But sometimes it goes too far…

I recently received an email from Denis Kaye, chairman of the Yorkshire Leadership Group. He was forwarding me an out of office reply he’d received from his bank manager:

I will be out of the office starting  30/12/2011 and will not return until 25/01/2012.  I don’t intend going through my emails on my return, so if your note is important and requires my specific attention, please resend on my return.

As Denis said, “It says something about his personal brand that he is not prepared to go through e-mails received whilst he’s away and expects me to make a note of his return date and resend my e-mail to him!”

And he’s right – if you’re a bank manager with customers, it’s part of your job to service them, not the other way around.  So what seemed like a good idea to avoid costing this man time could actually cost him a customer.

But there are times when it’s a good idea to manage people’s expectations of your personal brand.

I worked with a CEO (let’s call him John Smith) who never – and I mean NEVER – responded to my voicemails.  What I couldn’t understand was that his message clearly said, “Hi, this is John Smith, I can’t take your call but leave a message and I’ll get back to you.”

As part of my work with clients, I carry out an audit of all the ways their brand gets communicated – whether that’s verbally, physically or written.  So when we got to voicemail I asked him what the deal was.  “Oh, I never listen to my voicemails,” was his reply.

Which is fair enough – he’s a busy CEO - but it was damaging his brand (his name came up in conversation with someone else and, unprompted, they’d moaned about the problem).  Because for people to buy into your brand they have to trust what they’re buying into, and non-delivery on expectations is a complete deal breaker.

So we changed his voicemail and now you’ll hear, “Hi this is John Smith.  I don’t listen to my voicemails so if you want to get in touch with me please either text or email.  Thanks.”  It’s not the conventional message but it certainly sends out the right signals about his brand.

Problem solved!

Have you come across someone who’s brand fell short of expectations? Let me know by leaving a comment.  And don’t forget to share this with others using the buttons below – especially if they’re the person who the example is about!

#6 Practice what you preach
This commandment ties in directly with #1: Be true.  But whereas that focused on creating a brand that was authentic, this is about making sure you follow it up in everything you say and do, talking the talk and walking the walk (or as Betty Boo would say, ‘doing the do’.)

#7 Understand what your brand is
It’s easy to spend so much time considering how you see your personal brand that you forget to find out how others see it – something which can have a huge impact.  So do some ‘market research’ to find out what what your colleagues and peers are thinking (no, don’t stand in the street with a clipboard!) by asking subtle – or blatant - questions.  You could be very pleasantly surprised by their answers.

#8 Be simple
When I work with clients and we hone down the list of things that make them who they are to define their brand, they’re always tempted to add things back in.  It’s a natural response ie you want to make sure you offer as much as possible to appeal to as many people as possible.  But as ‘The Jam Experiment’ shows, too much choice overwhelms people and instead of buying into your brand they’ll walk away.  So as I tell my clients, “Let’s keep focused on the good shit!”

#9 Be unique
In business today, finding a true USP for what you have to offer is like finding me running a marathon – it may happen one day but I wouldn’t hold your breath waiting. So instead find the USP for who you have to offer, because the only thing you can be assured is different is you, so make the most of it.

#10 One for all
When companies do their branding, they often create separate brands for different audiences, like supermarkets differentiating their ‘value’ and ‘luxury’ ranges.  That’s not possible for your personal brand (what would happen if you met your ‘value’ and ‘luxury’ audiences at the same time?)  So my take on this is to keep reviewing your personal brand to make sure it’s relevant to as many of your key audiences as possible.  You won’t please all the people, but you’ll get buy in from as many as you can.

So here endeth the sermon and I hope you found these tenets food for thought as you work on your personal brand.  But if you know of someone else who has yet to ‘find the faith’ feel free to share this blog with them using the buttons below. Thanks!

Instead my blog is reflecting on an article I read recently by designer Mark Edwards of The Engine Room called The 10 Commandments of Brand.  Because even though Mark’s list focused on making the most of your company’s brand, the same rules apply for your personal brand too.

So with 2012 still in its infancy and those good intentions to make this the year you work on your personal brand still fresh in your mind, you can use this as a checklist to keep things on track.

Using Mark’s headings as a guide, here’s my take on what’s important.  I’ve listed the first five commandments to get you going and the rest will follow in my next blog (it keeps your brain from overloading and saves me having to come up with a new blog idea so soon!)

#1 Be true
The bottom line is if you can’t believe in the personal brand you’re peddling, you can’t expect anyone else to either. Being authentic is one of the three golden rules for your brand and that means being yourself – warts and all.  (So long as there’s not too many ‘warts’, in which case you’ll be needing my help!)

