What they are, and how they help

-Prateek Singh, IIM Raipur

Table of ContentsIntroduction.................................................................................................................................................2

What is a Personal Brand?...........................................................................................................................3

Brands.....................................................................................................................................................3

Personal Brands.......................................................................................................................................3

What a Personal Brand Does...................................................................................................................5

Personal Image vs Personal Brand...........................................................................................................5

Personal Brands- Forbes’ perspective......................................................................................................6

The importance of Networking....................................................................................................................8

The five steps of networking.......................................................................................................................8

Step1: Identify your purpose:..................................................................................................................8

Step 2: Identify your goal:........................................................................................................................8

Step 3: Determine the most appropriate network..................................................................................9

Step 4: Method of Contact......................................................................................................................9

Step 5: Choose your Approach................................................................................................................9

Personal Branding“Be yourself because everyone else is already taken.”- Oscar Wilde

IntroductionTimes have changed. And they continue to change at a

pace few people can catch up with. Today, 40 year job

security is almost nonexistent and a utopian dream. An

employee is as much likely to be laid off in the first sign

of a financial struggle as much as being promoted. It is

very important to be known, but more important to be

known for the right reasons. Whether one is an

entrepreneur or an employee, it is important that he

secures his position. But how does one do that?

How well are you known? How many know the real you

as opposed to your reputation? Whether you are an

artist, doctor, scientist, or a freelancer, it is likely that

most of the people in your profession do not know you well. Others have certain expectations from you,

they know a bit about the skills that you possess and other bits of information that come with your

resume.

Outside the circle of your close ones- family and friends, people would know you mainly by your

personality, reputation and your resume. They are the ones who know you by what you stand for- they

know you by your personal brand.

Everyone has a personal brand. One can take control of it or let it be on its own. A strong personal brand

influences the way potential clients, bosses, and colleagues, subordinates and just about everyone

outside the close-knit circle perceives you.

Tom Peters made an article for the 1997 issue of the Company Magazine called The Brand Called You,

which talked about the evolution of career development and gave a new mindset for the new age. It, in

essence, said that it is unto oneself to take ownership of the brand called YOU. We are being judged

every second of our lives- even when we are sleeping (our online profiles do not sleep).

PHOTO 1: RICHARD BRANSON. BUT WAS IT NECESSARY TO NAME HIM?

What is a Personal Brand?

BrandsBefore starting with what is a personal brand, it is important to know what is a brand. American

Marketing Association defines a “Brand” as the “name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that

identifies one seller's product distinct from those of other sellers.” Initially, branding was adopted to

differentiate one person's cattle from another's by means of a distinctive symbol burned into the

animal's skin with a hot iron stamp and was subsequently used in business, marketing, and advertising.

A modern example of a brand is Coca Cola which belongs to the Coca-Cola Company.

According to Robert Pearce, a brand is made of various elements, of which there are six essential

elements that are mentioned here. They are, Logo, Word-of-Mouth, Product, Service, Name, and style.

FIGURE 1: THE BASIC ELEMENTS OF A BRAND.

Personal BrandsA personal Brand is the powerful, clear, positive idea that comes to mind whenever other people think

of a person. It is what one represents- their values, abilities and actions associated with them. In a way,

it is their professional alterego designed for the purpose of influencing how others perceive them- and

converting the perception into Lair and Daniel J in Marketization and the Recasting of the Professional

Self, 2005 said that Personal Branding is the “practice of people marketing themselves and their careers

as Brands”. Lair and Daniel also suggest in their literature that while previous self help management

techniques were about self improvement, the personal branding concept suggests that success comes

Logo

WOM

Product

Service

Name

Style

from self-packaging. Like Brands, personal brands too have some basic elements. They are, Voice,

Expertise, Appearance, Attitude, and Size.

FIGURE 2: ELEMENTS OF THE BRAND: YOU

A Basic explanation of the elements listed is as follows:

1. Voice: The Voice of the person is such that it not only distinguishes the person, but does so by

instilling a sense of respect in the listener’s mind. Prominent examples of people who use their

voice to their advantage are Amitabh Bachan, Morgan Freeman, Ameen Sayani.

2. Expertise: The person is known for the expertise he possesses. Famous examples are Raghuram

Rajan, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs.

