The Art of Branding

The best personal brand foundation is a reputation for results.

In the brand world, producing results means attracting more customers and increasing sales revenue.

In the business world, you need to focus on building a reputation for reliability and results when you are starting out and as you move into new positions.

You may believe that you can do a lot more than your job requires, but no one is going to move you up until you show what you can do, develop a track record of results, and are good at promoting yourself and your accomplishments.

I was at a career event recently where the CEO of a major accounting and consulting firm was speaking. She told the story of being passed over for a promotion. Furious, she walked into her boss’s office, outlined everything she had accomplished over the past year and how disappointed she was.

Her boss told her, “Gee, I didn’t know you had done all of those things. I wish you had told me earlier.”

Needless to say, our executive made sure that her boss was aware of her achievements going forward. Now, here she is, running the company.

Several women came up to me after I led the “You are a Brand!” talk at a corporate event in April and asked me variations of the same question, “How can I rebrand myself in my current job?”  One woman recounted a project that “blew up”.  She felt it had hurt her brand in the eyes of her boss – even though she has had a string of successes since then. Another woman felt that she was stuck in her current job. She yearned to get out of her brand rut and stretch in new directions. Here are a few thought s on how can you break out of the confines of a brand that no longer suits you.

1. Ride in on the Elephant

When I asked both of these women if they had discussed the situation with their bosses, they told me, “No, because I wasn’t sure how to do it.” Well, the person with the most control over your brand – other than you, of course -  is your boss, so start there. If you’re worried that it’s going to be a difficult conversation, “ride in on the elephant” as they say in PR by taking control and bringing up the bad news or incident yourself. You might even say “This is a tough conversation for me.” Then bring up the incident or situation. This should set a positive tone.

2. Compose a Clear, Positive Message

Prepare beforehand a clear, positive message and how you want to say it. Important conversations tend to get remembered and repeated. Don’t dwell on negative stories. (Just ride in on the elephant, then, jump off!) Focus on positive stories and give examples of your performance and successes. Remember, you want good stories to stick in the mind about you, not bad ones.

3. Empathize

Empathy, as I said at my talk, is one of the most powerful and underused business tools. Listen with empathy when your boss is talking so that he or she feels understood. You might even ask your boss to share a personal experience and a similar challenge and ask how he or she dealt with it.

4. Evolve Your Brand to Create New Perceptions

Don’t put all the responsibility on your boss. Come to the meeting with ideas on how you might turn your brand around in the future. Suggest a specific project that you would like to be a part of, or additional experience that you would like to have. And execute. Most brands – products or people – flounder not because they are not good, but because of poor execution or lack of follow-through. (For ideas on how to do that, see the Personal Marketing Plan Exercises and The Next Step Exercises from the women’s event breakout sessions.)

4. Remember America Loves Redemption Stories

Redemption is an age-old and deeply American theme. We love rags to riches stories. We love stories about people who stumbled, were humbled, and came back from the abyss to succeed again. Even prison didn’t stop Martha Stewart from getting her brand restored. You can do it, too!

Last week, I was talking on the phone with a high-profile female executive – we’ll call her “Jane” to protect her identity – about how women can sometimes be “self-promotion challenged.” Immediately, Jane said, “I’ve got a story to share about that.”

When Jane worked at her company’s Canadian subsidiary, she would often bump into the CEO on the elevator early in the morning. Jane told me how she would make small talk about the weather or the local hockey team in the elevator.

This went on for a long time until Jane started listening to what her male colleagues would talk to the CEO about in the elevator. Rather than the weather, they’d say, “Hey John, did you hear how well the pitch went with ABC company? I think we’ll be signing a big new contract with them soon.” Or “John, glad I bumped into you. I wanted to let you know that our new marketing strategy is really driving sales revenues. Looks like we’re going to exceed our numbers.”

Suddenly, Jane had her “Ah-Ha!” moment. Here she was talking about the weather while her male colleagues were using the opportunity to give a mini-elevator speech promoting themselves and their careers!

