I have previously discussed how entrepreneurs should use a blog to build their personal brand and I have provided some examples of entrepreneur blog posts. Here are a few more examples of entrepreneur blog posts:

The Human Resources Blog:

- Offering retirement savings for a small business: This would be an article talking about how an entrepreneur implemented a 401k savings program for a small business. The stories could include advice on how to choose a 401k provider, what percentage of salary a small business should match and how to talk to employees about the program.

- Benefits programs for small businesses: This would talk about the different benefits programs (healthcare, insurance) available for small businesses. It would talk about the different providers, how to understand the industry lingo and how to make the essential benefit program for a small business.

- Hiring/firing in a startup: Talk about the differences in hiring/firing in a startup as opposed to a more established business.

The Financial Analyst/CFO Blog

– How to manage cash flow in a startup: This would talk about the different ways to forecast cash flow in a startup and talk about the importance of keeping a startup’s burn rate under control.

- How to create financial reports in a startup: This would talk about the different financial reports which are most essential to a CFO and CEO in a small business/startup. The articles would also talk about the differences between the reports in smaller and larger businesses.

- Which software to use for helping to analyze a startup’s finances: This would talk about the various financial software programs available for startups. This could tie into how it creates specific and essential financial reports mentioned previously.

The Office Manager Blog

– Finding office space for a startup: Talk about the different office space needs for a startup/small business and the specific ways an entrepreneur finds this “dream space”.

- Managing an office for a startup: This blog post would talk about the various challenges in managing the day to day operational/administrative programs for a small office/small business.

Author:

Ben Cathers is a young entrepreneur and author who successfully built three different internet startups before he was 19.  Ben is the author of Conversations with Teen Entrepreneurs and was named in 2005 by CNN as a member of “America’s Bright Future.”  Ben has been quoted/featured in the Wall Street Journal, FOX News, ABC News, CBS News, Yahoo! Internet Life, The London Sunday Times and in over 40 different publications.  Today, Ben is working on his 4th startup (stealth mode – in the social media space), does web strategy consulting for small to medium companies, runs social media and marketing for Lightspeed Financial, maintains a blog on social media and entrepreneurship at BenCathers.com and is on the advisory boards of  ZepFrog Corp and iGot2Know LLC.

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How to get the most out of that often-seen personal branding space: your email signature.

Create your well-branded email signature according to this formula. Required elements are bolded, the rest are recommended when relevant:

Name
Tagline
Title(s), Organization
Association Membership
Phone numbers (mobile/land/fax)
Website/Social media profiles
Image

Where:

Salutation – using your email signoff to only say goodbye is a wasted opportunity. Either use an expression that’s relevant to your personal brand or wish the person something positive. The best result is a combination of both that doesn’t sound too cheesy. In my email signature, I usually say “To your job search success.”

Name – your full name.

Tagline – your personal branding tagline.

Title(s) – your current job title, your position within the organization you most associate yourself with, or just the (credible) way you want to be known.

Organization – the organization you most associate yourself with, typically your employer, a professional association you’re prominent in, or your own company.

Association Membership – any brand-related association that you are at least a member of, worth mentioning especially to people who are likely to recognize it (in the past or later in the future).

Phone numbers (mobile/land/fax) – some people include both their landline and mobile/cellphone numbers, but that’s overkill- just put the one number you want to be reached at. If you have a compelling reason to include more than one number, put each on its own line with a label to indicate which it is such as “Tel: 555-1234″ and “Cell: 555-5678″. If most people who contact you are on Skype and you prefer it, use the Skype callto syntax so that calling you is just one click away.

Website/Social media profiles – use the one url (at least) that most builds your personal brand. This might be your blog, your organization, or association membership profile (see above), social media resume, or one of your social media profiles. At minimum, list your LinkedIn vanity url.

If you’re not sure which urls to use, list 2 or 3 but use a url shortener like 3.ly that lets you customize the shortened url (e.g. http://3.ly/jstwitter) while also counting the clicks so you can measure which url people clicked more. Check the click statistics after a month of usage and then decide which urls to leave in your signature. Like with LinkedIn, use your Facebook vanity url if you decide to include your Facebook profile in your email signature.

