Rob Brown's Reputation Builder Blog

Recession Oppression = Reputation Opportunities

2009-04-06T08:20:00.015+01:00

Change doesn't stop in a recession!

You may already be overwhelmed and oppressed by the amount of change, restructuring and cost-cutting you're going through. But the global recession is only going to exacerbate that!

Is there a silver lining in the cloud? Yes! Where there is danger, change and gloom, there is also opportunity, innovation and transformation.

Where people lose money, people can also make money.

Despite what you see, hear and read, people and companies are thriving and growing in the downturn.

Dictionaries defines 'opportunity' as a favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances'.

So the question is, how you can turn what's happening to your advantage? By working on your personal reputation! Remember it's easier to see the light in the dark! Anyone can claim to be a world-beater when the bar is low and everyone is making money.

Not everyone can be seen, noticed and heard when times are dark, gloomy and negative.

Here are four ways to take advantage of oppression of the recession to enhance your reputation:

Keep your profile high. if you're still open for business, keep up your writing, your networking, your PR, your marketing to let people know. Make your conversations count with stories of sales made, examples of projects worked on and testimonials of delighted customers.
Work on yourself. Downturn = downtime. That means you have extra time when you're not dealing with loads of potential customers beating a path to your door. This time should be spent working on you. Self-development, learning new skills, getting good mentors, reading good books, listening to great audio courses...all will make you better. Forget where you are now - what kind of a state do you want to be in when all this is over?
Be 'extra open' to ideas. When times are tough, it's a perfect window to be more open to various joint ventures, alliances, co-operatives, initiatives and partnerships. So do a lot more exploring with people that serve your target market but doing something different to you. What could you do with others that you couldn't do alone. Even your competition may provide a partnership opportunity for you - it's you and them against your target market!
Change what you sell and how you sell it. You've done okay in the good times - most people do. But now is the time to be better and different! How can you change, beef up or modify you proposition, both as an individual and as a company, to make you more attractive and more compelling? There is no better time to do it than now!

Seven Reputational Recession Busting Tips!

2009-03-16T20:03:00.008Z

My friend Andy Todd said this today:

"1 in 8 people do better out of a recession. If you work out how the ‘1’ does it you’ll do better. If we all work out what ‘1’ does…. No more recession."

Put another way, you have to make sure you're doing the things the next 7 people around you are not doing.

Seven is a great number. It's a magic number! So here are seven top tips to busting this recession:

Trim your network. Some of the relationships you have now are holding you back. In fact, many of them have landed you in the mess you're in. You must move on! To do that, you need to trim the fat of the old network. Get rid of some deadwood. Let some of those losers, wasters, tyre-kickers and nobodys go!
Rebuild your network. To move onwards, upwards and to the next level, you need a higher level network. How can you network at a higher level? You need some door-openers. Some influencers. Some marquee clients and contacts who can introduce you to their higher level contacts.
Exploit your network. Ask for help. Be more open to alliances, joint ventures, exploring mutually beneficial opportunities. Reach out to new people. Rekindle relationships with older contacts and see what brought you together in the first place. Go to people you like and trust, and ask this question: "could we be doing business together?"
Define your reputation. What do you want to be known for? By whom? You can be anything but you can't be everything. You can be loved and revered by someone but not by everyone. Set your sail and decide what you want to be the 'go to choice and trusted voice' for. Once you do that, charting your course is easier and more likely to get you to your destination.
Raise your profile. Get yourself known. Put yourself out there! As I often say, "it ain't no good being the best kept secret in the world!". The strategy for survival is visiblity. Get your head up and get you, your personal brand, your insight, your thoughts, your products and services, your advocates - get them all out there!
Apply your learning. Believe it or not, you already know 95% of all the thing you need to know to be successful. Being a millionaire, a record-breaker, the top of your tree... it's all within you now. So what's missing? Application of your knowledge. You don't do the things you know you should do!
Be courageous. Nobody's pretending this is going to be an easy ride. Nobody's saying it'll be over in a few weeks. This is tough stuff. It's not a time or a place for the faint-hearted. If you've got a faith, press in. If you've got a belief, keep feeding it. Have courage!

There you go. Seven tips to ensure you're not the unluck seven people out of eight who will struggle and perhaps fail in this recession. Now will you apply any of them?

Professional Development = Strong Reputation

2009-03-13T16:17:00.005Z

Anyone can be successful when times are good. Anyone can look good when the mood is great. It only takes an average person to make an above average living when everyone is making money.

The problem with that is that it's hard for you to stand out. In the daytime you can't see the lighthouse!

When times are tough, it's actually easier to stand out. Greatness shines through the gloom and mediocrity. How do you do that? Here are four ways using the wisdom of business philospher Jim Rohn.

Develop Yourself Professionally. As Jim Rohn says, 'The book you don't read won't help!' You've got to read, listen to audio cds, mp3s and podcasts. Immerse yourself in learning.
Welcome Problems. They make you better! Back to Jim: 'To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And third, who could I ask?'
Chase the Right Things. It's not about the money. It's about the things and the people you spend time on. That's what builds a compelling, authentic reputation. Jim says: 'Time is more value than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.'
Have a 'Can-Do' Attitude. Bad times will cripple some people. They'll demoralise others. But you can shine through if you actually try more things, take more risks adn open yourself up to more opportunities. Over to Jim: 'The worst thing one can do is not to try, to be aware of what one wants and not give in to it, to spend years in silent hurt wondering if something could have materialized - never knowing.'

If your competition can out-learn you, they can out-compete you. Professional development is your key to a professional reputation, especially in these tough times.

Depending on how you intend to make yourself the number one choice for what you do, I can help coach you to build an authentic, magnetic reputation!

Email Rob for an informal chat through how a coaching arrangement might work for you...

Reputation: Reality vs Perception

2009-02-27T21:40:00.000Z

"I think you have to have core skill first. No point in setting yourself up as a brain surgeon without the skill to operate. Results speak volumes and whilst reputation can be built on thin air, it's a bit like that biblical chap who built his house on sand - no longevity." Ian Davison

Why a Reputation Cuts Through Competition

2009-02-20T09:51:00.003Z

If you have competitors, my message to you is clear. All business is personal.

Even the biggest deals, orders, projects, funds, sales and contracts come down to two or more people making a connection.

If your ‘profit’ is more influence, respect, clients, support, challenge, reputation or excitement, you must go through other people to get it.

Your reputation and standing with these people is vital to your success.

Your reputation is your personal share price on the individual stock market of business.

It's the opinion others have of you. It's what they're saying behind your back. It's all that's left of you when you've gone and they're holding your business card wondering what to do next.

If you understand relationships, you'll begin to understand reputation.

RELATIONSHIPS = REPUTATION

Challenging times call for challenging strategies! While tough times come and go, tough people remain, which is why you need to work on the four things your competitors cannot duplicate or replicate:

Yourself.
Your reputation.
Your network.
Your relationships.

Now for a plug, just in case you don't quite know what I do when I'm not writing my blog!

My dynamic, motivational presentations, unique insight and energetic style will give you nuggets of instantly usable tips, scripts and strategies to help you mine the richest resources you have – your relationships and your reputation with others!

Call me on +44 (0) 115 846 2127 or email Rob if I can help you in any way.

Good Reputations Are Built in Bad Times!

2009-02-17T15:25:00.004Z

They say tough times come and go, but tough people stay!

It's easy to build a GOOD reputation when times are good. But it's harder to build a GREAT reputation!

When times are good, business is easy and you don't have to be too clever, too good or too signposted to do well. In short, the bar is lower.

When times are tough, business is hard, and you can't afford to lie back and wait for it to all blow over. Here are five reasons why you should build your reputation in the rough and tough times:

A bright light shines through darkness. When it's light all around, it's hard to stand out. When the outlook is darker, you shine through like a ray of hope through a sea of gloomy mediocrity!
You come out faster. Working on your skills and your good name means the recession ends sooner for you than everyone else.
You come out stronger and better. The personal and professional development you undergo in tough times makes you stronger and further ahead than your competition.
You steal market share. While everyone else is floundering, waiting and dawdling, you can attract a decent share of your competitor's business by simply being 'out there' and open for business.
You maximise your time. Most people are filling their 'down-time' with admin tasks while the market is quiet. Not you! You're working on your relationships, your reputation and yourself!

Whether you read my books and pocket guides, or somebody else's, your discipline will give you a seriously strong platform of networking and professional development on which to raise your game.

Sow seeds of training, development and learning NOW while you have the time. Sink time into reputation and relationship building strategies NOW while you have the space.

When the good times come back around, you'll be overflowing with opportunities, not scrambling to gain a foothold in the rush, like everyone else.

Top Reputation Tips for Tough Times

2009-02-10T18:09:00.003Z

It seems hardly anyone in business is immune to what's happening in the world today.

Author Neil Devine was recently telling me how he likes the recession:

"When everything is sunny, it's hard to see the light from individuals. However when it gets dark, people start looking for those who shine."

Having written the bestselling book How to Build Your Reputation, I know there is no better time for action than a global recession. The light shines through!

