who you are and what changes you need to make.
In other words you have to "Audit" yourself regularly to understand your brand and direction.
You also need to consult with someone you trust to give you a frank assessment of your strengths and weaknesses.
Successful companies and people use Focus Groups or Advisers and so should you.
Like all great companies you must evaluate and refine yourself on a quarterly basis.
The more you know about yourself the more you will understand what you want and what you do not want.
Everything you say and do reflects your brand from the way you dress to the business card you give out.
Everything should match the image you want to project.
You are a "walking advertisement" for all to see and judge.
What are you selling?
Marketing and Promoting ourselves is our way of becoming "VISIBLE."
The more visible you become the more refined you have to be.
You as a brand have to embrace the same strategies and tactics as global companies do.
Most of us are too busy reacting to life's challenges, but discovering yourself and who you are pays huge "dividends" personally and professionally.
Now is the time to STOP and evaluate who you are, where you are, and where you are going.
INVEST IN YOUR SUCCESS !
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