Important: include ‘http://’ in each url in your email signature so that the recipient’s email software will automatically make the url clickable.

Image – the brand-relevant image that best represents you, such as your personal logo, a picture of your latest book or other product, or even your avatar.

Author:

Jacob Share, a job search expert, is the creator of JobMob, one of the biggest blogs in the world about finding jobs. Follow him on Twitter for job search tips and humor.

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So, Tony Hayward is being replaced as CEO of BP by an American. It’s not surprising to see that the company is doing whatever they can to minimize damage and public outcry. I’ve come to find it interesting that when a company gets itself in to serious trouble, that the “CEO Swap” is viewed as an acceptable part of the solution It has become an expected worst-scenario step whenever a corporate scandal breaks out.

The acceptable solution

The “CEO Swap” has become increasingly popular over the last few decades. In a way I’ve began to think that this public relations tactic is on its way out now that the availability and consistency of information insures that real change is necessary to quell public opinion. I even admire companies that opt to keep their CEO’s in-office to prove that they don’t need to use this type of PR distraction to make changes.

Your brand

What if I could do that when I did something wrong… could I just quit something every time I mess up and expect to keep my brand marketable and respectable? No. Could my company replace employees every time they messed up and still expect good work from their employees and trust from their customers? No. When you make a mistake you fix it – sometimes you can end up in a better place because of it. This concept has some major applications to the longevity and value of your brand. You want to be seen as someone who can make things happen, fix problems, and take on tough challenges.

Author:

David Trahan is a Strategist at leading social marketing agency Mr Youth in New York, which was named one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Marketing Companies in the World by Fast Company Magazine. He currently serves on the board of the AD Club of New York Young Professionals and is an Alumni Mentor at Pace University. Connect with him on LinkedIn and Twitter or read his blog posts at GrownUpThinking.

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The world is indeed becoming a small place and we all know that social media is a major reason why. As Facebook celebrated 500 million users on July 22, 2010 we can see how the world is becoming a much more open place. Facebook users come from all over the world. People are able to connect with others who in other ways would’ve been impossible. These interactions fly over oceans without users ever having to pay for the plane ticket. There are no boundaries or mountains to climb. I’m not saying “All Hail Facebook” but when put in this context its capabilities are truly  amazing for personal branding.

Thank you from Facebook

As a way to say thank you, Facebook  has created Facebook Stories, where users share their stories from around the world on how Facebook has impacted their lives. The feature will allow you to share your own story or read thousands of others. Stories are categorized by theme and location.  It’s amazing to read what people have already shared. The stories range from love stories,  inspirational, and health. It’s truly amazing when you grasp just  how many people have connected on Facebook. These people come from every walk of life and are able to connect because of social networks. With the ability to connect with individuals all over the world and tell your story… it is becoming increasingly easier to build a genuine personal brand.

A system to storytell

The future of building a personal network and connecting with individuals is here and it’s social media. Whether you like it or not, it’s changing the way we interact with one another. Social networks are creating a system where you can tell a story, and boundaries are becoming completely irrelevant. The way we share with one another has changed and we are becoming better at adapting to different cultures and customs. Why? Simply because we are able to interact with people regardless of location.  Ignorance is no longer an excuse due to the the amount of users  increasing each week. When there are no boundaries there is no limit to who you connect with and learn from (and build from). Facebook is accomplishing the goal of making the world a much more open place… giving you the opportunity to increase your personal brand exponentially… by telling your story.

How have you broadened your horizons with the help of Facebook or any other social networks? Do you agree that social boundaries are becoming extinct? And how does that help in the world of personal branding?

Author:

Kyle Lacy writes a regular blog at KyleLacy.com and is founder and CEO of Brandswag, a social media strategy and training company. His blog has been featured on Wall Street Journal’s website and Read Write Web’s daily blog journal. Recently, Kyle was voted as one of the top 150 social media blogs in the world (on two websites), and produces regular keynote speeches across the Midwest. He also just finished writing Twitter Marketing for Dummies by Wiley Publishing.