Jane got wise. She changed her conversational topics in the elevator. Rather than “Jane, the Weather Lady” with comments on the latest weather forecasts, she became “Jane, Successful Business Woman” by sharing what she was working on and her success stories. “The realization of how to take advantage of these chance encounters made all the difference in my career,” she told me. Today, Jane runs a major division of the company in the Midwest and is one of the top five women at her company.

How you handle impromptu conversations with senior executives can make a difference in your career too. While you don’t want to come across as trying too hard, you don’t want to mumble polite, meaningless words and hope the elevator moves quickly either. Take advantage of the opportunity to share a department success story that the senior executive would be interested in. Or, let’s say you just read on the company intranet that the executive was in China on a major company trip, ask a specific business question about the trip.

It’s not just the big meetings where you can be a star.  It’s the small, personal, chance encounters, too, that can brand you for success.

Last week, I got a call from a Wall Street Journal reporter, Liz Garone, who was researching a story on how business executives could use the web as a business tool. My first reaction was, “Doesn’t everyone have a web presence, at least a profile on a social networking site?”  “Apparently, not,” Liz said.  How to market yourself on the web was a hot topic on the Journal’s web chat rooms, she said, particularly with so many people fearful about the economy.

Here are some of the tips I shared on building a web presence:

• Claim your name. Purchase the domain for your name, as well as claiming your name on Twitter and other sites. If you have a generic name that someone else has claimed, use a slight variation with your middle name or initial. For example, I own catherinekaputa.com as well as my company domain name.

• Fish where the fish are. Focus on the key business social networking sites and build a presence there.  If you can just be on one, make it LinkedIn since it has the largest business audience and active discussion groups on just about every topic, career interest, alumni association and company. After I put up my profile on LinkedIn, I have been able to reconnect with old colleagues and classmates, as well as a wide range of business contacts.

• Develop a strong brand image. What you put on your profile page of a social networking site and your own web site is something that you can control since you are the copywriter and create director. Make sure they convey a consistent and compelling message for Brand You. Have a professional photo not a snap shot – first impressions are powerful.

• Google yourself from time to time. Make sure you’re up to date on what the web is saying about you. After all, new people you meet will google you (You google people, don’t you?).  Make sure you don’t put up anything you will regret. It’s not like Vegas. What happens on the web can be hard to remove later if it’s taken on a viral life.

• Cede control

Because Eureka moments occur in the unconscious when we aren’t consciously trying to solve a problem, they are not something we can control.  Most of our creative thought is the product of neurons and nerve chemistry outside our awareness and beyond our direct control. “We often assume that if we don’t notice our thoughts, they don’t exist,” says Dr. Cristoff in Vancouver. “When we don’t notice them is when we may be thinking most creatively.

• Think positive

Insights and innovative ideas are more likely to occur when people are in a positive mood and open to ideas according to researchers at Drexel and Northwestern. It won’t help if you are anxious and negative about coming up with a solution.

• Set the stage

Be prepared by doing your homework and studying the problem. As one scientist pointed out, “Insight favors the prepared mind.” Then let your mind wander. Sleep on it. (My most fruitful time for breakthroughs is early in the morning when I’m half asleep.) Take a walk. Soak in the tub. Scientists believe the big breakthroughs seem to come out of nowhere when we’re doing something else.

• Pay attention when the lightbulb goes on

Interestingly, a “lightbulb” does go on in the mind when you come up with an insight. Studies show that there is “a distinctive burst of gamma waves bursting out from the brain’s right hemisphere that is involved in handling associations and assembling elements of a problem.” Innovative business people have the courage to entertain these bursts of insight.

Today, there is a constant drive toward innovation – and not just from the product development folks either. In world-class companies like PepsiCo, we all feel the pressure not just to execute well in the present but to help come up with innovative ideas to keep on top tomorrow.

Historically how to get innovative insights eluded scientists. Of course, we’ve all had our “Aha” moments, but some people seem to be better at coming up with innovations and creative solutions. Is there a way to cultivate an innovative mindset?