#2 Be clear
Covering the remaining two golden rules, clarity and consistency will help people to understand what you have to offer. That means keeping focused and not being afraid to repeat your brand messages; Nike says “Just Do It” every time.  It doesn’t blur the message by also saying, “Get on with it,” “What are you waiting for?” or “Pull your finger out.”

#3 Say something
As Mark put in his article, ‘from The Bible to Harry Potter, all of humankind is absorbed by stories’.  Think about it…when you recently met someone for the first time, what was the thing you remembered about them? Their job title and company name, or that amusing anecdote they told you about that time they saw Lorraine Kelly with her bra off*?  It’s about making sure you say something but also making sure it sticks in people’s minds.

#4 Take aim
This commandment is about having a clear idea of who you want to buy into your brand and how you come into contact with them. Don’t waste time doing tweets or Facebook updates if that’s not where your key audiences lie; focus your efforts where they will see/hear what you have to offer.  (Just because we’re told online media is THE tool to use, doesn’t make it true for everyone.)

#5 Don’t stop
They say in marketing it takes seven ‘touches’ before your advert makes an impact, and it’s the same for your personal brand.  For instance, setting up your LinkedIn profile and then doing nothing with it won’t deliver.  You need to keep it updated, add or delete stuff as your career changes, grow your network, contribute to discussions, post updates.  Do things that will keep you on people’s radars and they’ll start to notice you.

So now’s the point when the Eastender’s drumbeat kicks in and you realise you’ll have to wait for the next installment to discover what the other five commandments are.

In the meantime, let me know what you think of the five so far and please help me to spread the word by using the buttons below. Thanks!

*This is a genuine anecdote I heard from a client, and yes, we did find a way of incorporating it into her profile!

She wanted a quote for her article about a guy who makes a living taking professional photos for people’s LinkedIn profiles.  And because there are so many horrors to witness on profile after profile, his target market is huge and business is booming.

So I thought I’d revisit a blog I wrote back in May 2011 and bring you Part 2 of my ‘rogues gallery’ of LinkedIn pictures.  The examples here are stock-shots to protect the (not so) innocent, but I’m sure you’ll have at least one of these in your network of contacts – heck, it may even be you!

The Blur
This one looks like the person smeared Vaseline on the lens to give that ‘soft focus’ look loved by Hollywood starlets in the 1940s. In reality it’s just a dodgy camera or a shaky hand, neither of which gives the impression you care about your personal brand.

x

The Movie Star
This one’s for the people who are so ‘famous’ they have to wear their sunglasses all the time – even in their LinkedIn picture.  But to paraphrase General William Prescott at the Battle of Bunker Hill, “Don’t do a photo shoot unless we can see the whites of your eyes.” Your eyes convey so much of who you are and by covering them up you’re missing half your personal brand message.

x

The Groom
Last time I did a ‘rogues gallery’ of LinkedIn pics, first on the list was The Bride (which I still regularly spot…c’mon ladies, you’re letting the side down) but I’ve noticed quite a few grooms sneaking in too.  So I’ll give the same advice: unless you’re turning up to a business meeting wearing a cravat and a carnation in your buttonhole why would you look that way on the world’s #1 business networking site?

x

The Group Shot
This one usually appears when someone’s been at an event and professional photographer has been there snapping away.  So they think, “Hey, it’s a professional photo, right?” and use it.  But they forget to crop the image so we’re left to guess which one of the group the person in question actually is.  Duh!  (Oh, and having a glass of alcohol in your hand may or may not be giving the message you want either.)

x

The Fan
Now you may think I’m kidding with this last one, but browsing LinkedIn one day I did indeed come across someone who had uploaded a photo of themself dressed as Elvis (pay me enough and I might just reveal who it is!)  Whilst this does indeed give some clues as to their personal brand – their taste in music, a certain sense of fun - which is good, it’s best saved for Facebook or Twitter where ‘business gravitas’ isn’t the order of the day.

Want to add any other categories to the rogues gallery using the comment box below? What’s the worst LinkedIn photo you’ve seen (remember to protect the person’s anonymity please!) And please share or tweet this using the buttons below – the more people who know about using LinkedIn to their advantage, the better!

How can you say “No” (because let’s be honest, we’re British and the direct approach isn’t exactly in our DNA)?

It’s something I often struggle with (although my ex-boss might disagree) but one day I came across a little gem of a blog by Celestine Chua on Zen Habits that offered exactly the practical advice I needed.  So to help you keep your personal brand on the straight and narrow, here’s her seven different ways to say No/Nein/Niet/Non/Bugger Off:

1. “I can’t commit to this as I have other priorities at the moment.”
This lets the person know your plate is full so they should hold off on this as well as future requests. You may also share what you’re working on so the person can understand better.