With a huge number of job losses, career realignment, vulnerability and saturation of talent in the labour force, you need to leverage the FOUR things your competition cannot duplicate or replicate:

YOU!
YOUR NETWORK!
YOUR REPUTATION!
YOUR RELATIONSHIPS!

That means:

Defining your personal value proposition
Crafting your personal brand
Positioning yourself properly with the right stakeholders, markets and influencers
Raising your profile with strategic networking
Building high-trust relationships with the right people
Networking a level above what you currently need
Planning the job after your next job NOW!
Making yourself the obvious and standout choice for what you do.

If you're not thinking of these things, you're either dumb, complacent, immune or ignorant. Take your pick!

I'm certainly working through these things. I'm not immune. What I do is brilliant! But it's a discretionary spend.

So I'm giving people reasons to choose me, book me, talk to me, engage me, pay me and at the very least, not forget me.

If you want to set up a coaching call with me for NO FEE so you can talk through your challenges and get my insight on them, there is a way!

Email me and I'll tell you how.

'To Do List' Productivity for Enhanced Reputation

2009-01-29T11:54:00.001Z

Few things enhance your reputation more than getting things done.

When you develop a reputation for action and speed, it's almost inevitable that you 'll soon become the 'go to' choice and number one option for what you do.

Most effective people make 'to do' lists. The problem is that everyone has 'to do' tasks that never seem to drop off your 'to do' lists! The reason seems to be that you don't separate a 'to do' from a 'project'.

A to-do is a single, specific action that will move a project toward completion. It's just one step. A project has multiple 'to do' steps.

A recent post on the Harvard Business site How to Write To-Do Lists That Work by Gina Trapani brought me some real value. Here's the gist of what she said in three powerful points:

Break it down. 'Go to a business networking event' is too big. Better to write 'Email Jim about what events he's attending next month.'
Move sequentially. After you've done that and edged closer, put the next 'to do' step on your list - 'Phone organisers of XYZ networking event, mention Jim's name and ask to be put on their guest list.'
Be specific. Use specific action verbs and include as many details as you'll need. 'Jim' is not as effective as 'Call Jim on 07816 846 213 and ask about the best networking events he's got lined up in February' is better.

The more detailed and specific you can be, with good action verbs, the more likely it is you'll avoid resistance and procrastination. As Trapani says:

"Your to-do list is your way of assigning tasks to yourself, so be as helpful to yourself as you would to a personal assistant. Make your to-do's small and specific to set yourself up for that glorious moment when you can cross them off the list as DONE."

When you follow through, turn things around quickly and show yourself as super-productive, you'll quickly become known as the 'go to guy' or 'go to girl' for what you do. Now that's building a great reputation!

Reputation Reality vs Reputation Perception

2009-01-27T10:47:00.003Z

One of the questions I'm asked as an authority on reputations is this one:

Is it easier to build the PERCEPTION that you're great at what you do, or the REALITY that you’re great at what you do?

The truth is that it depends. I've seen people go both ways:

1. Perception First. You can set a mission statement, set of values or service level that you aim to live up to. This is what I call 'The Name It and Claim It' approach to reputation building.

2. Reality First. Alternatively you can spend time on your craft and get really good at what you do. Thay way you generate your reputation along the way. In this case, your reputation is always behind the reality.

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be exploring these ideas more and sharing some insightful answers from a very informed Linkedin Business Community. Here are a few of their answers to the above question:

"It's easy to create perception - delivery is the hard bit!" Rory Murray

"It is easier to build a 'perception' that your great at what you do rather than actually being great at what you do. HOWEVER apart from being ethically wrong, the easy route only often only returns easy size results. Truth and reality pays dividends on a sustainable and strategically level. In an age of digital globalization, the 6 degrees of separation has now been reduced to more like 4. This means perception can be very quashed by a quick word posted on the internet." Nathan Nagel

"The hardest thing is to find someone who is really good at what they do. There are a lot fewer of them than people thought to be good at what they do. Perception is easier to build (but worth less)." Lyndon Sanders

"In 1999 I had to start anew, having moved my business to a brand new city where I was unknown. It had taken me 18 years to build my reputation in my previous city and I'd done that by building the reality first. I could not afford to wait another 18 years so I simply listed a set of business principles which I would stick to with clients and told them so. All I had to do was to see I make these principles achievable and to decide NEVER to compromise. In under three months I was on the local radio and in less than 12 months my reputation was accepted as a given. I shared these principles not only with clients but with new team members, my bank, my professional connections and of course to the media when possible. This has also added to the very solid business reputation I now have." Lee Clarke

I love this story from Lee - if you're time poor and want a quick impact, simply decide what you want to be known for and create that reality from that perception. Two pointers to bear in mind when building your reputation:

Be authentic. Keep it real and focus on things you are capable of proving and backing up.
Be purposeful. You don't need to be everything to everyone. Just be something to someone!

When you build your reputation following these two rules, you'll soon be an irresistible, compelling proposition and the obvious, number one 'go to' choice for what you do!

Service = Reputation = Business

2009-01-24T09:37:00.006Z

Reputations are made or lost in critical moments of contact.

Everytime people come into contact with you or your name, they have the chance to judge you, rate you and form opinions about you.

That's why personal branding is just one of the many elements you need to get right to build a strong personal reputation as well as a good company reputation.

One of these critical moments of truth is when people buy from you.

The UK has a traditionally low level of customer and client service, both in perception and reality. In the US, it's generally higher. Wherever you are, though, there's one word that kills great service. Satisfaction.

Here's a typical formula for satisfaction:

SATISFACTION = PERCEPTION - EXPECTATION

PERCEPTION = EXPERIENCE. Their perceived value (how they rated you/your product/your service and how happy they were with that experience)

EXPECTATION = ANTICIPATION. What they think will happen before dealing with you. Clearly the higher this is, the less likely they'll be satisfied.

The problem with the word satisfaction is that it's a weak word. If you want to build your personal reputation and your company one, here are three definitions you should work with:

Satisfaction - they don't hate you.
Loyalty - they like you.
Advocacy - they love you.

One of the measures of advocacy is high quality referrals. This month I'm doing a series of Advocacy Masterclasses for a major UK bank. They're learning how to turn customers and clients into fans and advocates.

When that happens, you can leverage your relationships into high-value endorsements, introductions and recommendations.

And that means your great service gives you a better reputation which gives you better business. That's the formula you should be working on!

Good Reputations Are Built in Tough Times

2009-01-17T14:16:00.006Z

Something I picked up on a Tim Ferriss blog recently. A mentor of his reminded Tim of how reputations and fortunes are conceived in tough times:

"While many are wringing their hands, I recall the 1970s when we were suffering from an oil shock causing long lines at gas stations, rationing and what President Jimmy Carter (wearing a sweater while addressing the Nation on TV because he had turned down the heat in the White House) called a 'malaise'.

It was during those times that two kids without any real college education, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, started companies that did pretty well.

Opportunities abound in bad times as well as good times.

In fact, the opportunities are often greater when the conventional wisdom is that everything is going into the toilet."

My business is being hit as much as anyone else. A lot of business I do is with banks, and almost every one is not hiring 'external experts' like me.

What can I do? If you think nothing, you're wrong.

How do I feel? If you think concerned, scared and overwhelmed, you're right.

Cash flow is a challenge, but I'm doing three things. You should be doing at least two of them:

Trusting in my God almighty for peace, direction and deliverance.
Using the quieter times to make myself better, stronger and more productive.
Staying connected to people rather than withdrawing. Not knowing where your next piece of business is coming from is humbling and enlightening. Stay close to people - relationships are your richest resource in tough times.

Good reputations are built in tough times. How are you planning to build yours and TAKE ADVANTAGE of the downturn?

Trust-Building Strategies in Tough Times

2009-01-15T19:58:00.004Z

Stephen M. R. Covey is the world's leading authority on Trust. He recently had this to say:

“Trust has never been more relevant in today’s world, especially in such difficult economic times, and now more than ever: the ability to establish, grow, extend, and restore trust with all stakeholders—customers, business partners, investors, and co-workers—is the key leadership competency of the new, global economy. Trust is a learnable and measurable skill that makes organizations more profitable, people more promotable, and relationships more energizing. We are thrilled with our increased ability to amplify our influence to fuel a global renaissance of trust.”

Here's a 2 minute video to give you an idea of what low trust (or an ignorance of trust) might be costing you:

One of the presentations I'm delivering shortly is Trust Building Strategies for Tough Times. Could this be something for your company to see?

If you want to know how to develop trust in your relationships and your reputation, contact me!

Procrastination Destroys Reputation

2009-01-07T18:04:00.005Z

I'm working with a team of high performing banking professionals. They're going through a lot of change. This is the kind of stuff I'm working with them on...

When you're driving through change and engaging stakeholders, every second of your precious time becomes important.

Your reputation depends on using your time optimally. It's easy to get carried away with stuff that's not important.

It's called procrastination.

Stop! You can waste significant portions of your day and your life by getting sucked into things that do not:

Play to your strengths.
Ultimately fulfill your dreams, goals, business objectives (pick any or all)
Make you any more productive, famous, rich or fulfilled

Just like 'once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic', you can never escape the shadow of procrastination. It must be fought daily.

Like a lion, it prowls at your desk ready to eat every minute you'll feed it.