New breakthrough research using MRI and EKG technology is shedding light on Eureka moments and how they occur. (Check out the June 19, 2009 Wall Street Journal article summarizing the recent findings.)

Here’s a key way that scientists feel you can do to encourage business innovation and other types of insights:

Let your mind wander.

Archimedes had his Aha moment in the bathtub and Descartes had his while watching flies on the ceiling. Not surprising in light of new research that reveals that daydreaming is a rich environment for insights.

Previously, scientists thought that not much was happening in the brain when your mind wandered. Now, research supports just the opposite. In fact, a new brain-scanning study suggests that “our brain may be most actively engaged when our mind is wandering and we’ve actually lost tract of our thoughts.” Scientists suspect that a wandering mind may catch new ideas and unexpected associations better than a methodical analysis of the facts.

In my book, “The Female Brand,” I cited “empathy” as a key aptitude for women and personal branding, and talked about it as an important business tool. So how can you leverage empathy – the ability to perceive how someone else is feeling and to find a sense of similarity and understanding. So how can empathy be of use in the business world? Here are some ways:

• Understanding the feeling and point of view of others.

Empathy is the ability to understand and connect with other people – to walk in their shoes as it were. When you use empathetic listening, people feel understood – even if you don’t end up agreeing with them.

Most important, when you understand others, their concerns and approach, you will be better able to persuade and suggest solutions to problems.

• Building consensus and promoting teamwork with diverse groups

Empathy is particularly relevant for today’s modern, global companies in which people from different cultures, backgrounds and status need to work together as a team to solve problems and reach important company goals. For 21^st century companies, empathy can make the difference between success and failure of the business.

• Developing a reputation as fair and balanced leader

As a boss, what you convey non-verbally has a tremendous impact. In one study, bosses gave employees a poor performance review, but did it in an empathetic, caring manner. People rated the experience positively. Then the test was flip-flopped. Bosses gave a positive review but did it in a cold, uncaring manner. Even though the verbal message was positive, people felt far worse than those who received the poor review.

In short, empathy is powerful. From a branding perspective, empathy will help you create positive perceptions about Brand You. From a business perspective, empathy will help you build consensus, solve problems and get the job done in a more harmonious fashion.

In my coaching of corporate executives, I find that women are less likely than men to ask for a favor or introduction, unless they know someone well. For many women, calling up a casual business acquaintance is painful; yet my male clients seem to view calling for connections as part of business life.

Likewise, women can be more reluctant to do a favor for someone they don’t know well – say, recommend a friend-of-a-friend for a job – unless they had actual experience working with the person. Men, on the whole, seem less constrained in making recommendations. Many men can know someone casually or hardly at all and think it’s no big deal to call him or her to arrange an informational interview or pitch someone for a specific job opportunity. They feel more comfortable pitching a casual friend or a friend-of-a-friend.

That same tendency may be apparent in a recent Harvard Business Publishing study (http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/cs/2009/06/new_twitter_research_men_follo.html) on Twitter usage, based on a random sample of 300,000 Twitter users in May 2009. Though men and women follow a similar number of Twitter users, men have 15 percent more followers than women and they have more reciprocated relationships in which two users follow each other (my italics), according to the report. The study also pointed out that women seem to be less compelled to have followers or “have more stringent thresholds for reciprocating relationships.”

Having a high bar for building and reciprocating relationships can be a disadvantage in networking because your network will be smaller (although perhaps of higher quality).  Here are some thoughts on how to get into the right mindset for networking:

• Run in packs – just like men do. Since women are masters of deep relationships, there’s no reason we can’t expand our relationship model to connect with more people on a less personal and less intense level. Of course, many successful women have, and it’s a smart strategy because the reality is that you can’t do as much on your own with a small network of supporters as you can with a large pack of supporters.

• Venture outside of your comfort zone in asking for advice. With practice everything becomes easier whether it’s doing more advanced yoga poses or picking up the phone to build a business relationship. Vow to become a woman who is comfortable reaching out and connecting in the business world.

• Reciprocate, reciprocate, reciprocate. Ever since reading the Twitter study, I made a commitment to reciprocate and follow the people who are following my tweets. Try it yourself. You’ll find that your network grows at a faster rate.

