It’s fascinating to me how one computer company can put out a new machine to little fanfare, while another company can release a product and people will literally camp out overnight in order to get in the moment the store opens the next morning.
People will stand in a queue to go and eat at one restaurant while another across the street has open seats.
Certain people will insist on wearing certain clothing brands despite others that are available at equal quality and better prices.
Humans are so peculiar.
The Power of Perception
This is all due to the perceptions created by branding. People make certain assumptions, emotional connections and often logical-sounding arguments as to why they desire certain brands over others. How that brand makes them feel, how it makes them look, how they feel others perceive them by their association with that brand. Obviously there’s nowhere near enough space here to break this down — it’s a massive multibillion dollar industry. Suffice it to say we are aware of the concept.
Have we stopped to think that we ourselves, over time, become a brand? Some people love us, others not so much. Some people are attracted to us, some not. Some folks look up to us, others could not be bothered.
Are we able to have some impact on our personal brand?
If companies spend millions on developing a brand, then may I suggest one can likewise develop a personal brand?
Developing Your Personal Brand
Have we ever stopped to ask what we actually want other people to think of us? Have we wondered how we can get people to think better of us (if that’s what we want)? Is it possible to influence customers to buy from us more regularly? Or are some people just super attractive and lucky in business and love, etc. etc.?
When people hear your name, are they attracted or repulsed by their perception of you? Obviously not everyone on the planet is going to understand that you are actually God’s gift to them, I understand that, but is it possible to change people’s perceptions of you by changing and developing yourself and your personal brand a bit?
Ronnie Fouche, one of my first mentors in business, once said, "I can guarantee how to get people to think of you the way you want them to.
"If you want people to think you have integrity, behave and do business with integrity.
“If you want people to think of you as caring, care for them.
“If you want people to trust you, live in a trustworthy manner.
“If you want people to think you’re generous, live that way”
The Way You Are
My question is, have you accepted that you are the way you are because that’s the way you are? Or have you actually spent time considering who or what you’d like to be, thinking and planning what your personal brand is going to look and sound like?
Professional, helpful, confident, successful, loving, caring, clear headed, creative, punctual? Sloppy, untrustworthy, always late, selfish, a failure, argumentative, aggressive?
I believe you get to choose. Now go and live like it!
Just some thoughts.
What's holding your business back?
About the Author
OneAccord Principal Brad Thomson emigrated to the United States from South Africa in 2019. He is a sales leader and a pastor with a passion for seeing people live up to their fullest potential.
As a salesman with experience in investment products, furniture, IT, life insurance and short-term insurance, Brad has sold goods ranging from the unseen (insurance) to the misunderstood (IT). Brad's passion to see people develop their potential led him to study human resources, then open and run his own recruitment consultancy. As a cosultant, he helped people and businesses thrive by finding the right fit for their unique situation. Click here to learn more about Brad.
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