You don't build a world-class reputation or a formidable network by frittering away your time.

Get a grip and be strong!

How to Make Next Year a Better Year

2008-12-18T12:01:00.003Z

You're coming into that time of year where you reflect on the year, consider what's gone well, learn from what's gone badly and set goals for the New Year. What you're really asking is:

"What can I do to get better?'"

Put another way,

"How can I make sure that next year is better than this one, in all kinds of areas?"

As you think about New Year's Resolutions (in whatever form you do it), know that your reputation and your networks and your relationships NEED YOUR INPUT!

If you want to get better, 'up your game' and move to the next level, you need to take on new knowledge, learn new skills and discipline yourself to do what counts.

You need higher level networks, higher level relationships and higher level skills. If you think that the stuff you're doing now will take you where you need to be, you're only half right. There will be new people, new skills and new strategies that will open the doors you need. How will you find them, acquire them and leverage them?

A great starting point is to invest in a Professional Development Library. These Pocket Guides will be a start for you!

Now have a great break and let's kick start 2009 with a bang for your best year ever!

Why You Need to Be Constantly Prospecting

2008-12-16T16:58:00.006Z

You are sitting on an absolute goldmine if you have loyal customers and clients. However, things change in business. Here’s five things that could happen to break you!

Your best customers go broke or get lured elsewhere.

Your most loyal clients move to a different town or adopt a different strategy.

Your key contacts retire, move on or even die.

Your own business changes, forcing you to drop old accounts and find new ones.

The market changes, becoming more competitive or forcing you to drop your prices.

These things happen everyday, and they mean you have to be opening up new markets as much as you can. Here’s an example to illustrate how crucial it is to actively seek out future business. Suppose one of your clients is a small consulting firm whose office is next to a property management company. Or suppose one of your clients is a pizza parlour, situated right next door to a kebab shop. It doesn’t really matter. Now consider that each business has its own equipment, employees and premises.

Here’s what could happen. They see that they have similar customers, similar equipment, similar issues and similar overheads. So what do they do? They join forces. They simply remove the wall that separates them. And they soon find out they don’t need two bankers, two lawyers, two web designers and two printers. You get the idea.

Some of these changes will be beyond your control. We call that ‘leakage’. You can’t do anything about it. Some changes will be down to you. If you lose business because of stuff you’ve done (poor service, poor strategy) we call that ‘wastage’. You sometimes can’t avoid either. All you can do is keep prospecting. When you do, you protect yourself from change while your competition will be blown away!

Rob Invited to TV's Secret Millionaire

2008-12-16T15:21:00.002Z

Received a lovely email this week inviting me to appear on the The Secret Millionaire. This is an award-winning and critically acclaimed documentary series about philanthropy on UK's Channel 4. Brilliant programme - I've been a fan for a long time. And while I'm negotiating with the producers on giving the whole thing a new twist, they asked me if I knew any millionaires who would be up for this amazingly positive and life changing experience. Could be you, a friend or client. Click here or connect with me if they want the contact details of the producers! Let's make a difference!

Part 3 - Networking Tips for the Busy Season!

2008-12-16T15:11:00.001Z

A recent article in Management Today came up with an interesting piece: Entrepreneurs Shy Away From Christmas Networking. Great magazine that took research by T-Mobile and concluded that SME owners are so busy fretting about their business, they're neglecting the key area of networking. It's easy to stay in the comfort of your office around these times, and heaven knows, I've done it myself. Following on from Part 1 and Part 2, here are a few more tips and incentives to get out there in the next few weeks...

In tough times such as these, it's natural to want to stay in the business and keep things steady. You may even feel guilty about leaving the office. As the above article said:

"81% of SME top brass said they were spending less time at seasonal shin-digs than they did last year - with the world economy going to hell in a handcart, they clearly feel they ought to have their hand firmly on the tiller, rather that spend time pressing the flesh with a nice glass of mulled wine."

Here are five reasons why you should be going to at least three social/business functions over the next two weeks:

The Strategy for Survival Is Visibility. If you want to hit next year with a bang, you can't afford to be a secret this year. Recency is a vital part of creating opportunities and building yoru business. Don't be a stranger.
Business Is Personal. The commercial is in the social. When the wine is flowing, the tongues are loosed, possibilities are discussed and secrets are spilled. Doors are opened but you've got to be in the game, and that means being in the conversation. People buy people, and even the biggest deals come down to two people shaking hands.
What's Your Alternative? With trade down for many people, late payments more common and headcount falling, your needs are not served by sitting in your office complaining. Network for your own career, for the future of your staff and for the future of your business.

Desperation Feeds Opportunity. Goodwill toward men (and women) means you can extend favour and also call it in. In tough times, people are looking for creative ways to make progress. Negotiations are often more yielding and a lot of joint ventures, alliances and partnerships can be forged that might otherwise take time.

Drop and Dip. This is my phrase for what you do at the end of the year in droppng some relationships that are not working, and dipping into new ones that will sustain you in the future. You may have heard the phrase 'what got you here won't get you there.' Wel' the network you have now is not enough to take you where you want to be. Some folks are holding you back, while others are ready to take you forward.

For your special Networking Christmas Professional Development Package, click here!

Part 2 - Networking Tips for the Busy Season!

2008-12-10T15:00:00.004Z

You're well into the festive season. but does it seem like the party atmosphere has not yet hit? After Part 1 of this three part series, we're moving onto a few social tips for Christmas and the New Year Celebrations.

Reputations can be made or mangled in this celebratory time. WIth an array of regular business-related events plus Christmas parties, festive 'mixers' and social gatherings, your good name is on the line.

Coming up are my Eight Top Tips to help you use the social side of business to enhance the business side of your reputation, including how to socialise, how to be seen with the right people and what not to do when you're networking!

Christmas is a great time of year to network. Christmas parties arranged by the office or attending other peoples functions can be an opportunity to unwind and enjoy yourself - have fun with colleagues and enjoy their company, and also to meet new prospects - in a relaxed and jovial environment. And it is possible to do this without making a total fool of yourself (or telling off the boss!).

Rob's Top Eight Christmas Networking Tips

Dig the Dress Code. Find out the dress code for the event well in advance. For ladies, it's best to find out what your colleagues are wearing, and the earlier you find out, the easier the task of dressing up is. If you networking at a party and have invited your partner, make sure they understand the style and type of the venue so they can dress accordingly. That said, have you ever heard the adage about how you should dress not like other people at your own level but like those at the level you aspire to? The more confident you are about the way you look, the more confident you will feel to network at a higher level.

Stay Sober-ish! Obvious, this. Stay on the right side of the line. And if you are having a drink, book a cab!

Stay Commercial. Just because it's Christmas doesn't mean you take a break from prospecting. You may have spent almost 50 weeks talking about work, perhaps even discussing it at home, but if you want to look forward to the New Year - the best way to do it is to know you have some warm leads and plenty to keep you busy during the dreaded month of January.

Good Manners = Good Business. Good manners cost nothing, so little stuff like complimenting people, remembering names (and partners and children!), making good small talk and not gossipping can make you memorable in a good way that means you leave them with more than a business card.

Be Unfashionable. Whilst it may be fashionable to turn up late to a party, don't make the mistake of thinking this will work when trying to network. Many business people will rush straight to an event from the office without going home first, so the chances are by 7 or 8pm they'll be ready to leave. You might miss them. Make sure you get to the event on time!

Work the Room. If the event you attend is a sit-down affair, make sure that you get up between courses and move about! It's virtually impossible to network when you are sat around a table.

Rekindle Old Flames. Networking at Christmas you often see contacts you haven't seen in a while. There are so many events and parties to attend! Hook up with contacts you've worked with in the past and try to get some repeat business.

Offer Help and Advice. They say it's better to give than to receive, and what better time to give than at Christmas? Go into the event looking for what you can give to others rather than what you can get out of it for yourself. You will be amazed at how people will react to you if you show a genuine interest in them and their business instead of what you can get from them. You will leave a lasting mark on them which will undoubtedly lead them back to you in the future.

Now go forth and enjoy the Christmas festivities! In a few days you'll get the final instalment of this series, including five great reasons why you should be out there networking in these tough times instead of holing up in your office watching the world go by! And look out for your special December offer to stock up on some Christmas gifts for yourself, your partners, colleagues, boss or team!

Part 1 - Networking Tips for the Busy Season!

2008-12-08T15:35:00.000Z

Some people call it the festive season. Others the silly season. Whatever you name it, you're coming into the busiest networking time of the year. On top of the regular business-related events comes an avalanche of Christmas party invitations, festive 'mixers' and social gatherings. Your reputation is at stake, as well as your business prospects for the start of the New Year. Here are some of my best tips for making the most of the busy season with better networking, enhanced profiling and powerful reputation building...

Choose Acceptances Carefully. Some people would have you accept every invitation that crosses your desk. I say NOT! It would be unproductive and you'd be exhausted by the end of the year! Accept only the ones that (a) are likely to contain the kind of people you want to meet; (b) fit with your diary and allow you to get your work done to the same high standards; (c) have a theme and are of a length that you will enjoy; (d) fulfil at least some of your commercial objectives.

