What is personal PR/ Personal branding

Personal PR is about how you present yourself to others.

Personal brand is a composite message that represents who you are, what you do and how well you do it.

Why should you care about personal PR/branding

It represents your unique promise of value, what makes you different

It helps people uniquely identify with you,have something that people can relate you with, recognize you with, envision you etc

Smart companies understand that a positive public image is no accident. They must make PR a proactive part of company strategy by establishing, communicating, and nurturing the image they want to present. This is why most companies have either an internal public relations department or use an outside public relations firm.

Why is it any different for you as an individual? It is important that we consider how others view us, both inside and outside of our companies, and what we can do to influence that view. How you are perceived can mean the difference between keeping your job and losing it, getting a business and losing it, etc

A key element to a good public relations plan is getting noticed. There are  a few  practical Scenarios you can use to influence how you are viewed by others. Each one of these scenarios can increase your exposure, which can produce enhanced respect, new job assignments, a promotion, or even a new job.

1^st Lesson: How do you want to be perceived?
Let’s look at how companies approach PR. First, most companies identify the image they want to project. Do they want to be perceived as innovative, reliable, cost-effective, or customer focused?

If that sounds like a mission statement, it should. Good marketing programs are consistent with, and grow from, the company’s stated mission.

Do you have a personal mission statement? As an individual, you should have a specific idea of how you want to be perceived. Some of the attributes listed above will also apply to individuals.

Your personal mission statement should be brief and specific.

From that, you should build a list of corollaries that outline the specific attributes you want to have recognized. Make sure that they are realistic and achievable—just stating them does not make them so. Good corollaries include the following factors:

• Timely
• Relevant
• Approachable
• Aligned with company objectives

Your mission statement and its corollaries can guide you in determining whether the activities and behaviors you exhibit each day contribute to or detract from the image you are looking to project.

2^nd Lesson: Blow your own horn
Most of us are not accustomed to self-promotion. We have been told that we should modestly go about our jobs and that performance will be recognized on its own merits. In general, I believe this to be true. However there are practical, subtle ways to promote yourself.

When you do something that is consistent with your list of attributes, communicate it. For example, if one of your attributes is timeliness, then when you complete a key deliverable, send out an e-mail detailing the completion to those who are interested. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should send out an e-mail to your entire contact list every time you cross an item off of your to-do list. The key is to communicate significant events or activities to those people who are either concerned with the activity or with your personal performance.

Sample Story: A successful professional has a very subtle tool. She uses a white board in her office to record her major priorities but makes sure that she always has a few on the list that are checked as complete. This helps people who come to her office understand not only what projects she has on her plate, but also gives her visitors an idea of her recent priorities. The subtle impact is that you always have the sense that she is organized and effective.

Sell yourself, do not wait to be recognized.
3^rd Lesson : Use e-mail for personal PR
Closely connected to lesson two is your use of e-mail as a communications tool. E-mail is a powerful way to increase your exposure at a very low personal cost. Regular, brief (one- to two-sentence) updates via e-mail to a larger audience are much more effective than rambling status reports that are distributed to a smaller group, especially if the updates are distributed as hard copy.

Keep in mind that, in most companies, people like to be kept “in the loop” even if they are not directly involved in a project. You increase your stature if you communicate effectively.

4^th Lesson : Volunteering equals positive exposure
One easy way to increase your profile is to volunteer for assignments before they are assigned. When done correctly, you plant the image that you are a “go-getter.” The danger here is that you will be perceived as a “teacher’s pet” (or worse) by your coworkers.

There are myriad opportunities to volunteer in just about any organization. Opportunities include volunteering for charity work, offering to take a visiting dignitary to dinner, or volunteering to coordinate the company outdoor activities.

