Some Assembly IS Required: Connecting the dots of Branding, Marketing, Sales, Business Development, PR, Social Media, Advertising, Networking, etc...

Nobody can ignore the need to establish their brand. Both individuals and companies need to take ownership of their reputations in the business community if they want to find the greatest possible levels of success.

A brand, put simply, is a promise of what customers, prospects, referral sources and others can expect from doing business with you. In good times and bad times your brand screams to the world who you are and what you do. All the little things you do impact how others think of you.

Even if you are not actively promoting a brand, your brand is promoting itself. People in your business community are always watching your actions and jumping to conclusions about you and your product or service. Even when you are having a bad day you are forging your reputation in the minds of those watching (and everyone they tell).

Some people think it is not fair that they are being judged. Too bad. Who told you life was fair? Who you are inside... your character.... really, really matters. As you are being observed all the time.

Large corporations have entire departments with dozens of "brand managers" who work tirelessly to protect and promote the image of the company. As a small business or sole proprietor, you cannot afford legions of people to manage your brand -- thus you must oversee this process all on your own.

Further more you must worry about marketing, sales, business development, public relations, social media, advertising, networking, and customer services. Each of these disciplines are bound together. Again, big companies allow them to float separately in silos, but you must put them all together in one big puzzle. Some Assembly IS Required! You cannot leave these important areas of business to chance.

Too often people want to take shortcuts in their career and then they sit on the sideline scratching their head wondering why they did not climb up the ladder as they had hoped.

Success takes a combination of skill and talent in your area of expertise in conjunction with a brand and reputation. If you are good and nobody knows you exist you are leaving money on the table. Being the best kept secret in your industry will leave you short of your potential. You must create buzz that will cause others to become active referral sources to help bring opportunities.

At the same time you must remain humble and continue to be genuine. Nobody wants to recommend a pompous ass.

Develop a "long-run strategy" where you are consistent in your efforts to do great work and still find time to get engaged in your business community so that you can establish that brand that excites other people into wanting to become part of your support team.

The best way to get a support team? Be a support team. Everyday find a way to help promote other people. Be a contributor and an active part of your community. If you want to have career success and gain higher levels of attention in your industry, do not do it behind closed doors.

Consistent work product, community involvement and collaboration is the only path to the top.

Serve. Contribute. Love. Accept. Be real.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Character Counts

Strive to have diversity in your network. Make sure that you are exposed to ethnic, age, political, regional, religious, orientation, career level, gender, nationality, and opinion diversity. Surrounding yourself with people too much like you is one dimensional. Go deeper.

Cherish the differences and learn from each other.

But do not tolerate diversity when it comes to character. Keep the people with good character in your life and reject those who do not have cherish doing the right things. Those who will lie, cheat, steal and speak ill of others will always harm you in the end.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Learn From Mistakes and Try To Do Better Next Time

I recently was reconnected with someone I attended college with via Facebook. He had a great quote on his profile that has stuck in my head for the past few days:

"Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement."

It made me smile because I find it to be so simple -- yet so true.

I look back on who I was in my teens and twenties, and I laugh at myself. I made a lot of mistakes. Some silly, some dumb, and other mistakes were just plain foolish. I often wish that life came with a re-set button! But it does not. These mistakes were really lessons for the future.

Without some bad judgement in youth, many would fail to recognize good judgement later in life. My mistakes allow me to be on the path I am on today. If I had not stumbled or fell on my face.... I would not be the person I am today. I admit to and recognize my mistakes, rather than trying to bury them under the rug.

I feel bad about the times when I did not treat others properly. Dealing with others is a hard lesson. I know now that showing respect to others, even when you disagree, is a good thing. Gossip, bad-mouthing, judging, excluding and hurting others feelings are never the right actions. But with the immaturity of youth I often was prey to such things. Even now it is sometimes hard not to prejudge others, even though I know better.

One never knows who is the catalyst that will help you reach the next level in your journey. Therefore you must be open minded and willing to cultivate friendships with all types of people whom you meet. Treat them well and learn from their unique experiences and points of view.

If you have not always made relationships with others a priority, take the next two months and experiment with how to reach out to others. The holiday season gives you ample opportunity to put others first, and to praise them for what makes them special. I think you will be surprised at how people will respond toward you when you help others (even when it is not them, they still like to see you help someone other than yourself).

Develop an attitude of wanting to see others succeed, and they will want to see you succeed. Learn from any mistakes you have made in the past, and build from the experience. Admit your mistakes, and strive to do better next time.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Does Your Competition Scare You That Much?

A friend of mine was invited to a business event, along with several of his co-workers, that featured an interesting topic and speaker. He is active in the business community and regularly networks in and around his industry. The event was one he had never been to before, and he was excited about attending.

He noticed that one of the sponsors of the lunch was a competitor, but this was an event that cost $30 to attend, so he did not see it as an issue...as they were not paying for his meal (It is common for companies to sponsor all types of business events, and that sponsorship traditionally does not create exclusivity when attendees pay their own way. It is different when the sponsors are covering the costs and attendance is free).

Additionally the CEO of his company had received the same invitation, as well as another co-worker...thus he assumed it was an open corporate event.

While the invite said "Invitation Only", he was invited, as the invite came to his email box with a cheery message of "You're Invited" in a large bold font.

The day before the luncheon he received a phone call from the marketing manager of one of the other sponsors. She left him a voicemail informing him that she had seen his name on the RSVP list, but that the event was "by invitation only". She was very nice, but clearly told him that he could not just sign up without being invited.

Well.... he was invited. He still had the original email, and it had come from the same company that was calling to "uninvite" him. He was confused.