3. Appearance: People who are known for their appearance. Appearance here has a broader

meaning- it encompasses how one carries himself

as well. Well known examples are, Katrina Kaif,

Rekha, Nandita Das, Konkana Sen.

4. Attitude: Few people excel at marketing their

attitudes/ mantras. Russell Peters is a well-known

stand-up comedian. Another well-known example is

Honey Singh.

5. Size: The meaning of size here relates more to the

financial aspect of size- the net worth. Ratan Tata,

and the Ambanis are well known examples.

Voice

Expertise

AppearanceAttitude

Size

PHOTO 2 RUSSEL PETERS, KNOWN FOR HIS ATTITUDE.

People often exploit multiple elements simultaneously.

What a Personal Brand DoesA personal brand is about influence. It influences how the required people perceive you. One can

manipulate various elements of his identity to create a suitable personal brand. It is, however, advised

that one does so honestly, as a tailor made personal brand with a hollow base might not stand the test

of time.

To be effective, a personal brand must evoke three basic perceptions in the minds of the required

people:

1. You are Different: You are new, you are original, you are different and fresh. You are not a

follower, because followers, by definition are never in the lead.

2. You are superior: Your brand must encourage the belief that you are among the best at what

you do in some way- faster, providing better service, having the latest technology, and so on.

Being seen as a leader in your field is critical to gaining the confidence of people who don’t

know you personally.

3. You are Authentic: Great personal brands are spin-free zones. Your brand must be built on the

truth of who you are, what your strength is, and what you love about your work- and it must

communicate this to your market. Today’s savvy consumer can smell shallow hype like a hound

smells food.

Personal Image vs Personal BrandEveryone has a personal image. It’s the collection of qualities people identify with you: your sense of

humor, your hairstyle, your clothing,

your physical characteristics, etc.

Together, these qualities help people

form a mental picture of you.

A personal brand is different because it is how other people perceive you. In the best circumstances, a

personal image is an accurate reflection of the personal brand. Mother Theresa looked like a woman

dedicated to lifelong servitude of the poor and indigent, and we think of her a s a modern-day saint.

There is complete integrity between her personal image and personal brand, the personal image is truly

an accurate reflection of the personal brand.

“The most exhausting thing you can be is inauthentic.” –

Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Personal Brands- Forbes’ perspectiveWilliam Arruda recently contributed an article on Forbes.com, titled “7 Questions to ask when

uncovering your personal brand”. The author says in his article, that all strong brands are based in

authenticity, and a brand will topple if it sits on a foundation that’s not based in truth or perceived as

genuine. The author gives the following 7 questions to ask in order to uncover one’s personal brand”

1. What’s your superpower? What do you do better than anyone else?

2. What are your top values- your operating principles?

3. What do people frequently compliment you on or praise you for?

4. What is it that your manager, colleagues, friends, and clients come to you for?

5. What adjectives do people consistently use to describe you- perhaps when they are introducing

you to others?

6. How do you do what you do? What makes the way you achieve results interesting or unique?

7. What energizes or ignites you? What are your true passions?

Personal NetworkingPersonal Networking is the development of relationships with groups or people with whom we have

similar interests.

Harvard Business Review has an article on networking titled, ”How leaders create and use networks”. In

this article, authors Herminia Ibarra and Mark Hunter say that networking is perceived to be a necessary

evil by people.

They cite the case of Henrik Balmer in their article. When he became the production manager and a

board member of a newly bought out cosmetics firm, he did not have improving his networks on his

priorities. The main problem he faced, in his view, was the paucity of time. Where would he find the

hours to guide his team through a major upgrade of the production process and then think about

strategic issues like expanding the business? The only way he could carve out time and still get home to

his family at a decent hour was to lock himself—literally—in his office. Meanwhile, there were day-to-

day issues to resolve, like a recurring conflict with his sales director over custom orders that

compromised production efficiency. Networking, which Henrik defined as the unpleasant task of trading

favors with strangers, was a luxury he could not afford. But when a new acquisition was presented at a

board meeting without his input, he abruptly realized he was out of the loop—not just inside the

company, but outside, too—at a moment when his future in the company was at stake.