5^th Lesson : Speak up
Take advantage of every opportunity you have to speak. I’m not advocating standing up and making a prepared speech (although there is a time and place for that as well), but you should vocalize your thoughts and opinions in meetings, even if it’s just to agree. People who can eloquently but succinctly state their opinions in a meeting environment are perceived as performers, while those who sit quietly often go unnoticed, no matter how strong a performer they are back at their desk.

6th Lesson: Long term benefits
These tips will not guarantee you a promotion. In fact, indiscriminate application of these concepts will probably have you branded as an arrogant loudmouth. But careful management of how you present yourself and the work that you do will have long-term benefits. The key is in visioning how you want to be perceived, then making sure that you project an image that matches that vision.”

Always remember: Change starts with you.You are the change you want to see

Additional information in regards to the above article: http://catarinasworld.com/http:/catarinasworld.com/the-best-way-to-predict-the-future-is-to-invent-it

We satisfy our customers when we meet their expectation and disappoint them when we do not meet their expectations.

This leads to my question??

Do we really know what our customers expect at every stage of their interaction with our organizations?

Customer Expectation- Is perceived value that client seeks from the purchase of a product or service, a perception influenced by experience, advertisements and competitor awareness.

When this happens, most in management think, that if a client is disappointed a front line staff is responsible. Unfortunately this is not the case “Most customer disappointments go beyond the frontline staff and mirror unmet expectations from various corners of the organization.

John A. Goodman, In his book “ Strategic customer service “ states that 50-60 per cent of unmet expectations are from defective products or services, misleading marketing messages, ineffective policies, or broken internal processes, with employee mistakes contributing only 20-30 per cent and customer errors and unreasonable expectations accounting for remaining 20-30 per cent.

Putting in mind, that bad news spreads faster than good news, dissatisfied clients share experiences with 9-12 other persons while those whose expectations are exceeded tell 3-4 persons. This is where Smart companies seek to understand their customers’ expectations. Therefore developing a system for capturing and managing unmet expectations and use this feedback to improve their product and service quality.

According  to Lucy Kiruthu, Customer Service Consultant, Setting a Customer Service department, does not sort out unmet expectations, this has led many organizations today not to reap the full benefits of a well thought out customer focused strategy.

A Customer Service Department key role is to be the main point of contact for customers, to feed back the organization on unmet expectations and their causes with everyone in the organization playing their part to meet customer expectations.

In Support of the article, A must read is the Success Story of Enterprise Rent A Car in Kirk Kazanjian’s book titled “Exceeding Customer Expectations”

Meettheboss {http://www.meettheboss.com}- is a social networking site where management professionals share ideas and content.

Freelance witch {http://www.freelancewitch.com}-site enables freelancers keep abreast of news and trends in the self employment world, find freelance work and network in this site.

Business sites { LINKEDLN (www.linkedln.com)}: Keep up with your business contacts deals and marketing through these sites. is one of the most popular social sites for business professionals who are serious about making connections that matter.

Small Business brief {http://www.smallbusinessbrief.com/index.php}: site for small business owners that combines networking and marketing.

Organisation and personal growth sites 43things {http://www.43things.com}: sites that help you stay organized and keep track of your personal goals.List your goals and meet others on a similar journey through this group.

Diigo {http://www.diigo.com}: this site lets you collaborate on projects, share annotations, create groups and more.

Instructables {http://www.instructable.com}:teaches you how to do anything by reading online tutorials and asking friends for advice.

Finance sites,Cake financial {http://www.cakefinancial.com}:site helps you organize your finances and keep up with trading news,is an investment support  site that brings together a healthy interactive community for learning about what to do with your money.

Marketing watch community {http://www.marketwatch.com/community}:site helps you get industry news, and join up with other finance minded people here.

Wesabe{http://www.wesabe.com/groups}:site helps you to track your budget, organize your finances, get quality finance tips, and meet others who are trying to be wiser about money.

http://catarinasworld.com/http:/catarinasworld.com/would-you-read-an-article-about-yourself

Good day

Want to get ahead? Top people that should be in your network

A)     THE MENTOR- The Person who has reached a level of success you aspire to have.