2. “Now’s not a good time as I’m in the middle of something. How about we reconnect at X time?”
This method is a great way to (temporarily) hold off the request, though by suggesting another time the person doesn’t feel completely blown off.

3. “I’d love to do this, but …”
It’s a gentle way of breaking no to the other party. It’s encouraging as it lets the person know you like the idea (of course, only say this if you do like it).

4. “Let me think about it first and I’ll get back to you.”
This is more like a “Maybe” than a straight out “No” – though if you’re not interested don’t lead them on.  If the person is sincere about the request, they will be more than happy to wait.

5. “This doesn’t meet my needs now but I’ll be sure to keep you in mind.”
This helps the person knows there’s nothing wrong with what they’re offering, but at the same time, by saying you’ll keep them in mind, it signals you are open to future opportunities.

6. “I’m not the best person to help on this. Why don’t you try X?”
If you are being asked for help in something which you (i) can’t contribute much to (ii) don’t have resources to help, let them know they’re looking at the wrong person. If possible, refer them to a lead they can follow-up on so they don’t end up in a dead end.

7. “No, I can’t.”
The simplest and most direct way to say no. We build up too many barriers in our mind to saying no. Don’t think so much about saying no and just say it outright. You’ll be surprised when the reception isn’t half as bad as what you imagined it to be.

My advice: if all else fails, you can always feign illness and do a runner instead!

If you want to read more tips about how to use language keep your personal brand positive, click here.  And if you’ve found this useful don’t forget to spread the love by using the buttons below to share with your friends, colleagues and anyone else you know.

So why the heck would I use it? 

It’s because whatever form of communication you’re using, it’s a good idea to sound just as you would if the person were standing smack bang in front of you.  Think about it: people build rapport more quickly when they have the whole caboodle of personal brand clues to go on - not just the words being said but the body language and tone of voice too.

But when you email you have zero body language and the tone of voice is open to interpretation (irony being one of the hardest things to pull off).  So you have to make extra effort with the words to try and redress the balance – and the best way to do that is to write as you’d talk.  (Although you don’t have to include the “ums” and “ers” obviously!)

So though I don’t like the word “Cheers”, I hear myself using it time and again as a verbal sign off (what can I say - I spent a lot of my childhood in Kent) so it makes sense to me to replicate that in emails.

Which isn’t to say I do it in every email.

I temper my email salutations and sign offs to match the relationship I have with the person, also taking into consideration their age, status, own communication styles, etc.  If it’s the first time I’ve been in touch, I might begin with “Good morning” or “Hello” (just as I would if we were introduced in person) and sign off with “Hope to see you soon” or “All the best”.

If we’ve been having an ongoing conversation for a while, my opening salvo might be “Hi there” and my sign off “Thanks” or “Best wishes”.

But I’d also think nothing of typing “Howdy” or “Bonjourno” to start and “Laters taters” or “TTFN” to end if it was a business contact I’d become particularly friendly with and we’d had plenty of banter along the way.  And it seems it’s not just me who thinks this way. A quick trawl of my inbox sees a plethora of emails using “Morning”, “Ay up”, “Speak soon”, “See ya” - and even one that ended with “Have a happy weekend with the chickens”, which made the email all the more personal.

Which is why it should be a no-brainer that when people buy people, ’personal’ is the quickest way to get them buying in to you - so I’ll be sticking with “Cheers” for a wee bit longer!

PS A great tip for building rapport when replying to an email is to take your lead from the initial salutations and sign offs.  Mirroring someone’s language ie if they use “Good morning” you use “Good morning” subliminally shows you’ve paid attention to what they’ve put and makes them feel ‘listened to’.

If you’d like to read more blogs about how to use language to boost your personal brand, click here.

Which is why my blog today is about how one person’s perception of your personal brand can differ from another’s.  And it all boils down to people’s own brands, because all the things that make them who they are shape their view of the world, and that’s the ‘reference system’ they use to judge your personal brand clues.  Here’s some examples to explain:

What do you think when you see a messy desk? Some see it as a sign of creativity, that the person is too busy or too important to bother with the small stuff - like filing. Others (and as an occasional ‘neat-freak’ myself I’d include me in this) see it as a sign of disorder, that the person isn’t on top of things and can’t work effectively.

One can be seen as a positive reading of the clue to someone’s personal brand, the other could be seen as negative.

And what do you think when someone’s email asks for a ’read receipt’? Personally, it makes me feel like I’m being spied on and can’t be trusted (hmm, one for Mr Freud I think).  Others, particuarly those who use read receipts themselves, might see it as being organised, making sure information is read by those who need to read it.

