You go to the grocery store to buy salsa. None of the brands on the shelf
look familiar to you, so you’re going to purchase a new kind. You see that
all of the brands come in mild, medium, and hot versions. You don’t want to
spend too much time on a “salsa purchase decision,” so you finally reach for
a jar that looks good and put it in your cart. When you get it home, it tastes
just as good as any salsa.

We make buying decisions solely based on how a product or display looks every
week! The product brand managers understand that their products tell us something
about identity through the product’s color, shape, imagery, logos, and
packaging. When we – the consumer – look at a product, we quickly decide what
we think about it. Is it fun or boring? Highbrow or lowbrow? Pricey or cheap?
The visual identity of a product plays a key role in our buying decisions.

Did you know that we also make quick decisions about people (similar to how
quickly we evaluate products)? Studies show we gauge other people within seconds.

In other studies, sociologists found that we attach positive internal
characteristics to people who are physically attractive. In these studies,
they used photos of people who were at various stages of attractiveness. The
people being studied never met the people they evaluated; they only saw them
in photos. These folks being tested decided that the more attractive people
were nicer, more industrious, and more successful than the others.

Since we actually do this, part of branding yourself involves scoping
out your own visual identity. This is a good thing to do every five to 10 years,
in fact.

First, list out your best and worst features. (You don’t need to ask anyone else.
You already know what they are!) Also assess:

• Your posture
• How you walk
• The clothing you wear to work
• The accessories you wear to work (glasses, watch, jewelry, etc.)
• Your hairstyle
• Your shoes

Next, think of a few people you’ve known (or have known of) who have a great
business sense for their visual identity. What is it about their sense of
style and visual presence that really works? How can you “borrow” from them
to add to your look?

What about your current visual identity will you keep and what will you change?

(This is my own unscientific observation: Many men will choose the hairstyle
they keep for the rest of their life when they’re about 30 to 35 years old.
Some women do the same when they’re between 18 and 25 years old.) Is it time
for an updated hairstyle?

When I recently gave the talk, “Brand Yourself Without Getting Burned,”
someone asked me if plastic surgery would become even more popular. While I
agree that it will, how about considering several less invasive procedures?

For example, talk to your dentist about getting your teeth whitened! (If you’re
under 30, you can use the white strips. If you’re over 30, talk to your dentist.)
There are several good methods out there for whitening your teeth. Getting your
teeth whitened will take years off of you. It gives you a clean appearance. (If
this is the only thing you do to change your visual identity, do this!)

Other medical procedures are more and more available to help your looks that are
less invasive than full blown plastic surgery. Women’s magazines constantly include
articles discussing updates. Talk with a dermatologist and plastic surgeon to find
out what works.

But let’s not forget about visually updating the easy stuff: hair, clothes, shoes,
glasses, your posture, and how you walk. (I’ll add teeth whitening to the
easy list; though, if you choose one of the better whitening procedures,
it’s not cheap).

Many people think of working on your self brand as being solely about
working on how you look. But from this series of articles, you can see that’s
just one part of it. It’s an important part, but it’s just one part.

When are you going to evaluate your visual identity?

What will you keep and what will you change?

This self-branding thing can get really involved: there are a lot
of steps to discovering, creating, and marketing yourself as a brand successfully.
To help you out, I’ve created a “Brand Yourself! Coaching Program”.
It is a self-paced coaching program you can purchase directly from Borgeson
Consulting. I’m very excited about this program! Since it is self-paced,
it is very affordable - less expensive than traditional coaching by telephone,
and you complete it at your own pace.

The “Brand Yourself! Coaching Program” has 10 modules, taking you
through each of the essential elements of personal branding. Call (630-653-0992)
or e-mail (info@BorgesonConsulting.com) to find out more about it.

I also give a keynote speech, “Brand Yourself Without Getting Burned: Know the Secrets
to Finding the Right Brand for You!” Contact Borgeson Consulting to find out more

© 2007 Borgeson Consulting, Inc.

Glory Borgeson is a business coach, author, and speaker, and the president of
Borgeson Consulting, Inc. She works with two groups of people:
small business owners (with 500 employees or less) to help them increase
their Entrepreneurial IQ, which leads to increased profit and
decreased stress; and with executives in the
“honeymoon phase” of a new position (typically the first two years)
to coach them to success. Top athletes have a coach; why not you?

Click here for Borgeson Consulting, Inc.

This article was originally published in The Business Express, Borgeson’s
free monthly ezine. You may subscribe by clicking here:
Ezine

Tags: brand, branding, career, personal, self-branding, success

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