You are your best, and worst, Marketing Tool

You are your best, and worst, Marketing Tool

Do you spend a lot of time and money trying to generate new leads? Are you trying for a promotion or to grow you business without much success? Are you frustrated and wondering why you are not reaping more benefit from all you efforts? Maybe try looking in the mirror.

The truth, whether we like it or not, is that we are walking billboards for ourselves and by extension our business, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. And to further magnify this fact, with the Information Age we live in, our billboards extend to our online persona, including all our entries on Facebook, Twitter, all our emails and online photos, blogs, and any other online content we may be involved with. All that information, whether it is present day, or created in the past, once viewed makes an impression. So, what does that have to do with marketing or getting a promotion you may be asking? Everything!

The cold hard truth, we are either being rewarded or punished by the impression we make. More than ever, our society makes decisions faster, more definite, and mostly with the information they are exposed to at that moment. We have all heard the phrase “You never get a second chance to make a first impression”, however today, you may not even get a first chance! There is so much information about us, either self-created or via friends, coworkers or other business associates, people have the opportunity to get to know you long before you ever meet. Therefore it is of utmost importance to realize that every moment of every day, you are creating Your Brand, for better or for worse; to further this point, you have been creating this brand for years, and many of your opportunities, or lack thereof, are due to your branding, whether intentional or not!!

Choose your actions and your content wisely. For the most part, we cannot change the past (but we can remove some of the evidence, so get those pictures of you partying off your Facebook!). However, we are the active creators of people’s current impressions. Show up late for work… branded. Volunteer for a community event… branded. Take home office supplies from work… branded. Help a coworker meet a deadline, on a project you are not even involved in… branded. Complain all the time about your boss and the company… branded. Take a course to help develop new skills and become more valuable to your company… branded. Take better vacations, drive a nicer car, wear better clothes, smile every time you meet someone… branded!! Every interaction gives an impression, and even though each on their own may not have much weight in deciding what people think of you, they do tip the scales somewhat in either direction.

You are your best, and worst, Marketing Tool

Now that we are empowered with this knowledge, how do we use it to our benefit? If you know what your end-goal would be, or your definition of success, then ask yourself, “What would a person be like/act like to achieve this goal?” Write a list of traits: well dressed, kind, good public speaker, confident, positive attitude etc. Whatever those traits on your list are, they are your recipe for success. You want that promotion, increase your sales or leads, or want to grow your business, therefore you must become that person who will have the success. As Bob Proctor, the famous trainer and personal development guru, teaches, “Act as If”. You may not have all the traits on the list, but you at least know what you have to work on. Treat your coworkers how a successful person would, have their poise and confidence, wear the clothes they wear, and work as hard, or harder, on personal development than they would.

You may be asking, if I “Act as If”, am I not just part of a charade? Not at all! You are changing your mindset, and the person you are, from the person who wishes success, to the person achieving it. And if you believe that everything you do builds your brand, and gives an impression, the more you carry yourself as someone with success, the more others with identify you as that person, the person who you are becoming, not the one you were. Every step, every action, every sale, every course, is an action closer to your goal. As your brand become one that resonates with success, you will attract that which you seek. People want to do business with successful people, people want to be friends with successful people, and people want to give referrals to successful people. You have the power to change anyone’s impression of you. The question is, are you going to use this power to create success, or ignore the power and complain about your failure. Either way, you are your best, or worst marketing tool!

Hope this helps. If you found value, found something that resonated, or it feels like it may help someone you know, please Like, Share and Comment below. And as always, if there is anything I can do to help you in your journey, let me know.

Mike Hisem

I don’t guarantee everyone success, but I guarantee everyone a shot!!