Membership Overview
Learn what being a member does for you
The Seller Styles
NASP Programs
Catalog
See a summary of all our programs and certifications
Online Certifications
Certified Professional Sales Person(CPSP®)
Develop your potential as a certified sales professional
Certified Professional Sales Leader(CPSL®)
Grow your impact as a certified sales leader
Certified Master Sales Professional (CMSP®)
Join the elite group of sales professionals and leaders
Certified Master Sales Trainer (CMST®)
Online Programs
Advanced Sales Influence (ASI)
Take your influence and leadership to the next level.
Certified Professional Sales Associate (CPSA®)
Learn foundational sales behaviors, strategies, and skills
Power of Contact Marketing
Learn from marketing expert and author Stu Heinecke
ProSeries Programs
Join the top 1% of sales professionals in the world.
Next Level Virtual Coaching
Sales Mastery
Join our ongoing dynamic virtual coaching community
Career Center
Explore job postings from some of the best companies in the country looking for sales professionals
Training Resources
Daily Dose of Influence!
Enjoy our video series of influence tips and strategies
Leads To Growth
Dig into our podcast featuring industry leaders and experts
Coaches Corner
Learn from our high-level sales coaching video series
Women of Sales & Influence – Facebook Live Series
Be inspired by our Facebook Live series spotlighting top women influencers
Women of Sales & Influence – Video Blog
Enjoy valuable, high-level sales strategies to empower your sales goals
Sales Resources
The Growth Quotient
You’ve heard about IQ, but what is your GQ?
Our Commitment to You
We are here to help your approach to sales, how you interact with others, and how you perform and execute
Articles
NASP Sales Blog
Learn from our member-submitted articles for sales professionals
About Our CEO
Standards of Conduct
Testimonials
Common Questions and Answers
Contact
by Jacob Share
Quickly think of someone you know. What qualities of theirs come to mind when you think of them? That’s their personal brand.
Most people don’t choose a personal brand. They live their life according to their needs and desires, leaving various impressions to people along the way. Sometimes, the impressions are so different that when those people meet each other, they wonder if they’re even talking about the same person.
The opposite happens with personal branding. When you choose what kind of impression you want to leave on people and continue doing so all the time, there’s no resulting confusion among the people you meet. Strangers who know of you can then recognize you more easily because you’ve given them common impressions.
For your personal brand to be genuine, it should come to you naturally and without requiring any extra effort on your part. You can portray yourself as the best at what you do, or as someone who brings a lot of value in a certain way, or as someone who can do something amazing. However, unless it’s credible and comes easily to you, your personal brand will just be an act and will eventually be exposed as such in ruining your credibility.
Choose your personal brand so people can consistently feel the same way when they meet you or experience your work. To get started, make a list of your strengths and determine how other people know of those strengths from your past actions and accomplishments. Next, make those strengths even more visible by e.g. blogging or Twittering about your profession in reinforcing your brand to what you’d like it to mean.
Once you’ve chosen a personal brand, live and perform by that brand. Every action you take and every impact you make should reinforce it. Your brand should be felt every time you communicate, whether face to face in an interview or by reading your resume. The way you act, the way you dress and where you appear in public should all match your brand. The way you act on the Internet, over email, on social networks, etc., and which sites you visit and use should also match your brand.
The more you reinforce your personal brand, the stronger your brand gets by increasing the number of people who have similar feelings about you. As more people become aware of your personal brand and appreciate you, it will be easier for you to reinforce your brand among those people and their peers, continuing the upward spiral.
As you move forward, your first signs of personal branding success will appear when you discover people you’ve never met who already know you and are happy to meet you.
Personal branding shouldn’t be an act. Choose a brand that matches who you are and that will be reinforced by you living your life the way you want to. Then make efforts to push yourself further in reinforcing your brand and growing the positive impact you leave on others around you.
Source: The 2 Keys to Personal Branding Success (JobMob)
Branded yourself yet? Subscribe to JobMob via RSS or email and follow me on Twitter for the latest concepts that your career might depend on.
About the author