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Today, I spoke to Jeffrey Hayzlett, who is the author of The Mirror Test, and the former Chief Marketing Officer at Kodak. In this interview, Jeffrey talks about his experience with Kodak, what it was like to be on The Apprentice with Donald Trump, what the “mirror test” is and how it can help your business, and more.

How did you get your original job with Kodak? How did using social media differentiate you from other CMO’s?

I got my job by having a long-term relationship with Kodak over the years. I was involved with Kodak off an on for about 15 years. More recently, I was involved with Scitex digital printing; a company that Kodak acquired about 5 years ago. From that acquisition and alignment, it led to them asking me if I would be interested in joining the company.

I thought it was a valuable tool for raising Kodak’s profile. I raised myself on a means to do that to expand Kodak’s reach, and be a leader in the Kodak community. Leading by example, it provided a way for all of our employees to be involved on a daily basis.

What was it like on The Apprentice? Was Donald a tough boss?

It was a great experience. I learned a great deal about television, how to promote your products, and use shows like the apprentice and other mediums to promote my own company’s brand.

In this case, he was working on our behalf, so I was the customer, which changes the dynamics of the interaction between him and the other guest, or the judge (like myself). But I would imagine that in his own company, he is a very tough boss.

What is The Mirror Test and how can it help you with your business?

There are three “mirror tests” that start the book that you must pass on “proof of life,” leadership, and the bottom and doing three things right: focusing on what you do, delivering the value people demand, and selling and leveraging what you have and do like crazy to grow your business. But it starts with that first most basic of mirror tests, which in life is so simple elementary school kids learn it: Hold a mirror near your mouth and nose. When you exhale, the mirror fogs. That mirror test is proof of life: You’re breathing; you’re alive. In business, the basic mirror test is equally simple. If you’re making money and growing – you’re breathing; you’re alive. If you’re not making money and growing, you’re dead. And if you’re not growing faster than your competitors (i.e., breathing comfortably), you’re dying. Unfortunately, too many businesses fall into this last category and, to borrow Billy Crystal’s line from The Princess Bride, are “mostly dead.” So, are you really alive? Looking good is no measurement of health. You’ll look great in your coffin too.

Can you give us some business tips on how people can succeed in tough times?

They say in good times advertise and in bad times advertise more – that couldn’t be more true today. You must get in front of customers who want to buy your products again and again and again. Hustle more than the guy down the street and be a winner, because winners always win. And never, ever forget what the conditions of satisfaction for your brand and yourself — understand what the value of what you are doing is to yourself and your customers!

How can people create an elevator pitch that works?

First of all, stop calling it an elevator pitch — you don’t have that much time anymore. I call it a 118. An elevator pitch used to mean three to five minutes. Now, an average elevator ride is about two minutes. And the chance to hook me? You have seconds before I tune you out and maybe two minutes after that to completely sell me with your initial pitch. So, I call it a 118: the 118 seconds you actually have to pitch — 8 compelling seconds to hook me and if you do make it those 8 seconds, I’ll give you 110 more to drive your message home. In that time, my best piece of advice is convey the core of who you are and be clear about the value proposition you offer. You shouldn’t need a 30-page PowerPoint presentation for that. If Moses could present the commandments in two slides, five bullet points each, so can you.

——–
Jeffrey Hayzlett is a change agent, thought leader, and sometimes cowboy. He is a social media and marketing expert and Kodak’s former Chief Marketing Officer. He is the author of The Mirror Test. Hailed a “Celebrity CMO” by Forbes Magazine, and famous for his outspoken appearances on numerous television networks, Jeffrey is widely recognized as one of the most influential marketers of our time. As Chief Marketing Officer of the iconic Eastman Kodak Company, Hayzlett was responsible for the company’s worldwide marketing operations including the design and execution of all marketing strategies, branding and corporate communications. With Hayzlett at the helm of Kodak’s marketing and business development initiatives, the company experienced record growth, unveiled revolutionary new products and has established a global brand as a leader in cutting-edge research and product development.

