SuccessCo

What Do Others Think About the Brand "YOU"?

When you think about a brand, you likely think about companies or products such as Levi’s, Cuisinart or Nordstrom’s. However, there is another brand out there this is infinitely more important than any other you may think of and that brand is “you”.

Like a company or product, the brand “you”, conjures up the same associations in others that the aforementioned brands do with their customers. Impressions like quality, dependable and trustworthy just to name a few positive ones.

The same effort and care should be taken in developing the brand “you”, as the fortune 500’s do in developing their brands.

Review your brand attributes
Brand attributes are functional or emotional associations that are assigned to you by your customers, clients, prospects and co-workers. Brand attributes can be either negative or positive and can have varying degrees of relevance and importance to different customer segments.

Here are some brand attributes to keep in mind. . .

You are:
Leader – Innovator – Healthy – Natural – Speedy – Personal – Hassle free – Unconditional – Original – Caring – Curious – Enthusiastic – Generous – Intelligent – Wise – Optimistic – Quirky - Fast – Personal – Customized – Personalized – Original – One of a kind – Unconventional – Early – Dependable, etc.

List the top five personal attributes that make you stand out from your competitors.

Now, if you hold your course straight and true, the brand “you” will be that which sets you apart from everyone else and the first things that people think of when you enter the room or enter their minds.

-Jim
© 2008 SuccessCo.com

Please share this post with others

Need a little Yin with your Yang? Click here

Can You Do It? Learn from one of the World Greatest Entrepreneurs Richard Branson

British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson talks about his journey from dyslexic high school dropout to one of the world's richest men.

The Secret to getting out of a Sales Slump

I am a firm believer that a ‘sales slump’ is nothing more than a state of mind that begins by consciously or unconsciously thinking about it. This is why professional athletes don’t talk about it or quickly change the subject when the question is raised.

If you understand the law of attraction, you know firsthand that you will be drawn to what it is you think about and focus on. Therefore, by dwelling on ‘why you are not selling’ up to par, you are destined to make that your reality.

My recommendation for getting out of a sales slump – the second the though of being in one enters your mind, force it from your thoughts as quickly as possible. Absorb yourself with positive reinforcements such as a good business book, audio or truly professional people. (Run like hell from other sales people that will enable doubts and uncertainty – you don’t need empathy, you need to change the subject)

Rather than spend a lot of time writing about ‘sales slumps' on this blog, I will defer those that absolutely must read more to SalesSlump.com

-Jim

© 2008 SuccessCo.com

Please share this post with others

April Fool's Day Office Gags and Jokes

As we approach April Fool's Day, check out some of the practical jokes and office gags at Clean Business Jokes

Success Book ~ The E Myth Revisited

Excerpt from The E Myth Revisited written by Michael E. Gerber

Adolescent Survival
The most tragic possibility of all for an adolescent business is that it actually survives.
You’re incredibly strong willed, stubborn, single-minded individual who’s determined not to be beaten.
You go into your business every morning with a vengeance, absolutely convinced that it’s a jungle out there and fully committed to doing whatever’s necessary to survive.
And you do survive. Kicking and scratching, beating up your people and your customers, ranting and raving at your family and friends – because, after all, you’ve got to keep the business going. And you know there’s only one way to do it; you’ve got to be there – all the time.

In adolescent survival you’re consumed by the business and the possibilities of losing it.
And so you put everything you have into it.
And, for whatever reason, you manage to keep it going. Day after day, fighting the same battles, in exactly the same way as you did the day before.
Night after night, you go home to unwind, only to wind up even tighter in anticipation of tomorrow. Finally, your business doesn’t explode, you do!

You’re like a twelve cylinder engine working on one cylinder, pumping away, trying with everything you’ve got to produce twelve cylinders worth of results.

But finally and inevitably there’s nothing left.
There’s simply nothing more you can do except face the fact that one cylinder can’t produce the results of twelve, no matter how hard it tries.

Something has to give, and that something is you.
Does this sound familiar?

