As a sales person, professional branding is what I consider a necessity.
A strong brand relates trust which in my opinion is the most important emotion you want your customers to feel. Without trust there’s no reason for them to buy from you.
But trust is something that must be earned. So you have to think, who do my prospects trust? Why do they trust them? And how do I get top of mind in order to earn trust like that?
Believe it or not this is simple to do. Not easy, but simple. You become known as an expert in your field through professional branding. Within your industry you want to be “the go to person”.
With professional branding you will be just that and your sales will reflect the authority your brand affords you.
It Allows You To Control Your Online Presence
I am lucky enough to have been in my last year of college when Facebook became popular. I was not one of those people who put unflattering pictures online for the world to see.
I have always been cautious of my online presence. Not everyone is so lucky though.
When you Google my name “Johnny Bravo” you’re likely to find information about the Cartoon Johnny Bravo or about me, from the various social media sites I have built, or articles I have written.
I’ve worked hard to develop my online presence through professional branding and now more then ever I recognize the importance of it.
The internet is the information repository that never forgets.
For example, I have a good friend who was arrested for a DUI when he was younger. If you Google his name the first result is his mug shot.
This has caused a lot of headache for him. Especially in his career. But the conversation would be a lot different if that result was not part of the first page results for his name. If instead his professional branding was able to tell a story that was strong enough to eradicate that website from the first page of Google things would be a lot different.
At this time we are testing out various theories to eliminate that result from showing up on the first page of Google. A course I may make available in the future.
It Allows You To Stand Out In A Crowd
Imagine, for what ever reason, it’s time for you to find a new job. Perhaps you were laid off, your company went under, or you are simply looking for a change.
If you have developed a strong professional brand around your expertise you would easily stick out from the crowd.
Another example…
When I was interviewing for my current position as a software sales person I was later told that they had visited my original site, The Poly Bag Pro Blog.
It may look familiar to this site which I did on purpose. I very much like the logo and decided to keep this new site similar.
That site impressed the “Powers-That-Be” involved in the hiring decisions at MRI Software.
It showed my passion for an industry I was relatively new too. It showcased my expertise. It displayed a level of proficiency in the online arena and professional branding market.
It showed that I was knowledgeable about leading technology. Including software.
It helped sell my professional brand as a sales pro.
If you stood out like that, how different do you think your interviews and client meetings would go?
~Johnny Bravo
Image courtesy of imagerymajestic / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
When I first saw the title of this post I didn’t think it could apply to much to my personal life as I am still a student in college and not too professional yet, but you made some really good points. I had not previously thought about my social media being an online presence that influences my professional brand. I mean don’t get me wrong, I am completely aware that potential employers could and may Google my name, look at my Facebook, ect. For this reason I try to keep things simple and professional since I graduate in May. But I’ve never put a title on this form of upkeep of social media until I read this post and it really made me think. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Mary, thanks for the comment. And trust me, you are well ahead of the curve if you are already being mindful of what goes on your social media profiles. Keep it up and as you gain more and more experience out of college you’ll be able to strengthen your professional brand.
Building a good solid personal brand can go a long way in bringing forth opportunities. It may take time but the rewards are worth the effort. Then we need to maintain it. The fact is some are much more cavalier about there online presence and feel empowered to be snarky and off color. What isn’t obvious until much later is once trust/reputation has been lost it is almost impossible to regain. Just my thoughts. 🙂
Hi Susan, you’re right. Maintaining can be just as hard as building. I think it’s important to understand that it takes time to build that trust.It wont happen overnight.
Although I am one of those people who are somewhat careful about their online presence, I never thought about it from this perspective - I never thought how controllable and manageable the whole thing is. I am definitely making a plan how to craft the image and my online presence… Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hi Diana, you’re welcome. And thanks for the comment. Your professional brand should work for you. Not the other way around.
I’m so glad I saw this post today! I am working on revamping my blog to eventually turn into a business. I’m learning how even having a logo that is the same across all your media (blog, Pinterest, FB…) is SO important. I know I have to put in A LOT of time and effort to build this brand that I want to create and I hope in the future it pays off like it did for you.
Hi Karen. It will pay off. Focus on your goals and get to work. It takes time but you’ll get there. Good luck!
I definitely put thought into crafting my online brand, though at times it often feels like a shot in the dark. However, since I am no longer in the classroom, I feel much freer to be myself online. Before I always had to worry that some parent or potential school employer would take issue with some silly thing I may have posted online.
Hi Jeri, thanks for commenting. I use to work with children (teaching martial arts) and I understand completely what you mean. I’d rather worry about my boss than someone’s parent though, lol.
Smart, smart advice. In many respects you don’t exist in the professional world if you don’t have some online presence. This is especially true if you’re in the communications or relations fields. Its amazing what shows up when you Google yourself. A woman in the U.S. who worked for the city was arrested for fraud. She has the same name as me and when you Googled my name, the news report of her arrest popped up. It took a lot of time and energy to move her down the list. Looking yourself up on a computer you don’t normally use is a quick way to assess your online presence.
Great point and tip Debra. I believe you should Google yourself at least once a week to make sure you are on top of your online professional brand. I don’t usually get any arrest when you Google my name, but I get plenty of cartoon pictures 🙂
Short and sweet, and completely true! I often google myself to see how I’m coming up in searches. This is really important as a business owner. I found this out during my first year as an entrepreneur when a rival business began smearing my name online when I had grown to no longer being their competitor. Sad experience, but taught me a lot and ultimately cost them their business!
That is unfortunate that another business would stoop to that level. Karma is a …