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When writing a book to build your brand, choose a clear and timeless title, one that won’t quickly go out of date.

A clearly and obsolescence-proof book title can contribute to a book that will build your personal brand for decades instead of just weeks!

What’s wrong with “instant bestsellers?”

With proper promotion at book launch, just about any title can have its moment in the sun on Amazon.com. But, beware: many Amazon best-sellers shine brightly for a short time  – as short as 1 day – but they quickly flicker out and no longer contribute to their author’s personal brand.

Other titles, however, establish themselves as classics in their field, and enjoy respectable sales, years – even decades – after their first appearance. Accordingly, let’s address the question:

What are the common title characteristics of nonfiction books that remain consistently in print and continue to contribute to their author’s brand?

Let’s consider 10 brand and career-building nonfiction books that have been in print for 10 years, or more:

• Bly, Bob. The Copywriter’s Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Copy that Sells. 3rd edition. First published 1984.
• Burg, Bob. Endless Referrals: Network Your Everyday Contacts into Sales, 3rd Edition.
• Covey, Stephen R. The 7 Habits of Highly-Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change. First published, 1990.
  
• Hayden, C.J. Get Clients Now! A 28-Day Marketing Program for Professionals, Consultants, and Coaches. 10th anniversary.
• Levinson, Jay Conrad. Guerrilla Marketing: Easy and Inexpensive Strategies for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business. Fourth edition, first published 1983.
• Poynter, Dan: Dan Poynter’s Self-Publishing Handbook: How To Write, Print, and Sell Your Own Book. 16th edition.
• Sewall, Carl and Brown, Paul B. Customers for Life: How to Turn that One-Time Buyer into a Lifetime Customer.  First edition, 1990.

Lessons from the “enduring classics”

Even a quick analysis of the above examples yields numerous lessons. For example:

1. You know what you’re going to get. Each of the above titles transparently describes what the book is about; there’s no ambiguity or clutter, just a simple description of what the book is about and how you’re going to benefit from reading it.
2. Everyday language. The titles use simple, conversational language. There’s no jargon or technical terms. Not only does this aid understanding, but it also ensures that the titles will show up high in search engines; people search on the same keywords they use when talking.
3. Short titles, longer subtitles. Short titles attract attention because they can be set at a large size on book covers. The subtitles, however, are typically much longer, and provide supporting details (plus increase the book’s visibility to search engines).
4. Universal topics and appeals. None of the above titles are “trendy” or short-lived. There’s no built-in obsolescence when you’re discussing effective personal habits, getting clients, marketing on a budget, or copywriting. The technology may change, but the above titles are rooted in needs that are as relevant today as they were 10, 20, or even more years ago.

Bestsellers versus category leaders

With one or two exceptions, most of the above titles were never “nonfiction bestsellers” in terms of weekly bestseller in lists published by newspapers and popular magazines.

But, that’s OK because most have enjoyed years of leadership in their categories…which is far more important than overall sales.

It’s far more important to enjoy decades of branding success with a book that is consistently in the top 10 books listed in the category that appeals to your prospective clients and customers than it is to enjoy a moment of mass culture exposure.

Nonfiction bestseller lists cover far too much ground to have branding value for subject area experts. Subject area experts write books to build their personal brand and bring qualified visitors to their online marketing funnel for eventual conversion into invitations for profitable keynote speeches and sales of proprietary products and services to help readers implement the author’s ideas.

“Nonfiction” covers topics of “fascination” like Civil War History, how the brain works, politics, weight loss, inspiration, and physical fitness. This is a far cry from the relatively specialized goals of event planners and prospects who may want to hire you for coaching or consulting.

Takeaway

Keep your eye on the ball when writing a book to build your personal brand. Choose a title for your nonfiction book that avoids obsolescence caused by changing technology or socio-economic trends. Look for a title that addresses the timeless information needs of the market you want to serve. Choose a title that tells your story as simply as possible, rather than striving to be cute or catchy. Tell me what you think! Do you like the “enduring classics” examples I chose? Are there any titles you’d like to suggest? Do you agree with my focus on long term category leadership versus “writing a bestseller?”