Look Ahead. Now is the time to reflect on what relationships are working for you and what aren't. What connections have you been investing time in and passing referrals to that have not reciprocated. Who doesn't appreciate you, what you do and how you do it? Who do you need to dump, park or phase out of your life if next year is going to be better than this?

Think Help vs Sell. Few people are buying at this time of the year. The credit crunch isn't helping that. Switch your focus to helping people. Look to make introductions, pass on referrals and pinpoint holes in their network that you and your contacts can fill. Ask pain-seeking questions about things such as their plans for the following year. See if you can dip into personal as well as business aspects - many people are concerned about their private future as well as that of their company.

Make Dates. When you come across someone interesting, your primary objective is a 'one-to-one' or 'get together' in January or early Feb 'to explore a few ideas'. A collaborative approach to see what you can work on together and how you can help each other is always more welcome than an opportunity to pitch to people.

Think Alliances. Hone in on people that serve your target market but don't necessarily do what you do. When you find people who supply products or services that are complimentary or non-competing, you've got opportunities to add value to that audience.

In a few days I'll give you some more party season tips, including how to socialise, how to be seen with the right people and what not to do when you're networking! And watch our for a special December offer to stock up on some Christmas gifts for yourself, your partners, colleagues, boss or team!

Building an Authentic Reputation

2008-12-01T15:26:00.004Z

Recently my speaking coach Nigel Risner reminded me to bring who you are to what you do. Too often you spend our time and energy being what people want you to be. You make the job description fit the person, not the other way round. But there is another way. It's playing to your strengths and harnessing what makes you special into what adds value to the world. Here's how...

There is only one job in the world for which you are supremely qualified. For which you are by far the best candidate, and for which nobody else but you can do it perfectly. And that's the job of BEING YOU!

The only way to absolutely guarantee you get that job is to ask yourself pretty searching questions. Because great questions give you great answers! A couple that Nigel recently asked are these:

Who do you need or more importantly want to be?
Why are you waiting? And whose permission do you need?

Here are a few more of the many reputation building questions I ask on my seminars

If you are in a room with 10,000 other people, what would you be better than most of them at?
What do most people struggle to beat you at?
What kind of activities do you lose yourself in?
What gets you excited?
What do you pick up easily and learn quickly?
What do you look forward to that brings you the biggest buzz?

Not easy questions. But figuring out the answers will channel you into the right roles and the best jobs for you. They'll help you manage your boss and ensure they get the best out of you. Like lights on a runway, they'll shine the way to a fulfilling career that brings who you are to what you do in the most compelling, irresistible and attractive way!

If you want to pick up Nigel's Coaching Manual or get in touch, email here. Now go and be more of who you are and you'll soon be building a really authentic reputation.

What Moments Define Your Reputation?

2008-11-21T15:41:00.000Z

There are few who have not been touched by the credit crunch. Even those who have been sensible are being hit. With businesses falling, livelihoods crumbling and careers disintegrating, it's easy to throw in the towel and resign yourself to fate. However, there are critical moments of truth that can shape your reputation for the rest of your life. Here's a video of somebody who pushed through a cauldron of a situation to make a name that would be revered for the rest of his life...

When the 9-11 disaster struck, the then Mayor of New York was Rudolph Guliano. He made a formidable reputation for himself by galvanising a whole city in the aftermath. Whatever he does after that, and whatever you think of him personally, he will always be remembered and judged on his performance at that critical time.

In this troubled times, you can count yourself in or count yourself out. Michael Pink puts it well:

"Failure is the price we pay on the way to success. If businesses fail nine out of ten times, start ten businesses. One of them will succeed!"

Your reputation is what people say about you when you're not there. It's the impression you leave, the things you make happen and the way you show up in critical moments. Are you in or out?

Why Your Personal Reputation Is Like a Diamond

2008-11-19T15:53:00.002Z

So Barack Obama is the next US President! Remember from my bestselling Reputation Book that reputation is what people think, say, do and feel when they come into contact with you or your name. Obama's reputation made millions of people vote for him . But it's funny how millions didn't. Your reputation has many sides, like a diamond. Some people will love you and some won't, with many angles in between. Here's how it works...

You can't make people like you, love you, obey you and buy you. All you can do is speak, act and think in a way that increases the likelihood that your 'most wanted response' will occur. That is not to say you should go all out to make people like you. That's where celebrities go wrong! Trying to be all things to all people has brought down many an icon.

Here is the three stages you must go through to build a reputation of note and a name of consequence:

Start Inside. It starts with your character. If you consisently try to be something you're not, you'll go the way of many 'idols'. You'll fall short one day, and you'll either be 'outed' like George Michael or Martha Stewart, or have a nervous breakdown/end up in rehab/go to jail, like Michael Barrymore, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Strong values, a solid, consistent character and an authentic core make for a more compelling, long-lasting reputation.

Think Personal Brand. Your personal brand is that blend of messages and cues that tell the world who you are on the inside. It's the way you walk, talk, dress, sing, sell and relate. It's your business card, your website, your blog, your articles, your network and your brochures. All of this screams or whispers about who you are and what you do. You have to give people the right signs if you want them to perceive you in the right way.

Plan Your Reputation. What do you want to be known for? Famous for? Perceived as? There are ten strategies to build a reputation, and at least 100 separate tactics to implement your strategy. In the US Election, Obama wanted to be known for change, progression, inclusion, empathy and innovation. McCain wanted to be known for experience, track record, rock-solid integrity and honesty. The people chose their champion.

Some people think Obama will be America's biggest mistake. Others think he will be their biggest nightmare. That's different people looking at the same men in different ways. Your personal reputation has the sides of a diamond. Shape it, polish it and look after it. It's precious and priceless!

Online Networking to Build Your Reputation

2008-11-19T15:44:00.004Z

If somebody googled you, what would they find? Do you have an online presence, and indeed, do you want one? How open are you to the power of the internet to build your connections, your profile and your business? Whether you call it virtual networking, online networking, social networking or e-networking, this relatively new phenomenon is here to stay! Everyday, thousands of people join hundreds of online networking forums, communities, sites, clubs and virtual worlds. And here's why...

All kinds of people from inside and outside the world of business are creating relationships and spending significant time online.You may already be active in the face to face networking world. but how connected are you in the virtual one?

Online networking gives you a medium for spreading your words of wisdom, advertising your wares and marketing your personal brand. structure, which allows you to communicate quicker, easier and more frequently. Some time invested in your online networking will reap dividends for your reputation, your relationships and your business!

There are two kinds of online networking - business and social. The overlap is blurred, as social networks give you an online presence and access to contacts, ideas and markets. However, usually they are for keeping and making friends, sharing thoughts, interests, commentary and updates, and the ever-present dating scene (currently used by millions daily!). The business sites have a more commercial focus with an emphasis on alliances, profile-raising, referrals, marketing and prospecting.

Whether you're looking for company, clients, partners, jobs, work or insight, you can find it online. It should become an integral part of your reputation, relationship and business development. With a massive potential global market, the scope to build relationships with and be seen by almost anyone is a distinct possibility.

It's no good being the best kept secret in the world. The strategy for survival is visiblity. As Ivan Misner, founder of global networking outfit BNI, states, visiblity leads to credibility, which leads to profitablity. You've got to be out there because your competitors, your clients, your customers and your prospects are there already.

If your'e not already started, pick out one social network (Facebook is a good international one with a strong reputation) and two business ones. Ecademy and LinkedIn are my preferred ones. They're all free for basic services and it doesn't take much to set up your personal profile so that people can see you, connect with you and even do business with you. From a reputational standpoint alone, being anonymous online is no longer an option. Unless you're already a celebrity, being online is an absolute necessity!

Develop a Vision for a Great Reputation!

2008-11-13T15:47:00.000Z

Ever heard the saying that when you're passionate about what you do and on fire with desire, people will come from miles around to watch you burn? Well, someone in the USA has been 'on fire with desire' over the last few months, and ended up getting elected President of the most powerful country on the planet. Obama had a vision. Something bigger than himself that millions of people could get hold of. And he had the utmost clarity of that vision. When you wrap your energy and reputation around such a clear vision, you can convince almost anyone to do anything. Here's how...

My friend Daniel Priestley puts on world class events with world class speakers. He writes this

"Without a clear vision, days turn into weeks, weeks into years and years into decades... all in a blur of seconds. Is there anything more powerful than a clear vision? People who have a clear vision are able to overcome insurmountable odds to achieve unreasonable outcomes.

Think for a moment of the insurmountable odds that Barack Obama faced in becoming the President Elect. His name was similar to two of America's most infamous enemies, he was up against a Clinton, he was up against a war hero, he had the least experience of most candidates, he had no budget and he is a black man in a country that wouldn't have given him the right to vote 55 years ago.

Yet he had a clear vision and he could communicate it with intensity and poise; and on 20 January 2009 he will occupy the White House.

The business world is filled with stories of people who began their meteoric rise with nothing more than a clear vision: Oprah, Gates, Jobs, Branson..."

Think about what you want your reputation to do. You want people to notice you, pay you, engage you, approach you, revere you and respect you. Trouble is, you're too small, not established enough, have strong competitors, are too old, too young, too rich, too poor, too smart, too dumb, too black, too asian, too white, too educated, too lower-class, too experienced or too inexperienced to make it on your own.

