As I’ve begun to receive graduation announcements from family and friends, it’s caused me to reflect upon the unexpected high and low points that have defined my post-college life.
Especially considering the current economic climate where employment prospects for grads are limited, I think about the advice I would share with them. My counsel serves as a good reminder regardless of where we are in our careers.
Be flexible. Upon graduation, I relocated to the Silicon Valley to pursue a public relations position with a technology company. Three years later, I found myself jobless as a result of the tech meltdown of the early 2000’s.
Follow
Ever since I can remember, I’ve been a car enthusiast. Imagine my excitement at the age of three when my mom, Kathy, announced we were going to the car dealership to pick up my grandmother’s brand new 1979 Chrysler Cordoba.
My sisters Heidi (age 4), Amy (age 2), and I had fallen asleep during the ride to the dealership. Upon arrival, instead of waking us, Kathy decided to park within eyesight while she and my grandmother checked out the new car.
Having woken about five minutes later, I climbed over the front seat and decided to commandeer the vehicle by pulling the gearshift into neutral. Screams of sheer terror rang from the backseat and permeated the surrounding area. Much to Kathy’s dismay, the commotion centered on her car, which was slowing rolling downhill from the customer parking lot toward the showroom floor.
Without hesitation, and eight months pregnant with my sister Jamie, Kathy dropped her handbag, flung off her heels, and dashed for the moving vehicle, which by this time had picked up some speed. In a flash, Kathy arrived at the car, flung open the driver-side door, jumped in the front seat, and engaged the emergency brake. The almost three-ton vehicle came to a screeching halt within mere inches of the showroom’s glass facade. A cry from the group of assembled spectators exclaimed, “that woman can run really fast for a fat lady!”
Target’s red bulls-eye. BMW’s promise as “the ultimate driving machine.” Geico’s reptilian Gecko. For most of us, the term “branding” sparks images of colorful logos, creatively wordsmithed taglines, and seemingly silly mascots—all tools used by marketers to bring attention to a particular product in an effort to increase sales.
Some professionals view branding as pertaining to products and not also services. They dismiss these tactics as mere gimmicks that ultimately do little to develop business. Why can’t the same branding tools sell products and services?
When selling products, marketers use branding to draw attention to a product’s tangible features. For instance, the iPhone’s sleek design. The Chevy Volt’s efficient use of energy to deliver best-in-class fuel economy. Or, a Steinway piano’s craftsmanship that makes it a highly sought after instrument. It’s the products’ features that drive sales.
In an effort for marketers to brand services, which characteristically have intangible features, they brand the professional rendering the service. Attorneys, accountants, financial planners and bankers alike increase business by developing and promoting their personal brands.
Meet Judy. During the past 18 months, she’s gone from being a wealth advisor, to a marketing consultant, to a life coach. When asked about the kind of clients she is looking to attract, Judy’s responses are a rambling of generic statements, industry buzzwords and ethereal reflections. Judy’s ambiguous declarations and scattered delivery would make it challenging for anyone to refer her business.
At a recent networking event, I was surprised to hear two other professional, who I held in high regard, recommend Judy’s services. One praised her for providing him with clarity on a personal issue and another for navigating him through a complex business dilemma.
At first, I wondered whether or not we were all referring to the same Judy? Then I started to question my impressions of those singing her praises. Were my eyes and ears playing tricks on me? How could three professionals have such disparate opinions of the same individual? After the meeting, and unsolicited, another professional attending the event remarked to me how unexpected he also found the feedback on Judy.
Because my impressions of her weren’t positive, I never sought Judy’s services. Either she provides value but needs to work on her pitch, or those who have recommended Judy have officially tainted their own personal brands by endorsing her.
Whether a business contact solicits the name of a CPA to handle their taxes, or a friend asks you to suggest a criminal attorney who can make their kid’s DUI disappear, who and how you make a recommendation will directly reflect on your personal brand.
Recently, I spoke to a group of real estate industry professionals at a Pasadena Bar Association meeting. My remarks focused on how professionals can develop business and enhance referral relationships by focusing on their personal brand–a.k.a. their reputation.
Dale Pelch, a real estate attorney at Hahn & Hahn, who chairs the Association’s Real Estate Section, summarized my presentation in the following blog post.
This week, the Pasadena Bar Association’s Real Estate Section welcomed Jonathan Fitzgarrald (pronounced with a hard “G”), Chief Marketing Officer at Greenberg Glusker. Dressed to the Nines, Jonathan opened his presentation entitled “People Are Watching! How Your Image and Reputation Can Affect Your Success,” by recounting the fateful day almost 31 years ago when President Ronald Reagan was shot. In a riveting fashion, Jonathan retold the story of how, after being seriously wounded and rushed to the hospital, President Reagan composed himself, waived off efforts to assist him as he exited his Limo, and strode past the gathering reporters and photographers in a very “Presidential” fashion, before entering the hospital emergency room … whereupon he collapsed.
Painting vivid pictures of the importance of image, Jonathan offered practical and achievable advice and suggestions. Rather than presenting “a lot of marketing fluff” laced with buzzwords and clichéd ideas, Jonathan’s presentation was thought-provoking, and generated motivation for self-evaluation and action.