Author:

Roger C. Parker shares ideas for planning, writing, promoting, & profiting from brand building books in his daily writing tips blog. His latest book is #BOOK TITLE Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, & Event Titles.

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Seth Godin is perhaps one of the most widely read marketers in the world, and with good reason. His long string of best-sellers have been pushing the envelope in marketing for decades.

Today we’ll extract some key lessons from his hit “The Bootstrapper’s Bible,” and apply them to your personal branding efforts.  In the simplest terms, bootstrapping means doing a lot with a little. It’s the philosophy I’ve used from day one with my business: getting the most bang for your buck, especially when you start out with almost nothing. Let’s see how Godin’s bootstrapping tips can make the time you spend on personal branding pack more of a punch.

Bootstrapping tips

1. Stop planning and start doing. Get out there and do it. The more you do, the more you do. Doors will open. Opportunities will appear. Your model will change, your reputation will increase, you will become a magnet for smart people. But none of this will happen if you stay inside and keep planning. Pick something on your list and just do it.

2. Position yourself against the brand leader. Be brazen in the way you compare yourself to a leader in your field. Your story should be short, solid, and memorable. Can you be “cheaper than Frito’s” or “faster then Federal Express?” in your specific niche? The more your opponent gets publicized, the more your positioning statement increases in value.

3. Be freakishly persistent. It’s not about what you know or even what you do. Success is about persistence. Set realistic expectations and don’t give up. Never take no for an answer but be respectfully persistent.

4. Associate with winners. Four groups of people will dramatically influence how your business evolves:

• Customers
• Employees
• Vendors
• Peers

An angry customer, vendor, or employee can force you to make concessions you’ll be sorry you agreed to. Line yourself up with the wrong people and your business will grow misshapen.

5. Do favors for free. The best way to find peers is to devote several hours a week doing favors for people. Favors with no intention of being repaid. Do some favors for strangers and some for friends:

• Send someone a relevant newspaper clipping or email message
• Refer business to another company that can handle it better than you

This is how you build trust and goodwill among the people who can help get you where you want.

6. Be a connector to establish a strong peer group. Connect with people by connecting them to each other. A few hours a week will net you a group of 100 or more peers who will benefit from your efforts as much as you’ll benefit from theirs.

Check out your local chamber of commerce, local CEO club, or start one yourself.

Do the following to strengthen your group:

• Find opportunities to brag about and compliment other companies and people you know
• If you interview someone who’s terrific but not for you, send that person to a peer (you just made two friends!)
• If you write an article and need a case study, ask a peer to contribute
• If you deal with a business and you’re happy with the experience, write a letter to the president and, founder to founder, let her know how she did.

Be sure to join one that’s as upbeat and enabling as you are. You need to surround yourself with people who have succeeded and are still enjoying the ride.

7. Partner and work with biggger brands (people or companies). Create a mutually beneficial relationship with bigger, richer, more stable organizations. You can make money faster, open access to resources, and generate credibility.

Many big-company founders hate what their company has become. They rail against the slowness, bureaucracy, and inability to get anything done anymore. What they need is someone like you who can take on a specific task and turn company assets into gold. You’ll be amazed at how easily you can license a brand name or do deals for ad space or take over projects for a big company. Sometimes they’ll pay up front, just to maximize the chance of success.

You’d be amazed at all the products that aren’t made by the companies you think make them. Fisher-Price glasses. Flintstones vitamins. Corporations large and small are eager to find bootstrappers who can turn their wasting assets into cash.

With these seven tips, you’re well on your way to getting the most bang for your buck with your personal brand. What time-effective personal branding tactics do you use that embody Godin’s bootsrapper mindset?

Author:

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Building your personal brand has become an important factor in promoting yourself to hiring managers, employers, and potential clients. One facet of building your brand is networking and building your connections. Networking online or offline, following proper etiquette or netiquette can help build upon your reputation and character.