What you need is a vision, a struggle, a dream, a notion, an idea or a concept that's bigger than you. So while people come around to noticing you and buying you, they're buying your dream. In doing so, they'll buy your arguments, your excuses, your thoughts and your passion. Now you're building a formidable reputation!

Think big and you can set the world alight. Even if you think s little bit bigger, you can dominate your town, your niche, your sector or your street. Get a vision!

Using Money to Build Your Reputation

2008-10-29T15:59:00.001Z

The US Presidential Election is upon us, and it's creating global interest on a number of levels. For a start, we'll either get the first African-American President or the first female Vice-President. Second, with the current financial crisis, it's fascinating how are the candidates raising and spending money. You have four seeds to sow in building your reputation - your time, your influence, your talent and your money. Let's take a look at how the money works in building your personal brand...

Take any global corporate brand such as Nike, Ikea, Coca-Cola or Virgin, and you'll find millions upon millions of dollars behind the branding. Take any global micro-brand such as Tiger Woods, David Beckham, George Bush, Barack Obama and Gordon Brown, and you'll see a scaled-down but still substantial investment in image, exposure, profile, presence and reach. For the first time ever in U.S. history, the candidates for president have raised more than $1 billion. Much of this has been spent on TV advertising. Imagine what kind of reputation you could make for yourself if you had $200m to spend on getting your face and your messages out to your target market?

Money is a powerful reputation-building tool. Remember that your reputation is what people think, do, feel and say when they come into contact with you or your name. It comes from your character and values, and is formed when people come into contact with your personal brand - those messages, signals, ads, campaigns, conversations and web hits. Money buys you greater reach, more reinforcement of your brand and your messages, and greater depth of penetration. You are seen, recognised and remembered by more people when you do three things:

Appear in the media - television, radio, newspapers and magazines
Raise your online profile - blogs, social media, articles and commentaries (both by and about you)
Increase your reach - networking, advocacy, viral marketing

Money plays a huge part in all of these, although you can work them on a low budget. It just takes longer. The things to remember are to pick your medium, pick your messages, pick your audiences and pick your moments. If you get that right, then usually the player with the biggest pot of money wins. And that's going to be Barack Obama.

See Rob Brown Live in London!

2008-10-25T16:03:00.000+01:00

I will be speaking with HR and cultural specialist Laxmi Chaudhry in London for the Global Marketing Network on Mon 3rd November. It's a special workshop on how to turn your relationships into profits in UK, India and other parts of the world! If you want to know how to network more confidently and effectively, build a powerful bank of contacts, increase your influence, create fans and advocates of what you do and establish yourself as the global go-to choice for what you do, then this is a high-content seminar you cannot afford to miss! Here's what you'll be covering...

How to network with confidence and purpose in all kinds of situations!

How to generate more referrals and recommendations for you and your business!

How to raise your profile and make yourself (even more) famous!

How to cultivate a powerful and unique position in your marketplace!

How to create both fans and advocates (there is a difference!)

How to play to your strengths to gain a competitive edge!

How to be more profitable and win more business!

How to enagage successfully with overseas business contacts in emerging markets such as India!

This full-day seminar is designed for senior executives, owner mangers, partners, managing directors and business development, marketing and sales personnel with responsibity for managing the stakeholder interface at an operational or strategic level and people who are concerned with building their personal reputation in UK and other emerging markets such as India.

Laxmi Chaudhry is a seasoned Human Resources and Cross Cultural Training professional, with 27 years experience in both strategic and operational HR and working across cultures. She has lived and worked in both Europe and Asia. Laxmi has been HR Director for The McGraw-Hill Companies in both UK/Europe and Asia and today is a specialist advisor on cross cultural management awareness and business effectiveness in UK, India, China and the APAC region.

It's at the UK India Business Council, 12 Floor, Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London SW1P 4QP. For more details, email gmn@gmnhome.com or call 0845 838 1860.Only five places left as of Mon 27 Oct!

Morals and Values in Building Your Reputation

2008-10-18T16:07:00.001+01:00

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown this week has asked for global markets to adopt a moral, value-based system of corporate governance. After the stock markets suffered their largest ever one-day fall, values like 'responsible risk-taking' and 'work ethic' are what seems to have been missing. As a result, the reputations of a variety of stakeholders, from government to banks to a public taking more and more personal credit card debt has suffered. Values underpin any personal and corporate reputation. Here's how it works...

As I've said many times before, your reputation is what people see, think, do and feel when they come into contact with you or your name. There are ten strategies to build your reputation, but whichever one you take, you have to track it back through your personal brand to your inner character and values. In my bestselling book How to Build Your Reputation, I explain how your inner qualities manifest themselves in your personal brand. This personal branding is how everything you have on the inside manifests its way on the outside.

The way you walk, talk and look is your personal brand. The car you drive, the clothes you wear and the house you live in is your personal brand. Your business card, your website, your elevator speech and your sales brochures are your personal brand. They reflect (or at least should do) what's going on with you on the inside. When you adopt a strong work ethic on the inside, you can see how that would come out in your attention to detail and your desire to do a great job for your clients. Now pay attention. This is where your reputation is formed.

When people see all of those cues, messages, signals, thoughts and values come out, they form an impression of you. If it's the second, third or more time they connect with you, they reinforce or undermine the previous perceptions of your personal brand. Here's three things you must do to ensure the best possible 'congruence' and authenticity between your inner values/character, your personal brand and your personal reputation:

Define and adopt a clear set of values you will live by. No more than five. I list 60 to choose from in my book. For example, many people pick 'family' as a value, yet continue to work long hours. They make the excuse that they're providing for the family. But what your kids want is more love, not more toys!

Ensure your 'moments of truth' conform to those values. Moments of truth are when people come into contact with you or your name. This is when perceptions are made. Think about what you want people to think, do, feel or say when those moments of truth occur. Build your personal brand around that.

Think long term. In the dictionary, a value is described as a principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable. Something like that doesn't happen overnight. Be in it for the long haul and see your inner values as a process to be honed rather than an event to be completed. When you do that, your personal brand will be enhanced and your personal reputation will soar!

7 Top Reputation Building Tips for the Downturn

2008-10-17T16:15:00.002+01:00

As we nose-dive into a real recession, almost everything gets squeezed. Yet, as I tell my clients, there are many things you can do in a downturn to take advantage of more thinking, developing and repositioning time. Here are 7 things you can do when times are hard and quiet.

Follow these 7 personal reputation building skills and you'll not only steal some market share from your competitors, you'll come out of the bad times stronger, leaner, quicker and better...

Work on your online social profile. Joining some of the social networking sites such as facebook, myspace gives you some kind of presence on the internet. Depending on the exact nature of your work, you might want to ensure your profile is not too friendly on these! Your prospects and your competitors are googling you. Make sure they like what they find!

Work on your online professional profile. The strategy for survival is visibility! Join a couple of the professional online networking site. ecademy and linkedin are my faves. And they're both free! Build your online reputation by putting up your profile. It's as easy as writing a word document, and it gets you seen!

Work on your business networking. These quieter times are great to reach out to people, build relationships and start conversations. Whether that means joining a recognised business club like BNI or simply attending a few more business events, it doesn't pay to stay anonymous in tough times. For a great start in this domain, get my Networking Pocket Guide. With 250 powerful business networking tips, it's a business book in 40 minutes!

Work on building your personal brand. Basically that means give some thought to what you want to be known for and what you're standing for. Consider what could make you 10% better and different from others that do what you do. Youdon't need to be radically different. Just perceptably and demonstratably different!

Work on your referral marketing strategy. Leads, customers and clients are harder to find when times are tough. Yet you have a terrific way to get to significant amounts of warm introductions; through your existing relationships. By articuating what kind of business you're looking for and why you're the 'go to' choice, you putyourself ina strong position to begin asking people 'who do you know that...?'

Work on your mental toughness. Not all of the tough times are in your head, but some of it is. Two similar people will react differently to adversity. Remember the two sales people sent to Africa to sell shoes. One said 'no market here - nobody wears shoes.' The other said 'great market here - nobody wears shoes.'

Work on your overall marketing strategy. In an economic downturn, you need to be marketing savvy. That could mean diversifying, unifying, looking at new markets, new marketing methods and new systems for doing things. All of which comes down to your ability to pick the right car and travel in the right lane to the right destination with the right package. That's marketing!

All of these 7 things are exactly what I do for my professional clients, particularly in the banking, accounting and legal sectors. If you'd like to know how I could help you accelerate during the tough times, craft your personal brand and build a powerful reputation, give me a call on 44 (0) 115 846 2127.

Standing Out With Your Personal Brand

2008-10-17T16:11:00.000+01:00

As the credit crunch hits hard and 'the fat lady' of world recession begins singing, are there any opportunities or upsides? It's hard to stand out as a professional in a cluttered, noisy marketplace, without giving some thought to your personal brand. If you want to be the stand out choice, building your personal brand helps people come to you. If you're not familar with the idea of personal branding, take a look at this quick slide show by one of the world leading personal branding experts.