Turns out that the three sponsoring companies had not scrubbed their lists properly to delete all the other sponsor's competitors. Several folks at my friends company had gotten legitimate invitations.... but their competitor was adamant that they must be "uninvited". In fact, he was told that they "specifically do not want you there!". OUCH. Fortunately he was the only one at his office who had been available to attend that day, or they would have had to have called the CEO to make the same un-invitation.

How awkward for everyone involved. Nobody looks good in this story, except my friend, who is very good natured and laughed about the whole thing. He felt sorry for the young woman who called him, as her company had invited him and now had to tell him "no go". She was very nice, and he understood that the problem rested with his insecure competitor.

I had a similar situation happen at the company where I work back in August. Several of our competitors were invited to a private reception by one of the co-sponsors of a private event. The reality is that we would not have intentionally invited them to attend our private party (duh, why would we do that!), but once they had been included in the email blast, we would NEVER have called them to say there were not welcome (or worse, made our co-sponsor make such a call). Our response was to say "Oh well - let them attend, as they were invited" (and next time we will tighten up the screening of the invite lists!). And this was not an event where the attendees paid their own way, we were covering the costs of all food and drinks!

The reality is that every company would enjoy having private time with prospects and referral sources far away from our competition. However, the business world is not always perfect, and when things like this slip through the cracks, you have to go with the flow and be welcoming rather than rude. One person at a lunch with seventy people would probably barely be noticed anyway. One should never pretend to yourself that your competition is not out there.... They are... and they are already friendly with your clients, prospects and referral sources. You have to have faith in your own abilities or you are in the wrong business to begin with.

I learned this lesson from a senior partner in a large law firm in 2001. I worked as the Director of Marketing and Business Development for his largest competitor, but we were friends. While in Dallas attending an industry conference he had pre-planned a large private dinner for several of his clients and other VIP's. At the end of the conference sponsored cocktail hour, most the crowd I was talking with were headed off to the dinner, when the partner invited me to come along. I laughed (thinking he was kidding)...but his response was that his offer was legit.

He said "look, you are friends with almost everyone who will be at dinner. I am never scared of my competition being around, because they know you already. If having you at dinner is a threat to my business, then I am not good enough at what I do for a living". WOW. I have never forgotten that night. I had a great time, and gained a new level of respect for this lawyer, who has continued to find success in his career.

While I am not recommending inviting your competitors to all your private corporate events, uninviting them with such aggressiveness when a co-sponsor has already invited them speaks volumes.

Are you that scared of your competitors? Yikes. Maybe then you should be.

Being rude is never cool.

Have A Great Day.

thom

Winners Never Quit, Quitters Never Win

I have written before about how proud I am of my 11-year-old daughter, Jackie, for her four year dedication to martial arts training.

When she was seven, one of her friends wanted to attend a free class to learn about Karate, and Jackie decided it might be fun to check it out. Her friend did not sign up, but Jackie enjoyed the whole concept of martial arts and selected the training as her main extracurricular activity.

It has not always been easy, and at times she has been overwhelmed and exhausted by the physical training. The sparring and grappling with bigger kids was never her favorite part, but she just kept trying her best. She has mastered the weapons and open-hand forms, and exemplifies the heart of discipline as she has continued to reach for her goal.

Since the beginning she has set her focus on achieving the rank of black belt.

Last night was the graduation ceremony at the dojo, which followed last week's five hour exam (she had her "black belt recommended four hour test a few months ago). Jackie, and four others, attained the rank of "First Degree Black Belt".

At the ceremony she was required to break two boards, something that always gives her trepidation, but with a swift kick and another solid chop of her fist she split the wood and was awarded her belt.

The black belt was placed around her waist by Master Jaurez, who has been her teacher during the last four years. He has been tough and demands the best out of his students, but has also been a great role model and has a golden heart. He earns the respect of the students and the parents with his actions.

It has been more than just a "proud papa" moment in watching Jackie achieve this amazing accomplishment. This has been a lesson on dedication. Sure there were times that driving her to the school three to four days a week has been a hassle, but my wife and I have shared her commitment to the program. Many students have come and gone over the past four years, and only a small number have stuck with the training to reach this level. To quote part of their student creed: "Quitters never win, Winners never quit".

It was never fun to see my daughter having to fight older kids (boys), especially when she would get hurt. But learning to fight, box, grapple and defend herself is part of the program. Both Jackie and her parents learned that you are going to have to experience some difficulties and discomfort en route to success. She was not always the best fighter, but she always got on the mat and tried her best. Somewhere along the way she learned to get in there and mix it up very well.

Success brings confidence. No matter where she goes or what she does, Jackie knows that she earned a black belt. This is something not many people will ever do in their lifetime. I hope that when she grows up she will have this experience stored in the corner of her heart and that she can pull out that "Black Belt Attitude" to help her overcome any obstacle.

We all should remember our own achievements and use these memories to help us climb to the next level. You do not need to practice the martial arts to have a "Black Belt Attitude"... just live it.

Have A Great Day

thom

Do The Right Thing

While this embedded video clip from ESPN is six minutes long, it is one heck of a story about cool people doing the right thing. Invest a few moments to watch this if you have not already heard about this lesson in character.

This story about sportsmanship, competition, and compassion will bring a tear to your eye. Would your team mates, co-workers, bosses, children, friends or employees do the same thing as the girls on the Central Washington Women's Softball Team? Would you?

Having the character to step up and do the right thing at the right time is what we should all hope for in life.

In a world overrun with competition and "ME, ME, ME" attitudes, this short video will give you inspiration and make you smile all week long.

Have A Great Monday.

thom