For most women, marketing yourself is not even on the to-do list. But it needs to be added because if you don’t promote yourself, who will? Women are less likely to pitch themselves for a stretch assignment or increased responsibilities according to a meta-analysis of 30 global leadership studies. The lead researcher dubbed it, “The Female Humility Effect.”

Here are 5 ways to get started in marketing “Brand You” :

1. Think Outside In

Adopting the marketing mindset, begin with your “customers” (your boss, key senior managers, clients and prospects). What are they looking for? What reaction do you want to get from them? Then work backwards. What is the best way to appeal to them? What accomplishments and experiences should you emphasize? What should you de-emphasize or eliminate? What specific actions can you take to get the reaction you want?

2. Position yourself

In terms of branding, it’s not what you do to the product – it’s what you do to perceptions – to the minds of others. How can you build positive perceptions in the minds of your “customers”? Brands begin with a brand audit. Look at yourself as a product in a competitive marketplace. Do a SWOT Analysis of your “Strengths” and “Weaknesses”. Then look at the wider marketplace. What are the “Opportunities” and “Threats” you are facing? Use the SWOT analysis to find the best positioning for yourself – something that you can stand for that is different, relevant and adds value. Ideally, you want to solve a pain point in your job.

3. Have an” Elevator Speech”

The elevator speech is a must that many people, particularly women, overlook. Hence they can stumble in pitching themselves for an assignment whether it’s a lateral move to gain new experience or a step up. The elevator speech is your pitch in a nutshell. The “elevator speech” is short and concise. (That’s why they call it that.) It should be your personal commercial – your pitch for yourself that is conversational and memorable. Everything should work together to position you and tell a cohesive brand story. Include proof of performance – no more than three quick examples of what you have done, how you did it, and imply, there’s more that you can do.

4. Be consistent at every “touch point”

Brands try to take advantage of every touch point so that everything works together when a customer comes into contact with the brand: the product itself, advertising, PR and the in-store experience. Likewise, you should make sure your brand conveys a consistent image and message at every touch point: your appearance, your office, your phone messages, your emails, and your memos. If one of these things sends a wildly different message, you hurt your brand.

5. Seek “brand” endorsements and alliances

Third-party endorsements are powerful for brands, and powerful for you, too. The more people at PepsiCo who know you and your ability to get results, the better. Internal networking is powerful. It can lead to new experiences and growth opportunities for Brand You, particularly if they are senior and willing to vouch for your abilities. As the saying goes, word-of-mouth is the best advertising.

What’s worked for you in overcoming “The Female Humility Effect”?

To a large extent, business success is based on perceptions – other people’s perceptions about you.

If people think you are on top of your game, you will be.  If people think you’re a B player, you will be – until you change their perceptions.  You success in business or life is based on perceptions, other people’s perceptions of who you are, how good you are, and even what you are worth.  Branding strategies and tactics can help you build the right perceptions in the minds of others about you.

So how do you change perceptions so that you can rebrand yourself”

You need to build perceptual links to your new brand identity and visibility for yourself.

Look at “Kate,” a successful executive in a large corporation who was stuck in the mid level. Colleagues who had similar responsibilities to Kate had been promoted, but Kate had been left behind.

When Kate discussed her situation with her boss, he told her that she lacked “visibility” in the company. Kate had focused so much on her many tasks and her team that she was unknown outside of her department. Maybe her boss had even nominated her for a promotion, but other members of the team had questioned it because they didn’t know her.

To change her situation, Kate began an internal networking and visibility campaign. Kate started volunteering for cross-functional task forces so she could contribute in a broader fashion and build her internal network. Since she had a large team of direct reports, she set up a monthly lunch-and-learn, and invited senior executives she wanted to meet to present to the group.

No longer the invisible woman and with a network of supporters throughout the company, Kate eventually got her promotion. The higher you go in your job, you’ll find you need visibility and the ability to create positive perceptions about yourself.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on smart ways to build positive visibility for your brand.