This is a quick slide show by Hajj E. Flemings, leading US personal brand strategist, on what a personal brand is. No need to take in everything as it's quite overwhelming. It will give you a feel for how strong personal branding works.

What can you learn from this? Three things.

A brand is more than a commodity. A personal brand is more than a person. If a substitute for you is as good as you, then you're a commodity. People need something a little different if they're going to choose you, above and beyond all of their other choices.

Your personal brand should make an emotional link. If you're going to send out the right cues and mesages (your brand) to build the personal reputation you desire, you've got to engage people with something that will swtich them on and appeal to their senses.

Personal branding is not something that just happens. You've got to think about it. The great examples Hajj gives did not happen overnight. Some serious thought went into them. What's going into yours?

The Role of Personal Reputation in Politics

2008-10-13T16:21:00.003+01:00

Behind almost every corporate and organisational reputation comes a personal one. In a recent UK political poll, as well as asking which party the public would vote for, the poll showed people trusted Prime Minister Gordon Brown more to handle the current crisis than his opponent, David Cameron. You might think this points to Brown having a strong personal reputation. You'd be wrong. And here's why...

First, let's be clear that Brown has done his party some good with his handling of the financial crisis. The Prime Minister has played to his strengths and reinforced his personal position. However, the poll showed that Mr Brown's personal reputation among voters remains weak.

Remember that your reputation is what people think, do, feel and say when they come into contact with you or your name. It's how they perceive your personal brand and what you stand for. In Brown's case, only 37% agreed that he was someone who had the experience needed to steer Britain's economy through this crisis. Almost half agreed that he had 'mismanaged Britain's public finances when he was Chancellor, and he will use the crisis as an excuse for raising taxes.' Less than a third think he is handling the crisis 'well'. 37% say he is doing badly.

Whilst plenty can be read into polls and statistics, the fact remains that many people do not like him or trust him. You could argue that they trust his opponent Cameron less, but now is not the time to be unpopular. Here's what you can learn from this for your own personal reputation, your personal brand and making yourself the number one choice for what you do:

Confidence builds trust builds reputation. When people have faith in you, they will begin to trust you. That builds your personal reputation.

It's not about leading your current competition. Just because you're more trusted than your opponent, doesn't mean you win. People could choose not to go for either of you.

Poll your own customers and clients. They are the ones that vote for you. When you ask them how you're doing, you want to hear good answers, or bad ones you can work on!

The Shattered Reputation of the Banking Industry

2008-10-08T16:37:00.004+01:00

See what's happening now? Reputations are falling, both in entities such as banks and government, and individuals, such as Chancellor Alistair Darling and Prime Minister Gordon Brown. A reputation is like a brand - it requires trust and 'a promise'. Here's how it works and what you can learn from it to build your own reputation.

With responsibility comes accountability. Those elected politicians and heads of banks have enormous power, and thus huge responsibility. The more famous you are, the more you are watched and positioned where the buck stops. If you are a professional footballer watched by millions, you become a role model for some, whether you want to or not.

Your personal and corporate reputation is affected by many things, but it all comes down to trust. Trust is the promise that 'all will be well' and that there will be no unpleasant surprises. It's like a brand, isn't it? You buy well because you know you're getting certain things.

The problem in the banking and financial world is that the public (who are essentially having to bail the banks out) have seen decades of big banking bonuses, big banking profits and big banking mentalities. Now that the banks and bankers are paying for their greed, trust is eroded and thus reputations destroyed.

This Labour Government is no better off. Under leader Gordon Brown, they have presided over a long period of boom, and spent up without putting anything aside for a rainy day. People lose trust in things like that.

What can you learn? Three things:

Be careful what you promise.
Be a good steward of other people's money.
Build your reputation well in the good times so it will protect you in the bad times.

What Is Your Personal Reputation?

2008-10-06T16:45:00.000+01:00

Ever stop to think exactly what your personal reputation is? Probably not. The trouble is, you already have a personal reputation, whether you realize it or not. According to Reputation Defender, the definition of personal reputation is the opinion held by a given part of the community of an individual. This is a good start, but a study of reputation takes this a lot deeper. From my best-selling book on becoming the 'go to' choice for what you do, personal reputation is...

...your REP - the Reason Everyone Pays!

What do you want people to pay you? Three things:

Money. Obviously money makes the world go round. As Zig Ziglar said, 'money's not important, but it ranks right up there with oxygen!" A great personal reputation will ensure you get the best deals, projects, fees, sales and contracts. You will be able to charge premium beause of your credibility, your good name and the trust you've built into your personal branding.

Attention. In today's cluttered world, there are too many other people and companies that do what you do. In order to stand out in a crowded marketplace, you need a powerful personal reputation that says 'I am the 'go to' choice!'

Respect. While we all want a bit more money and a bit more attention, it's the respect and recognition that comes with a world-class reputation that many people crave. The perks, the fame, the celebrity, the networks, the rubbing shoulders with movers and shakers, the awards and the accolades - these are what make a great reputation something to be coveted and strived for.

As 'Mr Reputation', I coach individuals in both employed and self-employed positions to be the obvious choice, the clear expert and the compelling proposition out of everyone else. If that sounds like you, and you're looking for a faster career track, more opportunities, more clients, more money and more recognition, we need to talk!

Re-Building Your Personal Brand

2008-09-28T16:50:00.001+01:00

Every so often you need to overhaul your personal brand. From the Amazon best-selling book How to Build Your Reputation, you'll see that your personal brand is simply all the messages, cues and signals you give people. Every time they come across you or your name, though all those personal branding messages, they think, do, feel or say particular things. This is called reputation. Want to know when you should overhaul your personal brand?

Your personal brand seriously affects yoru personal reputation. If you're not sure of the difference, think of it this way. Your personal brand is the combination of messages you give to the outside world. The way you walk, talk, dress and look. Your car, your card and yoru website. Your personal reputation is how people react to and percieve those messages. And you need to keep refining and overhauling

I once heard a really powerful phrase:

'What got you here won't get you there.'

Put simply, it means your current skills, your current reputation, your current client base, your current network and your current attitude is good enough to get you where you are. You need to be constantly looking for ways and times to step up with your personal reputation building. Here are three times to consider overhauling your personal reputation:

When times are good. Be ready to catch the next wave. Good times can make you complacent. And remember that if it's going well for you, your competition are watching you closely. That's why this is a perfect time to kick on.

When times are bad. If it ain't working, fix it. During a downturn such as we're having right now, it's a great time to re-evaluate your personal brand and re-design your personal reputation plan.

When your competiton say you're doing great! Ever thought they don't want you to change? They're quite happy you doing what you're doing. Meanwhile they're stealing market share and building their personal reputations to overtake you. Be wary and lead the field!

For more insight into building your personal brand and reputation, you need this Amazon best-selling book!

Why Settle for Mediocrity?

2008-09-19T16:54:00.003+01:00

I spend a lot of time showing my clients how to enhance their reputations and become the 'go to' professional for what they do. I'm not the only one who sees this as important. Spend five minutes out of your day and listen to world-class thinker Seth Godin on the Mindset of a Winner. This video will open your eyes to personal reputation building!

Are you going to be mediocre?

Wondering how to enhance your reputation?

Your success will be largely dependent on what other people see, think, do and say when they come into contact with you and your name. It's no good just being good. You've got to be seen as good and chosen as the premier provider, advisor or suppler of what you do.

How can you ease away from mediocrity and become the number one 'go to' choice for what you do?

A terrific place to start is this Amazon best-selling book. It will show you how to;

* Get people talking about you

* Make people trust you and listen to you

* Help you stand out in a crowd full of average 'samies'

* Win the work, clients and opportunities you deserve.

Click here for more details>>

Why You Need to Be Constantly Prospecting

2008-08-23T16:58:00.001+01:00

You could be sitting on an absolute goldmine of a business that will make you money and give you a great lifestyle for ever and a day. However, things change in business. Here’s five things that could happen to break you!

Your best customers go broke or get lured elsewhe

Your own business changes, forcing you to drop old accounts and find new ones.

The market changes, becoming more competitive or forcing you to drop your prices.

How Good Are You At Marketing?

2008-08-11T10:25:00.001+01:00

Ready for a couple of interesting statistics?

Around 50% of marriages fail.

Around 80% of businesses fail.

Now I’m not a marriage advisor, but I can tell you that pretty much all the business that fail, do so for one of two reasons:

Lack of marketing.

Lack of money.

And it stands to reason that if you don’t get the first one right, the second one is a dead cert! See, the world is full of technically-able people. There are great cake-makers, terrific life coaches, top accountants and lawyers, knowledgeable financial advisors and brilliant designers. However, if you can’t market yourself and what you do, you’ll always be scrambling with the crowd to get ahead.

Before every sale comes the marketing. Without it, you don’t get the people to sell to. You don’t create the opportunity to sell. You don’t source the prospects to sell to. Which, unless you are so good that people beat a path to your door, is a problem. You can’t get away from marketing. It’s the way you communicate to the world generally and to your target market in particular, the following three things:

You are open for business.

You are better than most at what you do.

People should choose you, above and beyond all of their other choices, when they need what you do.