Again, two opposing views but both legitimate.

Or as we enter the Christmas season and some start to adorn themselves with yuletide accessories (think tinsel earrings, Santa ties and badges of Rudolph with a flashing nose) what clues do they give? Do you read them as, “This person’s obviously a lot of fun and enjoys themselves,” or as, “That’s totally unprofessional and they should spend more time on their work and less on mucking around.” (Or what I think, which is, “Please don’t let me get stuck in a lift with them!”)

Every clue people get to your personal brand can be taken different ways.

But the moral of all this is: so long as you’re sure that the clues you’re giving authentically represent your brand as you see it, that’s all there is to it.  You’ll know yourself if something is out of kilter.

When I met Colin Smith for the first time we settled down to chat and he pulled out a Moleskine notebook and a Mont Blanc pen – two things that appeal to my own personal brand, so he gained instant brownie points.  But as we ended our conversation he handed over a thin, under-sized, poorly printed business card which was entirely at odds with the two other clues I’d got about his brand.  Now, because we’d hit it off so well (a glass of Rioja will do that) I mentioned it to him and Colin replied, “You know, when they arrived I opened the package and felt disappointed. I knew they didn’t hit the mark and you’ve helped me realise why.”  Needless to say, he’s trashed them and ordered a new lot!

When all’s said and done, people with similar brands to you will view your clues in the same way and buy into your brand.  And people who view them differently might not buy into your brand at all (and even Huey’s power of love can’t change that!)  But if you’re so different anyway, that may not be a bad thing.

To read my other blogs about perceptions of your brand, click here.

But knowing the theory and putting it into practice are two different things. 

My clients, whether I work with them one-to-one or in seminars, fall into two categories: those that work for corporates and those that work for themselves.  Having spent time with both, I appreciate that, though the process for defining your brand remains the same ie pinning down your authentic USP, how you promote your brand has to differ.  Because in corporate life there are a set of unspoken rules that dictate ‘the done thing’ but constrain your ability to stand out from the crowd and still keep your job.  (Whereas for SMEs it’s easier to be more individual – in fact, it’s what’s likely to make your business thrive.)

So the trick is to find a way to promote your brand that stays within the rules but still stands out.  Which can be done…

When I was a exec, with the company car and the bonus scheme, I was more conservative than I am now but still managed to get my individuality (my biggest brand motivator) across.  Sometimes that was with my attire (I’d put on the standard black suit but wear a tie with my shirt or a quirky brooch on my lapel) and sometimes it was with my behaviour (speaking out on meetings when no-one else would or being less formal in emails).  I found a balance that was acceptable – and even helped me rise through the ranks – but still remained true to my personal brand.  (Although now I’m my own boss the peacock in me has really come out!)

And I once helped a guy who was an engineer whose brand had to straddle two worlds: in the office with the managers and execs and out on the roads with the guys who did the labour.  His natural brand was more in the latter camp, so when he had a management meeting he’d arrive in jeans and jumper with workboots on.  Then one day he went to the meeting straight from a funeral in his best suit and tie and was struck by just how much more people listened to him and asked his views.  But then he had a quandary: the suit got him respect, but it wasn’t who he was.  So we found a middle ground where he could be authentic – a slightly more casual suit, with a crisp shirt but no tie.  It did the trick.

So even if you’re bound by the corporate ‘rules’ don’t let your personal brand suffer.  But as usual, there’s a caveat to all this:

There comes a point for some people where trying to get that balance between staying within the rules and being themselves proves too hard and and that’s when the rot (plus the stress and even the depression) sets in.  I usually find in those situations that when I look at the employer’s company brand and compare it to my client’s personal brand, they are too far removed from each other to ever sit well together.  And on more than one occasion I’ve had to ask, “Are you even in the right job?”  (It may sound harsh but I’m not called The Antidote to Yes Men for nothing – sometimes the truth is what’s needed.)

So how do you balance your brand and stay within the rules? There’s a comment box below you use to let me know.

1) Your own head
2) Everyone else’s heads

Controlling how you’re perceived in the first one is relatively easy, so long as you can have a rational conversation with the little voice in the back of your head that likes to cast doubt on your confidence.  (Oh yes…we all have one.)

Controlling how others perceive you is a lot harder, because the mental baggage we all carry with us has a huge influence on how we see things/hear things/feel about things.

Just think what happens when you hear someone’s accent; research by communications company The Aziz Corporation found that business people with a Home Counties accent are considered to be generally successful by 77% of those in business, whereas 64% regard those with a Liverpudlian tone as being generally unsuccessful, closely followed by those with a Birmingham or West Midlands accent (63%).

