Page 79 - Benjamin Franklin\'s The Way to Wealth: A 52 brilliant ideas interpretation - PDFDrive.com

35 BUILDING YOUR OWN BRAND

You are your own brand. The only difference between your brand and those of the
big multinationals is that the only person marketing yourself is you, or as Benjamin
put it, ‘a man’s own care is profitable’.

DEFINING IDEA…
To be in business today, our most important job is to be head
marketer for the brand called You.
~ TOM PETERS, AUTHOR OF IN SEARCH OF EXCELLENCE

Whether employed, self-employed or working on that big break as a beach
bum, you are a brand with recognised values and selling points. People who
are self-employed usually recognise that they are a brand; so do some
others. For example, if you’re a consultant or a knowledge worker you will
already be familiar with the idea that your marketability is not simply the
skill you offer but a whole suite of attributes including your social skills,
appearance, associates, availability and pricing.

If you haven’t thought of yourself in that way then you can start by asking yourself the following questions:
• What five words would other people use to describe me professionally?
• What are my best attributes as other people see them?
• Who is my target market? My boss? A new boss? My clients? New clients?
• What have I done in the last three months that has raised my profile with my target market?
• What do I plan on doing in the next three months that will raise my profile with my target market?

Don’t confuse building a brand with doing your job. The work you do is a
crucial part of the brand, but the brand goes well beyond what you deliver.
For example, a lot of smart business people raise their visibility through
activities such as volunteering, lecturing, working with mentors or being
interviewed by analysts or journalists. Few of these things earn money
directly and most don’t fall under the heading of ‘the day job’, but they all
build profile, recognition and what marketing people would dub ‘brand
equity’.

Think carefully about how to go above and beyond delivering on your job