Is this really you?

As you worked hard to network online and build your online brand, you should work harder to build it offline. Your personality online should be the same away from the computer screen. Introduce yourself with a firm handshake. Perfect your 30-second elevator pitch, and make it creative and memorable. Have business cards with information to tie in both platforms to connect with you online and offline. Met professionals at an event? Re-connect with them online so they won’t forget who you are later on.

You wore that?

Dress in the appropriate attire for the event. If you are not sure what the dress code is for a networking event, over-dress for the occasion. It would be upsetting to have your personal brand take a dive because all they could remember is what you wore to an event.

Two-way relationship

Remember, networking goes both ways. Know that it is not always about your overall agenda. Provide assistance to your future connection. Stay in contact with your connections. Send e-mails or call them to chat. Sharing articles and information can help build your reputation as a trustworthy expert or as a person your contacts can go to for information. Be truthful in the information you share. Those you are connecting with will know if your intentions are not for real and end up putting a dent to your personal brand.

Remember, what you say and what you do in a room full of professionals or on Twitter can have a lasting affect on your image. How you present yourself to future connections can help or hinder with a future job lead or a new client.

How else can networking help or hinder your personal brand?

About the Author:

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder & president of Come Recommended, a career and workplace education and consulting firm specializing in young professionals. She is also the author of #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.

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We’re having a BBQ with about 50 people up at my house in a few weeks. It’ll be in August, which weirdly enough, is when about a full third of my family and friends are born. So it’s always a big party, featuring crowd faves like ribs, beer, and cake.  What could be bad?

Nothing, if I survive my drive to entertain.

Among the characteristics of my personal brand is “entertaining,” and not just for guests at home. I speak, train, and teach at venues where audiences are no longer satisfied by being educated or enlightened. “Adult learners” must be simultaneously entertained as they graze on facts and analysis.  Someone coined a word for what we do now in the knowledge transfer business: “edutainment.” I don’t have a casual relationship with this concept, because I believe it the single most important factor in moving people forward. With all my might, I relentlessly edu-tain.

Authentic qualities come through

Personal brands aren’t something you can turn off and on at will. Qualities that are authentically you will come through in most every venue.

For example, I am known for throwing really great parties because I believe that you must entertain guests. I see it as part of the job when you host a party. I have developed a formula. I like to splurge on a real bartender. He makes signature drinks and margaritas with that tiny shaved ice, like Slurpees (I bought the machine). We have live music (I live in LA where musicians are desperate for an audience, much less a pay check). And I always add in something novel to up the cool factor and kind of make it a scene.

This summer my cool factor is futons instead of chaise lounges. It’s got that Beverly Hills Hotel cabana, Hollywood’s Hotel Roosevelt bottle service cum Vegas Rehab with beautiful people lounging vibe.

This is where it gets ugly.

The best place to buy cheap futons is IKEA. If there’s a store that’s more grueling to move through, filled with more screaming children and surly customer no-service people at the checkout, then it must be in hell.

Other than hell, which I can only imagine is IKEA without air-conditioning, there could be no other place where you are trapped with hundreds of other lost souls, as your brain is assaulted with the smell of damp Swedish meatballs and you try to find your way out from the moment you get in. On the floors you see arrows, but they return you to the same places you came from.

Okay, it gets worse.

We persevere, gripping our soiled list of product numbers, plus awkwardly juggling a tower of assorted doo-dads we picked up on the way down.  How could you resist? They force you to pass every single item ever made in Sweden on the way, three stories down, to the self-serve warehouse.

We arrive at the beginning of the end. We make our way through a maze of towering aisles and pull hundreds of pounds of futon assemblage and mattresses off the shelves, only to push them around in a side-less steel cart that hits you right in the curve between your leg and ankle.

It’s still not as bad as it’s going to get.

We pay after fumbling with what looks like a taser, and is actually an optical scanner that only works at a very specific distance and angle. We wobble our way out to the pick-up zone.

Therein lies the difference between IKEA and hell.