It’s no good being the best kept secret in the world. And in today’s highly competitive world, it’s not good enough to be good enough! If you want to rise to the top of your field, and have all the benefits of wealth, status and opportunities that go with that, you need to be able to market yourself. When you get good at the marketing, the selling becomes a whole lot easier!

"The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose.
E. M. Gray

You can’t make partner in a law firm by simply being a good lawyer. You can’t rise to the top of your company be being simply efficient. You must be able so market yourself and your ideas. You must be able to communicate your vision and your opinions.

I see so many people who are so brilliant at their job, but struggle to make the impact they want to. When I work with people one to one on my personal coaching program, we focus on this self-marketing and reputation building so they get the opportunities they deserve. On purpose rather than by chance!

Make no mistake. When you get good at the marketing, the selling becomes a whole lot easier!

Your Resources Are In Your Relationships

2008-07-09T10:34:00.000+01:00

Spoke at a wealth seminar this weekend to an audience of people from all walks of life. They had at least one thing in common - the pursuit of wealth. Now as a committed Christian, one of my passions is educating people on what the Bible says about wealth. However - this was slightly different. The organisers were far-sighted enough to present experts such as myself to offer a more holistic view of wealth. That meant covering the motivations behind wealth, the need to make key decisions for the right reasons, and also the importance of thriving personal relationships.

Personal development guru Brian Tracy was speaking about the most important things in life. First, he said, was health, because without that, nothing else has very much flavour. He added that it's no good making millions if you don't live long enough or stay healthy enough to enjoy it. My good friend Terry Brock endorses this view of health first, then everything else second.

Taking that further, I would say that without the right connections, partners, friends and loved ones, nothing else in life has very much flavour. With divorce at an all-time high (50% of marriages failing), it's clear that as well as struggling with our business relationships, our personal ones are suffering too! We're all familiar with the busy, successful people who spend so much time making money that they come back to empty houses, wayward children and broken relationships.

If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?
Stephen Levine

At the weekend, I met Tony and Nicki McVee and their colleague Rob Hargreaves, who are experts in human, romantic, personal relationships. These people not only talk the talk, but walk the walk! From books and cds to retreats in Austria for couple and singles, they humbly reminded me of the need to keep things in perspective and never forget that our richest resources are always in our richest relationships. Who could you love a little more today?

Five Steps to Personal Gravitas

2008-06-28T10:37:00.001+01:00

Personal Gravitas could just be your greatest reputational asset.

However, it is a somewhat misunderstood term. Moreover, there is still some contention as to whether it's a good thing or a bad thing. What we do know is this:

Cream rises to the top of the milk.

In the same way, those people with a depth of character, a serious credibility and a compelling personality seem to...

Rise to the top of their professions.

Assume positions of major influence.

Accelerate their career.

Acquire the best reputations.

Attract the best ventures and opportunities.

Exert the greatest influence.

Add the most value.

Make the biggest difference.

If you want to rise to the top, you require the capacity to network with higher level people, have higher level conversations and ask higher level questions. You need higher level insight and you need a higher level reputation. If you don't do it on purpose, you run the risk that it might not happen by accident! What are you doing to increase your gravitas? Here are five things you can get started with:

Read Read Read! Work on your knowledge, because when applied it gives you wisdom and power. Both are facets of gravitas.

Network Network Network! No good being a well-kept secret. Get out there and make connections. Gravitas is often acquired though association.

Take a Step Back! Those with personal gravitas seem to speak less, listen more, observe plenty and take things in. They don't feel the need to speak all the time.

Ask Insightful Questions! Make people think, keep them sharp and make them clarify things. This makes you look sharp and insightful - two critical elements of gravitas.

Take the Gravitas Survey! Go to http://www.personalgravitas.com/shape.html and join hundreds of other prominent business figure, thought leaders, commentators and experts who are offering their insight and understanding to the gravitas debate.

When you get gravitas, incredible things begin to happen!

What is Wealth?

2008-06-23T10:39:00.000+01:00

"Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot.

In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you."

Oscar Wilde (Irish Poet, Novelist, Dramatist and Critic, 1854-1900)

A good mentor of mine taught me that the best thing you can do for the poor is not to be one of them. Always stuck with me, that. As we begin to learn that China has done more for their poor by giving them jobs than Africa has done by giving their poor aid, one naturally asks 'how can I make a difference?

I once went out with a very rich woman when I lived in Hong Kong. She taught me that money gives you choices. Trouble is, not everyone knows both how to make it, and how to use it. That's why I'm speaking at the Wealth Thing Seminar on 5th July, and I invite you to join me.

From property to investing to internet marketing, you'll meet some of the world's best experts to give you insight, opinion and a truck-load of wealth tips so you can make your own difference.

Now don't get me wrong. I'm not a wealth expert. I'm going to learn too. I'll simply be giving my insight into what really matters both as you create wealth and once you attain it. Your relationships!

For more details and to book your place, click here. I'll see you there!

"Wealth is the ability to fully experience life."
Henry David Thoreau (American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher, 1817-1862)

The Power of Focus

2008-06-12T10:42:00.001+01:00

'You become effective when you become selective.'

Ever wondered why you don't get the results you want from your networking? Or why you don't get the referrals you want? It's because you get distracted! You live in a world of rapid change, overloaded demands and conflicting priorities. It's no wonder you don't build sufficient momentum in any one particular direction before being pulled away to another.

Just like the light from a torch shines everywhere but not very far, so your energies are dispersed very quickly when you spread yourself in too many directions. Contrast that to a laser beam that focuses a huge amount of energy in one particular direction. It can cut through steel!

Nothing is as potent as a focused life!

Prolific Christian author Bob Gass says that the men and women who make the biggest difference in life are the most focused:

"If you want your life to have impact, focus it! Stop dabbling. Stop trying to do it all. Do less. Turn away from even good activities and do only what matters most. Never confuse activity with productivity."

Gass also quotes poet William Matthews:

"One well-cultivated talent, deepened and enlarged, is worth a hundred shallow faculties. The first law of success un this day when so many things are clamouring for attention is concentration:to bend your energies to one point and to go directly to that point, looking neither to the right nor to the left."

If you know what you want, simply get moving on anything, however small, that will take you in that direction. Even better, get working on that task, that conversation or that event that will have the biggest impact on making your goal happen.

Trouble is, focus is difficult for most people. Even me. Which is why I practise it like a skill and work it like a muscle. Yes, I have off-days. But I know it's a discipline that I practise every day. Do you?

Playing Monopoly in Your Business!

2008-05-31T10:49:00.001+01:00

Did you know the game of Monopoly was created by a unemployed heating engineer named Charles Darrow ... and that his first version of the game was developed in 1935?

I didn't until Alex Mandossian told me. The toy company rejected Darrow's idea because they said it had 52 fundamental flaws and would never become a big seller.

Today, Monopoly is so successful that Parker Brothers (the toy company that did like Darrow's idea), prints more than $40 billion of Monopoly money each year... which twice the amount of real money printed by the U.S. mint!

What can we learn from this in building your business your relationships and your reputations? Four things:

1. No matter what you do, people will hate you, rubbish you and ignore you. Doesn't make them right or wrong. It just is. Don't take it personally. It's usually not you.

2. Not everyone has the insight and empathy to see your good ideas. Whatever you're selling (your products, your servies, your opinions, your vision or your company), you may not ignite the interest of the first person you run it past. Knock on another door.

3. Persistence pays. History is littered with stories of inventors, authors, performers, entrepreneurs and visionaries who were ridiculed and derided as they came out of the gate. You need the resilience to get up off the floor and the persistence to get back in the game.

4. Think 'Monopoly' in your business. For you, that means coming up with great BD! Not business development, but BETTER and DIFFERENT! Instead of fighting with everyone else, can you create a category or nishe for yourself? One that you can dominate?

"Being first and then striving for perfection — instead of fighting to be best in a crowded space — is the fastest path to mindshare."

Tim Ferris

Creating Advocates

2008-05-31T10:45:00.001+01:00

Most companies arrange their customer or client service questionaires around the phrase 'satisfaction'. In my work on advocacy, I show my clients how worthless this word actually is. A satisfied client or customer is one for whom you've not messed up yet! One for whom you've done what was expected and little more.

In the language of advocacy where I work, there are different words and phrases to turn customers into clients into fans into advocates. Remember a fan is merely a happy client who is happy to 'big you up' if given the opportunity to do so. An advocate is one who actively looks for and creates opportunities to position and recommend you to others.

Customers take home products. Clients take home stories.

Tourists bring back souvenirs. Explorers bring back memories.

Clients get a good service. Advocates get a great experience.

Sales people win accounts. Leaders win hearts and minds.

Are you getting this? So how do you turn people into advocates? Well aside from spending some time with me where I coach you through it, one thing you can do is look to create delight. Solutions to problems. Stories. Experiences. Adventures.

When you begin to think of BD as BETTER DIFFERENT instead of BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, you'll be on the road to developing advocates for you and your business!

For a few smart ways to do this today.

What Difference Do You Make?

2008-05-17T10:52:00.001+01:00

What impact do you have on people? There are only five ways people can come into conntact with you or your name:

Internet - your website, your emails, your e-newsletters, your blogs and online profiles.