B)      THE COACH- helps with critical decisions and transitions and offer an objective perspective with no strings attached.

C)      THE TRENDSETTER- someone outside of your chosen industry who always has the latest buzz, it can be on any topic that you find interesting.

D)     THE CONNECTOR-Person who has access to people resources and information, as soon as they come across something related to you, they are sending you an email or picking up the phone.

E)      THE IDEALIST-This is the person in your network you can dream with. No matter how “out there” your latest idea is, this is the person who will help you brainstorm ways to make it happen. Without judgment, they are focused on helping you flesh out your dreams even if you do not have a solid plan yet.

F)      THE INDUSTRY INSIDER-This person will keep you informed of what’s happening now and what the next big thing is.

www.forbeswoman.com

The world of business is a tough environment, in which only the fittest survive. Though some businesses not only survive but thrive.

Bill Gates of Microsoft warns:” In this business, by the time you realize you are in trouble, it is too late to save yourself. Unless you are running scared all the time, you are gone. “By running scared “he means that you have to be on top of all those aspects that are essential to run a business and keep on learning and changing”

Lee Iacocca, the legendary former CEO of Chrysler says “The most successful businessman is the man or woman who holds onto old just as long as it is good, and grabs the new just as soon as it is better.” In other words you cannot stand still”

Be passionate about anything you want to venture into. Have a high degree of motivation, and the ability to stick to goals and make quality decisions in a short time. Ensure your workforce share in your vision. Have the ability to convert suppliers into strategic partners by winning their trust and confidence. Develop unwavering commitment to customers, also maximize your strengths and always look out for opportunities. You also need a good financial institution to support your growth.

Learn to win your clients expectation, their confidence,  they gauge you by the quality of your work. Dream the unthinkable, develop a business plan and take the first step. When you fall down along the way, do not give up, get up, dust yourself and try again.

It will not be easy and as a Chinese quote goes “To open up a shop is easy, to keep it open is an art” Success is failure turned inside out, so stick to the fight. You can be anything you want to be as long as you put your mind and heart to it.

Guide to a successful Business:

1. Management

Every business has a manager but not all business have outstanding managers. Are best managers born or can they be made? Best managers should not only manage they should also lead, and with the right training, anyone can become an outstanding manager and a leader. It is a science and an art that can be learnt and improved on. Managers do things right, leaders do the right thing. 3 Most important management skills necessary to start a business are: Management cash flow, management of people, and management of personal time.

‘If you can run one business well, you can run any business well- Richard Brunson (Virgin group-Founder)

2. Doing the right thing

Assume you already have a business plan in operation. Remind yourself of the company’s mission statement. If you do not have one, write one or Google for one to make it universally accessible and useful.

A mission statement should be short, and very ambitious. Have it as a constant reminder to your employees, and have all their efforts directed to this goal. A mission statement is a long term goal, have it displayed everywhere, and have everyone know it and believe in it. A mission statement gives you a stand for something. When you have a stand for something you do drift along at the mercy of anything. Do not be like a ship without a clear destination.

Take time to make a plan then fit tasks and resource to the plan.

“The market, like the Lord, helps those who help themselves, but unlike the lord, the market does not forgive those who do not know what they do”-Warren Buffet (The world’s richest man)

3. Picking a winning team

A business is as good or bad as the people it employs. The difference is in the quality of the people performing those tasks. Your team is your business and vice versa. Before you pick a team, redefine tasks. Most of the time we fit people to positions e.g. marketing positions without a clear definition of the tasks involved. A business is about the successful achievement of a task. Define the tasks and then look for people who by training or personality will enjoy the task.

“In the end, all business operations can be reduced to three words: product, people, and profits. Unless you have a good team, you cannot do much with the other two. – Lee Lacocca

4. Creating a winning team

Your task as a manager is to ensure your team improves its performance consistently.