Above our heads – like lettuce in a supermarket – is a power shower of wet mist pouring out of a cable strung all across the overhang between the store and the curb.

This is where you must wait with your cardboard and plastic covered, yet to be assembled furniture. Now we know it’s not hell, because we’re wet and freezing. We are literally standing in a monsoon with our cardboard shack and plastic tarp wrapped mattresses, all soaking wet.

“It’s to keep you cool,” says the lone attendant. Now if you don’t know, Los Angeles is about 78 degrees by day and 65 degrees by evening during most of the summer, with no drag of humidity. This is not Phoenix, Orlando, Houston or anyplace where having buckets of water thrown at you is really the only way to manage your body temperature outdoors.

Blame it on my personal brand. I endured because I must entertain. The show must go on. The mantra doesn’t waver when you are authentically what you are, no matter where you are.

In case you are navel gazing about your own personal brand, ask yourself this. What do you endure that tells you who you are?

Author:

Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! & Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen.

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We hire the operations exec that keeps her cool under pressure; we don’t hire the guy for the C-suite marketing job, because he holds his knife and fork like a savage. We like the powerful and persuasive talker, but we offer the job to the guy who’s persuasive and listens, because he’ll gather the insights to consistently solve problems. Two of these people get it, and as a result everything they do positively impacts their brand. The other two need to wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late to make a mark.

Critical communication

The success of your every interaction with the world is determined by your mastery of eight specific communication skills. We hire the cool-hand and she gets ahead, the social savage wonders what happened with plans for jobs at the better companies and breaking into management. Each day you emit a constant stream of communication messages that dictate the professional world’s perception of you. Learn to manage this perception of MeInc more effectively (see Branding Has To Be Part Of A Career Success Plan). One of your paybacks will be elimination of a large part of your professional competition, those who don’t think these things through.

What you say and how you say it

Landing a job, promotions and professional success are impossible without good communication skills. But ask 10 people to define communication skills and over 80% of them will identify verbal and listening skills. Modern communication skills embrace much more. They are built of eight interactive component skills; each exerts a subtle but significant impact on your every interaction and the overall perception of the brand you are building.  There are four primary and four supportive skills:

The primary communication skills are Verbal skills – What you say and how you say it.

Listening skills – You listen to understand, rather than just waiting your turn to talk.

Writing skills – Your written communication leaves a lasting impression whether you make any effort or not. What kind of impression is up to you.

Technology Skills – Technology has changed the way we communicate and your ability to navigate the new standards in communication media has significant impact your professional image.

The four supportive skills are more subtle, but nevertheless, impact every single interaction you have with others, they are

Grooming & Dress – Your appearance tells others who you are and how you feel about yourself, it’s an important communication tool in managing the message you want others to receive.

Social graces – The people who can impact your future always note how you behave, and how you behave towards others.  We live in a causal society but if your social graces are sketchy, you’ll never represent your organization in any significant way.

Body language – What your mouth says must be in harmony with what your body says. Your body subconsciously displays how you feel deep inside, it’s a language of communication mankind learned before speech. Whenever there’s a disconnect between what your mouth says and what your body says, the body language is believed.

Emotional IQ – Your emotional maturity in dealing with others in professional settings; especially at those times when you are under stress and most likely to retreat emotionally to childhood behaviors and act like a little brat. For a brand that carries you upwards, you must understand and manage your Emotional IQ.

These eight communication skills are the foundation of every resilient brand. Nurture them in every aspect of your life and you’ll gain much greater control over how you are perceived and what happens in your life.

I’ll introduce more critical skills that are foundational to a successful career next week.

Author:

Martin Yate (CPC) is the author of Knock em Dead The Ultimate Job Search Guide, a NY Times bestseller updated annually for 24 years.  He’s been in career management  for 34 years: Silicon Valley Headhunter and VP with the seminal and feared Executek, Director of HR for Bell Industries Computer Memory Division, Director of Training and Development for Dunhill . Martin believes that change is your future, branding is critical, but no one has ever taught you how to navigate this stuff.

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