So if you happen to have a Scouse or Brummie accent (or any other personal brand trait that’s likely to illicit a negative perception) you need to take action.  Because as the TV mind-muddler Derren Brown has shown, putting thoughts into others’ heads to help steer their views is entirely possible.

You just need to learn to push the positive. 

Let me explain…I worked with a director who has a broad Yorkshire accent (think Jane McDonald of Loose Women fame). She told me that she was concerned about how she came across when she spoke to people because they’d hear her voice and automatically think she was thick – especially on the phone when they couldn’t see her. So we discussed how she could put something positive across to counteract that. One tactic she uses is to ask people about their own accent (if they have a strong one) and then say, “I often wonder if people think I’m thick because of my accent, but I’m definitely not,” all with a twinkle in her eye and a grin on her face. Not only does it show she’s aware of how she sounds and the false perception that gives, she shows she has a sense of humour too.

We found the positive side of her personal brand baggage and used it.

And it doesn’t have to be vocal.  I was recently speaking to a financial adviser about his brand and how the fact he was younger and less experienced than his peers was proving a hindrance, especially as his clients were of the older generation.  So we considered some plus sides, including that he was recently qualified so his knowledge of financial rules was up-to-date and that he used social media to tap into the latest industry news.  Those are the things he tells people after he’s said, “I’m a lot younger than the average IFA but the benefit of that is…”

So if there’s baggage that comes with your personal brand, think about the positives that come with it and how you can put those thoughts into other people’s heads*
- and you don’t have to be Derren Brown to do it!

*A note of caution: Just because you assume an aspect of your brand is being perceived negatively, it may not be (that’ll be your own mental baggage coming into play). So only take action if you’re sure the majority of people think what you expect.  Because if they don’t, you may just be drawing attention to something needlessly!

I get a lot of great feedback on my blogs and I enjoy writing them, so it would be great if you could use the buttons below to share this with some clever people you know who would understand how important personal brand is. Cheers!

Because every time the business man spoke, he did so in a language that was foreign to all but the most learned minds; conversations littered with ‘paradigm shifts’, ‘yield curves’ and ‘strategic ratios’ were all he spoke – nothing that gave a clue to him as a person.  And while people tried hard to understand what he was saying, his words ended up falling on deaf ears.  Because for all his skills, he lacked one of the most important…the ability to tell a story, and more importantly, to tell his story.

Because when it comes to getting buy-in for your personal brand, story-telling is a great way to make yourself memorable.

I recently read Make It Stick by Chip & Dan Heath after a recommendation from a contact of mine (a recommendation I pass on to you) – a book looking at why some ideas take hold and why others come unstuck.  It suggested six tenets to follow if you want to get your messages to hang around in people’s minds, one of which was to tell a story.

Because when we hear a story, our minds metaphorically move from room to room, creating a simulation of what we’re being told that helps us understand and (hopefully) motivates us to act. (Ask yourself how easy it was to get the gist of what I was saying in the opening paragraphs of this blog – that’s because I told a story.)

So it makes sense that stories should be at the heart of your personal brand messages.

This was entirely in evidence when I attended last week’s Women’s Business Forum to hear debate and discussion on getting more women to the top jobs in business.  The speakers who told stories to get their messages across were the ones who stuck in my mind and, judging by the audience’s reaction, the ones who got buy-in most quickly to their personal brands.

So when Carla Stent, COO for Virgin Management said getting to the top could take its toll on your relationships, she also told us how she’d almost lost her marriage because of the incessant travelling her job entails, and how she and her husband had come to a deal to save it.

Or when Kirsty Bashforth spoke of being a mother whilst also being the Head of Organisational Effectiveness at BP, she brought the point home by telling how her son had asked what she did at work and she’d explained she was like the headmistress of his school who set the rules.

They held our attention with stories, not statistics, so their messages stuck in our brains.  But not all the speakers’ stories were simply to illustrate a point.  Some had the effect of helping the audience to - in only a few sentences – understand everything about the presenter’s personal brand.

Nancy Staisey, MD of Life Sciences at IBM told a tale of leaving an interview and ending up stuck in a pitch black room, feeling her way along the wall looking for the door.  In itself, there was no real moral to the story…but it certainly had people laughing.  And that ability (and wish) to amuse us spoke volumes about her personal brand.

So when you’re communicating with people, think about how you can use stories to help your messages be understood and – more importantly – to stick in people’s minds.

Do you someone know whose ability to tell a story helped you to buy into their personal brand? What are you doing to be like them?

If you’d like to read more about using language and messages to promote your personal brand, you can read some of my previous blogs here.