It is only when each individuals output becomes more efficient and effective that the whole organization moves forward. Set goals over specific time frames for the team and involve everybody- even the cleaner. When a goal is reached celebrate and congratulate the team. In case a goal is missed, make your own assessment first, and then call in the whole team, to find out what went wrong, and where. Explain to whoever went wrong or is at fault, don’t beat around the bush, Pull and do not push. Have the whole team work as one, you cannot be a Lone ranger. Select a few people in your organization that you think could stand as role models, whose performances are above average. Use them as role models for others to emulate. You raise the standards by raising the bar. If someone cannot rise to the challenge, is not pulling to the weight, let them go. Nothing beats a careless or uninterested attitude. Remember your team is a strong as the weakest member. Keep a look out both for the quiet excellent worker and the busy body who disguises his lack of productivity with an exaggerated show of activity. Reward the former and reward the latter to buck down.

As a manager you must do everything you expect  others to do, be the first to arrive, dress smartly, speak courteously, never ever lose your temper, “ if you cannot control your temper you cannot control your business”, Do not be sarcastic or hold a grudge. Do not encourage gossips, have favorites, or listen to rumors. Do not be unpredictable in behavior, it is very unsettling, unless need be.

“Good management consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people”- John D Rockefeller

5. The Customer

The golden rule of business. In business there is no success greater than acquiring more customers, and no sin greater than losing one. People Judge you with how your staff treat them. If they are rude or argue with customers, you have two choices either sack them or close your business down.Managing people is both a science and an art , challenging and that’s why good managers are thin on the ground, but when you get it right it can be the most satisfying , profitable, enjoyable aspect of your life.

“There is only one boss. The customer, and he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else” Sam Wal-Mart

But above all, everyday get down on your knees and pray for wisdom and seek Gods guidance. True, fulfilling success is God given .Also give God, an unselfish reason to bless you, by making a difference to other people like the less fortunate in our society.

There is an answer to the passionate longing of the heart for fullness….
Live in all things outside yourself by love, and you will have joy….
It is a lesson learned slowly and through difficulty.

David O.Mckay in cherished memories

Sometimes it seems easier to give up on your dreams and ambitions.

Trust in God, as long as you are alive, keep putting one foot in front of the other, it will not be easy, might seem to take forever, but you will eventually get there. .

It is in these hard times, that life painful growth is experienced.

Strange enough, despite life tough experiences that drive us to the edge of giving up, I can’t explain how but somehow we always recover, and go back to our usualself, but My belief:Personally, I always have no idea how my tomorrow will be , even though I make my own plans, and have this clear great picture of how my tomorrow will be, but one thing i am always sure of, God is in charge of my tomorrow, and despite what happens along the way, he has the best in store for me. The world, people more often disappoint but God has never disappointed. But anyway that is me.

Growth is not always painful but it allows us to appreciate life better.

Great Delays, Denials, Failures, Challenges, Losses, tests, pain, set a perfect platform for great success/ great stories/ testimonies.

It is going through personal adversaries like joblessness, loss of a loved one, sickness, rebel child, lack of money to even afford basic needs like shelter, food, clothing which is sometimes painful, that one can truly appreciate the good things life has to offer, and to appreciate those people in our lives better. Trust me there is so much in this world to be grateful for.More often, as an adult unlike a child who falls down, and stays down until he /she is picked up, when we find ourselves down we have no choice but to quickly pick  ourselves, dust ourselves, and move on to reclaim our dignity. In realization, that only you determines your life, to stay on course and meet the never ending demands life has to offer you. Apart, from God, You are your best comforter.

“Just like diamond goes through a rigorous process to get refined, so is acquiring confidence”- Anne Mukei

Growth is painful, but a valuable experience.Although some us are born with great self worth, it takes a lot of practice to maintain and build on it.

After all is said and done the result of all the above is worthwhile. Hang in there, do not give up yet. Your best days are ahead,

Keep pressing on.