As a sales professional or a business leader or owner responsible for projecting your organization’s products and services, it is important for you to also build and project your personal brand. Customers buy products through people and are interested in making a strong connection between the people who sell and represent the organization and the efficacy of the products and services they offer. In essence, the better your personal brand and image, the better your ability to project and sell your organization’s products and services. Building your personal brand requires you to invest in the following:
Strong Personal and Business Networks: You must stay active in a variety of social, professional and business networks and be seen as a credible member of such groups. Your participation in such groups should not be focused on what you can get from them but more importantly on what you can offer them in line with the groups’ goals and objectives. It may be Alumni Groups, Faith-Based Groups, Community Groups, Charity Organizations, etc.
Strong Media Presence: Thankfully with the rise of social media and the proliferation of digital devices and platforms, almost anyone can be very active in the media. You can promote your organization’s work and activities through your social media pages, and also promote your own contributions to the organization through these platforms. This way by the time you show up with a sales pitch, people are already used to associating you with that particular brand.
Thought Leadership: Another very powerful way of building your personal brand is by positioning yourself as a thought leader in a specific area of your work or business. You can achieve this by writing a column in a well-read newspaper, publishing in a professional journal or magazine, speaking at conferences and seminars on topics related to your work, or participating actively in community development projects.
Sales and Leadership Capabilities: An investment in improving your Sales and Leadership Capabilities by attending courses and conferences, reading new books, networking within Communities of Practice, providing mentorship to younger professionals or taking on bold and audacious projects relating to your work will also help in building your personal brand.
