Branding The Product: You (contd)

In having a personal brand dimension, this shows you what you look like to someone else - what specific attributes go into the image of your brand they carry around with them in their mind. Remember you are a product that is to be launched; those that would ‘purchase’ you should carry a good impression about you. There are 3 dimensions which people connect to a brand through; they are roles, standards and style

Let us now take them one after the other, remember that this 3 dimension explain how you are being perceived by someone else.

1.            Roles;

In business, when consumers think about a brand-whether it represents a product, a service, a company, or an employer – often they first describe it based on what it does for them. Regardless of how it was built (standard) or how it looks (style) a car have to start, move, stop keep the rain out, and keep the passenger in (roles).

Building a strong personal brand starts from a similar base. It starts from being competent, which means to be at some level qualified (or, more accurately, ‘perceived’ to be qualified) to do something for someone. Your roles are the fundamental reasons you are in a particular relationship with another person; father or mother, sister or brother, boss, attorney, friend, financial or spiritual advisor, spouse or former spouse, nurse, colleague or -worker, classmate or team mate.

Before you can begin to make your personal brand distinctively different, you must ensure that you a have demonstrated to the person with whom you want a relationship that you can competently meet their needs and desire. A prospective heart surgeon who faints at the sight of blood or an apprentice bricklayer who falls ill after an hour in the sun has little chances of succeeding.

Let us cite an example of Mr. XYZ, he relates to different to people in different ways as a speaker, father, husband, businessman etc. Before his enthusiasm can begin to differentiate him in someone else’s mind, he must be able to demonstrate his ability to competently do what needs to be done in each relationship setting.

To develop a strong personal brand, start by identifying the nature of the key relationships you plan to have. You must be insightful and realistic about the types of relationships that will support your journey to success, and clear headed in your assessment of your own ability and willingness to offer the role required.

2.                   Standards; How You Do It

If roles are the known part of a brand, standards and style are the modifiers –the descriptive adverbs and adjectives that create a uniquely detailed picture of your brand in someone’s mind. Standards are often measurable or can be defined somewhat objectively.

The point is not to constantly change your standards of behaviour in a quest to try please everybody, no matter how different their needs and expectations or how incompatible their values and yours are. Focus your standard on the relationships you chose to build with people who truly matter to you.

For example, if you want people to really perceive you as really committed to doing great job, what are your quality standards? Are you prepared to make sure that every detail is covered, however long it takes, or focused on those most essential to getting the job done?

Similarly, are you a take change person? More directives when it comes to solving problems or do you hold back and let others try to work things out for themselves? Are you flexible in your approaches or highly systematic? Are you high priced or budget based? Highly tolerant or very demanding? High maintenance or low-stress?

If you want to be valued for a strong personal brand at home what is your level of investment in your relationship with your spouse, children or siblings?    How much of time, talent and attention do you give them? If you want your friends to know they can count on you, what evidence do they have upon which to base that judgment? How do define being there for them? Is that the level of performance they expect and need?

To build strong personal brand, it is critical to recognize that people cannot see your intentions, they can only see your actions. But from their perception of those actions they make judgments about your standards as well as your roles – not only about what you do but how well you chose to do it.

3.                   Style: How You Relate

Style is your brand’s personality it is the subjective counterpart to the more objective attributes of standards - the part that makes you uniquely yourself in someone else’s mind.

Often the words people use to describe style elements will have a strong emotional touch; friendly, easygoing, intense, aggressive, professional, fun, energetic, introvert, extrovert controlling, fire spirited, open or biased. It is not uncommon, for people to describe different brands in their lives strictly in terms of style.

Note that those words tend to be subjective not overtly measurable. Let because brand builds an emotional connection, they can carry just as much weight as more quantifiable, standards. Here’s where a lot of the colouring in a relationship comes in style cannot have real impact or significantly contribute to the building of a strong personal brand unless the other two dimensions of role and standards are firmly established.

Style is important, but image, to once again refute the common assertion, definitely is not everything. If it is the proverbial tip of the iceberg – the smallest part of something but the only part that is visible; because it shows, it is an important navigational aid but it is still only a small part of something much larger and deeper.

   

 So far we have focused primarily on the external side of what it takes to build a strong personal brand – the elements and attributes that strengthen relationships, as perceived and judged by the other person involved in those relationships. We have relied on examples and observations to give a general understanding of how brands work. Now we are going to turn inside and look at what drives and inspires those people who build strong personal brands.

Close investigation of people with strong brands typically will show they have used authenticity to fuel their success. The dictionary defines ‘authentic’ as ‘true to one’s own personality, spirit or character’ when it comes to relationships; authenticity is what others say they want most from us. We make the most lasting and vivid impressions when people witness us being true to our beliefs, staying in alignment with who and what we really are. That is authenticity. Three powerful ‘banners’ can guide you on the road to being authentic.