FIGURE 3: SUMMARY OF THE ARTICLE

The importance of NetworkingNetworking is an important tool and can be cruicial for the success of one’s business. Supported by the

perfect strategy, it can create word-of-mouth referrals for one- known to be the most effective

marketing tool. When given a choice, it is highly likely that someone will choose a trusted

recommendation.

With the rapid development of technology, new online networking tools have emerged. Combined with

the old school face to face business networking events, the possibilities of for expanding the personal

network are endless.

Integrating personal networking with facebook, twitter, blogging, LikedIn, and the business website with

an apt marketing strategy can be extremely effective if applied correctly.

The five steps of networking

Step1: Identify your purpose:The purpose of networking is always going to be driven by your organisation’s core business (or your

personal professional development needs). In the employment services industry those needs might be:

To grow the employer and/or job seeker client base

To match a job seeker to an employer

To heighten brand awareness (ie to promote the organisation’s product and services to a

broader target market).

Step 2: Identify your goal:Simply stated, networking goals are what you need to achieve. Goals give you long-term vision and

provide short-term motivation. Goal setting helps you organise your time and your resources effectively.

They provide the means by which you can track and evaluate whether the desired outcomes have been

achieved.

To set your networking goals you need to:

• identify the person or the type of industry you need to make contact with

• identify whether you need to use your personal, existing or professional networks

• identify exactly what you want from them or what you want to give them

• list suitable questions or networking strategies to achieve your desired goal(s).

Step 3: Determine the most appropriate networkThe most appropriate network to use is determined by your goals. In most cases you’ll need to use one,

two or all three of your networking groups (personal, existing or professional) to achieve your goals.

As a rule of thumb, keep your personal networks personal. A skilled professional mostly makes use of

their existing and professional networks. Personal networks should be used to further your social life so

that your busy work life is balanced by a rich and rewarding private life.

Step 4: Method of ContactOnce the networking goals have been determined the next step is to decide how to make contact with

the prospects within the chosen network. This usually means determining the most appropriate

communication device to use (eg letter, face to face meeting, email, or telephone call to name a few).

However, before the method of contact can be finalised the type of approach has to be considered. As a

consequence, the method of contact and the approach are usually considered in unison.

Step 5: Choose your ApproachYour approach is how you ask for the business and/or persuade an employer or job seeker to act

according to your advice. The most appropriate approach will depend on the networking situation,

method of contact (telephone or email) and the desired outcomes (goals). The approach used at a

networking function for industry professionals, for example, is going to be vastly different to the

approach taken to identify whether an existing employer has any new job vacancies.

Sending an email to a new employer, for example, to discuss a new job vacancy is an inappropriate

approach because it is too impersonal. Conversely, requesting a meeting with a well-established

employer to discuss an issue that could be resolved over the phone is an inappropriate approach.

At the core of all networking approaches, whether they are in person, verbally or via written

communication, will be one of the following:

(a) asking an existing contact for a referral to a new prospect

(b) following up a warm lead (direct or indirect)

(c) cold calling to gain new business

(d) Promoting the organization’s products and services.

A ‘warm lead’ is the process of approaching a prospect on the basis of previous contact made either

directly or indirectly. (‘Directly’ means you made contact with the new prospect in person. ‘Indirectly’

means another person recommended the prospect to you.)

‘Cold calling’ is the process of approaching a prospect without a previous introduction or contact with

the view to selling (promoting) your products and services. Cold calling is usually conducted by

telephone or in person.

ConclusionIn the modern age of social media, personal branding has newly found importance. Employees look up

their bosses, colleagues look up colleagues and employers look up potential employees on the internet.

It is very important that one maintains a very positive personal brand that is very authentic. While social

media and the internet have increased the pressure to maintain a positive personal brand

tremendously, they have also opened up new avenues of personal networking. Networking had always

been important both in the personal and professional life. One can achieve great milestones by clever

use of his personal brand and network. They are indispensable in this modern age.

AuthorPrateek Singh is currently pursuing his PGDM at IIM Raipur and is the coordinator of the IT Committee.

He is a technology enthusiast who has keen interest in HR and keeps exploring ways to integrate

technology with HR. He can be reached on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/prateek.singh3

LinkedIn: http://in.linkedin.com/in/prateeksinghiim

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