Well, if you’ve been in business for a while, it should.
And if you haven’t been in business for long, it probably will sound familiar one day.
Because the tragedy is that the condition of infancy and adolescence dominates American small business.
It is the condition in most of the small businesses we at GERBER have visited over the past seventeen years, a condition of rampant confusion and wasted spirits.
It doesn’t need to happen. There is a better way.

Get the book

The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It

Get the CD

The E-Myth Revisited CD : Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to do about it

Success Quotes ~ Vince Lombardi

I believe some of the greatest business quotes come from non-business leaders. One such person is Vince Lombardi, former football great and coach of the Green Bay Packers from 1959 to1967

His legacy of excellence continues today with the Vince Lombardi Trophy awarded each year to the winning team of the National Football League's annual championship game, the Super Bowl.

Here are some of his business applicable quotes. . .

- We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time.

- The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.

- The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.

- The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.

- Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.

- Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.

- Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.

- Life's battles don't always go to the stronger or faster man. But sooner or later the man who wins, is the man who thinks he can.

- If you aren't fired with enthusiasm, you will be fired with enthusiasm.

- If it doesn't matter who wins or loses, then why do they keep score?

- Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.

Have a successful day,
-Jim

Please share this post with others

How to Turbo-Charge Your Interview Questions to Find the Right Employee

Hiring these days is like walking on rice paper. What can you ask, what can’t you ask? How in the world can you find out if a person is the type of individual you’re looking for?

Although I’m not going to get into the legalities of the hiring process, specifically what interview questions can and can’t be asked,  I am listing some great interview questions that are outside the traditional box, that will assist you in finding out who the ‘real person’ sitting across the desk from you is.

Some Great Outside the Box Interview Questions

- Tell me 10 ways to use a pencil other than writing.
- If selected for this position, can you describe your strategy for the first 90 days?
- With your eyes closed, tell me step-by-step how to tie my shoes.
- If you could choose one superhero power, what would it be and why?
- What assignment was too difficult for you, and how did you resolve the issue?
- Tell me the difference between good and exceptional.
- Why is there fuzz on a tennis ball?
- What do you look for in terms of culture -- structured or entrepreneurial?
- Give examples of ideas you've had or implemented. 
- How do you think I rate as an interviewer? Why?
- How would you go about establishing your credibility quickly with the team?
- Give me an example of a time that you felt you went above and beyond the call of duty at work.
- What is your personal mission statement?
- What do you see yourself doing within the first 30 days of this job?
- What two adjectives best describe you?
- If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something that you disagreed with, what would you do?
- How many times do a clock's hands overlap in a day?
- What techniques and tools do you use to keep yourself organized?
- If you could get rid of any one of the US states, which one would you get rid of, and why?
- If you had to choose one, would you consider yourself a big-picture person or a detail-oriented person?

Disclaimer – This post is for your personal entertainment and not legal or HR advice. I am not responsible for your hiring or business screw ups. Please consult with your attorney for specific hiring advice. Sorry – my attorney said I had to include this!

-Jim

© 2008 SuccessCo.com

Please share this post with others

Success Tool - Backpack

What is Backpack?
Backpack is a simple web-based service that allows you to make pages with to-do lists, notes, files, and images. Backpack also features a Calendar and Reminders that can be sent via email or to your cell phone at predefined times.

Disclaimer - We actually use backpack and love it.

Another great thing about this service, is that you can try it for free before signing up.

Backpack.com

Business Humor ~ The Suggestion Box

Joe and Frank were in the office, and noticed that someone had put up a suggestion box with some 3x5 cards next to it. Both decided that this was a great idea, and each took a card to fill out.

Joe wrote, "The office workers should all be given raises!"

When he looked at Frank's card, it said "Can we all have raises, and keys to the executive washroom, and personal secretaries, and new company cars, and new coffee cups, and longer lunch breaks, and an extra three weeks vacation each year, and a holiday on St. Patrick's Day, and Columbus Day and Martin Luther King's Birthday?"

Joe said, "Frank, that isn't the right way of getting things changed around here. . . . You shouldn't put all of your begs in one ask-it."

Success Quote

"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)