A client of mine, Laine Wagenseller (who also happens to be a great real estate lawyer) turned me onto the site aboutfacemedia.com. These guys produce corporate documentaries which I think may be a fabulous marketing tool for some of you.
I'm personally looking into it. It is worth a look-see.
Written by Regina Brett
To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.
Anyone who knows me knows how important I think the 15 Second Commercial (aka "Elevator Pitch") is to business success.
Attached is a very valuable written presentation by Matt Anderson on how you can make your pitch better. "6 Keys to a Great Elevator Speech"
This seventh and final section of Dave's personal branding excerpts deals with having multi-dimensional appeal...
Categories to think of when expanding the multi dimensional appeal of our personal brand:
-How well read are we (i.e. the number and different types of books we read)?
-How informed are we on current events?
-Political involvement (e.g. Which party? How articulate are we on our party’s positions?)
-Our spirituality/religious affiliation
-The hobbies we enjoy (e.g. wine, tennis, golf)
-Interest in sports (conversant on most subjects)
-Our participation in charities (e.g. time/money)
-Our physical fitness
-Our professional accomplishments (i.e. professional track record)
-Our educational achievements (e.g. degrees)
-Awards we’ve earned (e.g. personally/professionally)
-The diversity of our networks
-Being well traveled
-Developing our articulation (i.e. expression of ideas and breadth of vocabulary)
-Maintaining a positive, proactive attitude
-Developing an engaging personality
Section 6 of Dave's recap has to do with dressing for success:
Dressing for success: Does your dress create the expectation that you are:
-Smart?
-Skillful?
-Reliable?
-Trustworthy?
-Disciplined?
Section five of Dave's list focuses on gestures:
Gestures which have a profound impact on a personal brand:
-Write thank you notes all the time
-Call one person a day and tell that person how important he/she is to you
-Send a small gift to celebrate the birth of a client’s, friend’s or family member’s child
-Make sure your shoes are shined all the time
-Express your condolences in person for someone else’s loss
-Never miss acknowledging the birthday of someone important to you
-Send relevant articles to others that touch them personally
-Congratulate your adversary on major victories
-Always make sure your car is immaculate
-Be the first to contribute to another’s charity
-Say, “I’m sorry”
-Help set up and clean up, especially at functions that might not offer you great rewards
-Say “Good morning” and “Goodnight” to everyone
-Take your team to lunch. Invite them to your home for dinner
-Say “Thank you for your hard work today,” to your staff every day
-Smile a lot
-Be open, honest and direct with others
-Give without expecting anything in return
-Volunteer to go last instead of making sure you are always first in line
-Have a firm handshake
-Make the best of tough situations
Section four.....what impacts our personal brand:
What do the following things say about your personal brand?
-Your briefcase
-Your business card
-Your handshake
-Your weight, teeth and hair
-Your shoes, tie and belt
-Your car
-Your pitch
-Your table manners
-Your reading habits
-Your immediate friends
-The jokes you tell
-Your language
Section three of Dave Kinney's comments (see original post on 2/18 for details) pertains to paying attention...
You ought to start paying attention to:
-Who your friends are – jettison people who undermine your credibility
-Unprofessional drinking and drug habits – stop it
-Following through on your word, especially when it is a huge inconvenience
-Well-roundedness (current events and interests beyond your profession) – be interesting
-Your 15 second commercial –sharp, crisp, compelling
-Your uniqueness statement (yes, it is different from your 15 second commercial)
-Honesty – tell the truth always, no matter how painful
-Bragging – stop it. Don’t tell people you are great, just be great
-Self-discipline – practice delay-gratification
-Attitude – positive can-do
-Treat everyone equally (don’t just play lip service to this principle. Strive to be Gandhi- like)
-Be a spectacular public speaker – work your tail off at it. It’s a craft to be honed.
Section two of Dave Kinney's comments (see yesterday's post) pertain to personal brand alignment.
Things we should all make sure are in alignment with our personal brand:
-Our brochure
-Our website, including our bio
-Our office space
-The quality of delivery of our products/services
-Our dress, grooming and manners
-The way our receptionist answers the phones
-How we treat our staff
-How our team handles our clients
-The credibility of the company for which we work
-How we respond to difficulties
A client of mine, Dave Kinney who is the founder of Madison Street Partners, recently read my book, The Power of Personal Branding: The Secret to Positioning Yourself as The Person to See™ and surprised me with a summary of what were to him the key points. The summary is divided into seven sections.
Over the next seven days I will publish the totality of Dave's summary section by section.
The first category is public speaking. Here's what Dave perceived to be the salient points...
To be a star at personal speaking, I must excel in:
-Selecting a compelling topic
-Writing a great speech
-Delivering an inspiring speech
-Using my space (e.g. the stage) to its fullest
-Cleverly using props in my presentation
-Using drama to enhance my speech
-Usefully involving the audience
-Enhancing my storytelling capabilities
-Improving my use of humor
-Shocking, inspiring and helping my audience feel empathy
Do you want to know the secrets to...
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