Your glowing red tie that everyone can see from across a busy city street, the gleaming white smile, the perfectly pressed suit or designer pumps, the fancy name badge you always wear to try and stand out, the robust strides you take when you enter a room that creates an air of confidence are just not enough to build your personal brand anymore. There will certainly always be a place for the Fuller Brush salesperson approach and some may be fooled by pomp and circumstance, but today’s buyers are savvier than ever and they want substance.
I remember buying my first business suit at Today’s Man when I was 21 and being so proud and confident that I could actually look the part of a successful person. I felt like a million bucks, but in reality I looked like $124.95 off the sale rack. No one was impressed. I quickly learned that playing the part was not nearly enough. I needed to be able to deliver for my prospects and clients to earn the respect and credibility I needed to grow my business and advance my own skills.
So I hit the streets.
Cold calling, telemarketing, and getting to every networking event and industry gathering I could humanly make it to. Within a remarkably short period of time I realized that more and more people knew who I was and they were recommending me to their friends, clients, and colleagues. Without much thought, in these early days I was building my personal brand of excellence and people were taking notice of my prowess in the heavily trafficked payroll services industry. It was nice to be in demand and even better to have folks calling me for a change. (more…)