Branding Your Work

Branding as a consultant, or an attorney or lobbyist or a highly paid executive, is about getting to be known, how you wish to be known. This is both art and science. It requires finesse, and a process of thinking and implementing. But it all starts with your intense desire to be recognized and then your ability to sit down and think about two questions;

1. What characteristics do you value? What is important to you?
2. What characteristics are important to your clients? What is important to them?

When you think about these two points of view, you will gain an understanding of perhaps why you are not known, or why you are an "also ran."

In reality, these two questions are very simple questions or seem to be. But hardly anyone, except the best, ever asks these questions of themselves.

However, you must.

Take out a sheet of paper and write down the characteristics of #1 today. Write them out on a sheet of paper. Not on the computer/laptop. On paper. This is key and is critical to stimulating your thinking. Go to Starbucks or McDonalds to do this. And do it early in the morning. Go to someplace where you can be alone! (i.e. not interrupted).

Your list today may look like this:

1. I want to be known as; honest
2. I want to be known as; hardwarking
3. I want to be known as; smart
4. I want to be known as; On top of my game.
5. I want to be known as; Easy to do business with.
6. I want to be known as; Positive
7. Etc.

You get the picture here? Good. Now go do it. Tomorrow, we will cover this again. Because these two questions are not as easy as you think they might be!