Why you?
When putting out your brand you need to show people “Why me.” This starts with presentation. In today’s world there are three versions of how you present yourself; the physical, the digital and the third party. If you manage the presentation of yourself and keep it consistent then you will have a strong brand and will find success.
We all know the physical presentation of ourselves. Some of us are confident and some of us are not. Confidence is a mindset that you can create. Preparation is key to mindset. When preparing for an interaction you should play out the interaction before it happens in your head. What will be said? What will be asked? What actions will be taken? Will it be a sitting or moving interaction? These things all play into the physical aspect of your presentation. Speaking confidently, moving confidently, reacting with confidence; these are all things you can practice by yourself or with a friend, colleague or spouse before the big moment. And you should. How you dress and what you physically look like is such a small, yet important aspect of making a solid impression.
There have been books and courses taught on the digital representation of yourself. This may be more important than they way you look. First, be honest. Only put honest representations of yourself and your achievements out there. Second, regularly research yourself. Odds are, you don’t like the way an article, social site, etc. represents you; either will a prospective employer or client. Don’t be tentative to ask sites that you did not give permission to represent your digital self to take down any information about yourself especially if it is not true. Also, having no digital representation of yourself can be almost as bad as having a negative digital representation of yourself. I’m not saying to sign up for every social media or professional site out there but ensure you can be found and an accurate representation of who you are and what you’ve accomplished are out there.
Ever hear the cliché’ “A customer with a pleasant experience will tell 1-3 people and a customer with an unpleasant experience will tell 10 or more”? This is even more prevalent in professional circles. The smaller the industry, the more you will see/hear this. We all like to believe our industries are so large that we can “Jerry Maguire” an exit and it will stay at that company. WRONG! Always be the best version of yourself. People move companies often and they talk about the companies and people they have worked with before. They also see people from their past show up for interviews, appear on new hire announcements, etc. The last thing you want derailing landing that new job or client is a person who has a bad impression of you from a situation you controlled. Be cognizant that anyone in the room could show up later down your path of life.
In conclusion I will use some phrases most of us have heard before. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Leave “it” in better condition than you found it. The world is your audience even if there is only one other person in the room.