Face to Face - networking, seeing you speak or perform, being introduced to you personally.

Media - by radio, TV, magazine and newspaper articles.

Literature - your letters, marketing brochures, books, publications and guides.

Reputation - hearsay, gossip, recommendations and referrals.

When people do connect with you, what exactly do they get from you? Is it:

A friendly chat and a nice smile?

Expert professional advice?

Resources to help them build their business?

Help, tips hints strategies to help them solve problems?

Inspiration to take action in a certain direction?

New ideas and ways of doing things?

Answers to their questions

Changed thinking and behaviours

What ever it is, you'd better be making a difference! If you want attraction, differentiation and reputation, you need to consider carefully what people get when they come to you, instead of going to anyone else. If you cannot define and market that, you'll be the best kept secret in the world. And broke!

Do You Have Gravitas?

2008-05-07T11:00:00.001+01:00

After the success on Amazon (top ten) of How to Build Your Reputation, I'm working with my co-author Debbie Binner on my latest venture: Personal Gravitas - What Is It, Who Has It, Who Needs It and How to Get It!

If you want:

People take you (more) seriously

A greater depth of personality

To stand out more from the crowd

To open up more opportunities for you and your business

More charisma and appeal

To fast track your career

To be a more credible, forceful and compelling leader

To be a more feared, respected and intimidating opponent

To be someone people turn to for advice and judgment.

Then this is a little-understood and crucial subject matter that In researching the book, we're collecting the views of the top journalists, broadcasters, writers, experts , business leaders and thought-leaders worldwide. So if you:

Would like to appear in this book.

Have any particular insight, examples or thoughts on this topic.

Would like to shape the content in one way or another.

Know key people who would add value to this project.

Then take part in 10 minute Gravitas Survey and be one of the first to see the research results. You can even pre-order your own copy of the book. Go to www.personalgravitas.com and simply click 'Shape the Content'.

Boris Johnson and Personal Reputation

2008-05-03T10:56:00.000+01:00

So Boris Johnson is now the Mayor of London! The so-called buffoon of the Tory party ("Don't Vote for a Joke"), who supposedly lacked the gravitas and credibility to make the race even close, has won. Ken Livingstone, his predeccessor, lost by 140,000 votes across the whole of London. Now that's quite slim. And the lesson is that in business, you don't need to be infinitely better than your competition.

A horse that wins by a head and gains 10 times the prize money of the horse that comes second is not ten times faster. Johnson won because of two concurrently occuring processes:

1. His own positive reputation grew. He worked hard to be more credible, more sensible, more serious, more formidable and more 'political'.
2. His opponent's negative reputation grew. He was undermined by suspect associations with his team (something that might well prove the undoing of Barack Obama) and a systematic failure to deliver on made promises.

Of course there were other factors. The reputation of Prime Minister and Labour leader Gordon Brown brought something of a protest vote into play. Livingstone got himself on the wrong side of Andrew Gilligan of London's flagship paper The Standard ("tired, out-of-date and beset by allegations of sleaze"), and was on the back foot from the start.

What can you learn from this? Two things. First, personal reputations count. The people you associate with and the personal brand you portray makes people do, think, feel and say certain things. You want those cues and messages to be favourable. Remember your personal brand is the outward manifestation of everything on the inside - the way you walk, talk, look and come across.

Second, you can turn around a bad reputation with time, effort and consistency. As Boris Johnson did - he's now the most powerful man in London town!

Dealing with Competitors

2008-04-28T10:57:00.002+01:00

If what you do is optional, or what you do has competitors, people can choose NOT to use you! Now read that again.

Buyers have choices. What strong brands, persuasive sales people and compelling propositions do is narrow those choices. They blind buyers to the competition and encourage them to buy from you. How do you do that? One of the most important ways is to pay a healthy disregard to your competitors.

"When we stopped looking at what our competition were doing and started looking at what our customers were doing, that's when we became number one."

Terence Leahy, CEO of Tesco, one of the largest supermarket chains in the world

If you pay too much attention to your competitors, you are in danger of looking, thinking and acting like them. That's why 90% of banks, accounting and legal firms do exactly the same. You have three choices with competitors:

Devote more than 1% of your TME (time, money and effort) monitoring them and allowing them to dictate your strategy.

Ignore them completely.

Something in-between.

Now I'm not advocating the first two. Why? Because you need to have some idea. You can get great ideas from your competitors on both what to do and what not to do. But keep it healthy! Save room for innovation. Sail your own ship. Plough your own furrow. Do your own thing.

When you do, you'll find that you give people a good reason to choose you instead of all of their other choices, including doing nothing!

Personal Reputation Rules!

2008-04-04T11:04:00.000+01:00

With a range of corporate fiascos from British Airways Terminal 5, Northern Rock, the Iraq War and Enron, it's never been clearer that a strong corporate reputation is vital. What's less obvious is the need for strong and positive personal reputations. That is, regarding individuals rather than entities.

I've been delighted that my book How to Build Your Reputation is now in the Top Ten for Personal Development on Amazon. If people are buying this book in big numbers, one might conclude that people like you are now starting to see that reputation is important.

So what is all the fuss about? Well, first, you already have a reputation. However, there are two problems:

1. You don't know exactly what your reputation is
2. You don't know exactly what you've done to get it!

Second, there are many benefits to strategically building your good name, such as 'go to' status, preferential perks, greater trust, less marketing spend, more choice on clients and customers, more interesting opportunities and higher recognition.

One person whose reputation I've been looking into is Dr Ivan Misner, founder of global networking organisation BNI. Despite having not met Dr Misner yet, I know plenty about him, and hold him in very high esteem. Whether deliberately or coincidentally, he follows at least three of the ten personal reputation building strategies:

Reputation by Outcomes: Dr Misner founded the world's largest networking concern. That's a specific outcome for which he is known and famous. There are many others, such as authored books. What have you made happen?

Reputation by Relationships: Dr Misner associates with incredible people. His co-authored books tell of strong links with key individuals. Who are you associating with that is enhancing or undermining your reputation?

Reputation by Profile: Dr Misner is ubiquitous. He pops up almost everywhere. He is a prolific writer and thought leader. His opinions count and his ideas resonate throughout the business world. Where do you appear that lets people know you're around and what you're doing to make the world better and different?

My best is that this stuff didn't happen by accident! So what are you doing today to enhance your personal reputation?

Network with the Right People

2008-04-04T11:03:00.000+01:00

"Your network is who you know. Your reputation is who knows you."
Rob Brown

Always remember that the first builds the second. By getting around the right people, you increase the possibility of introductions and advocacy amongst those people you want to get around. However, too often you associate with the wrong people, and find yourself having the wrong kind of conversations.

Yes, networking is a phenomenal way to source and build relationships. But you have to do it on purpose with the right audience. Here are ten tell-tale signs you are talking to the right people:

They are interested in a long term relationship rather than a one night stand.

They ask how they can help or advise you rather than sell to you.

They make the effort to get to know you beyond the current networking experience.

They demonstrate and illustrate their expertise, rather than assert and claim.

They wait until they have built sufficient credibility before asking for business or referrals.

They show signs that they want to talk about non-business things to build trust.

They have clarity in both their needs and their proposition - this saves a great deal of time!

They ask more questions of you and your business than you do of them and theirs.

They are willing to explore possibilities.

They are willing to introduce you to their network.

When people invest their time and effort into you, and open you up to a wide range of possibilitites, you have someone who makes a great networking connection. Likewise, people who do not show signs of wanting to help and build a relationship do not generally represent the best networking contacts to help you move your business forward.

Final point - are you someone who shows the above tell-tale signs?

How to Build Better Business Relationships

2008-03-23T10:51:00.000Z

What many people don't realise about building relationships is that you've got to go out there and find them in the first place. New friends, customers and suppliers are not just going to land on your doorstep, unless your advertising and marketing is incredible. You need to be a little more proactive. Here are four of my best ideas to help you source and build the relationships you need for profit and success!

1. Take More Risks. Be brave. Take a chance! Approach a stranger. Who know what conversations lie on the other side of a courageous question? Who know what sales lie on the other side of a courageous close? Who knows what romance lies on the other side of a courageous approach?

"Nothing in life is worth having that doesn't lie on the other side of a risk"

Columbian proverb

2. Raise Your Profile. Get your name out there more. Let people know you're there. It doesn't serve your purpose to think small, and it doesn't help your cause to be the best kept secret in the world. Your strategy for survival is visibility, as on old mentor once taught me. Profile yourself with my three Ps - publish (books and articles), present (speaking, seminars) and party (networking).

3. Keep In Touch. Stay connected after the initial connection. Many relationships are like the seed that falls on stony ground. They never take root, and never get the love, attention, water and nourishment they need to grow. Anyone can say hello once. It's finding reasons to stay in touch, finding ways to help and offer value, finding things in common that is the mark of a great relationship builder.

4. Be A Connector. Be a conduit that people go through to get to others. Good mavens (as they are called) are good at joining the dots of people's careers, interests and desires. They make great introductions. If you can be a networking hub, people will come to you for advice on who to talk to for all kinds of things.

Get these right, and before too long, you'll be the talk of the town. Your business relationships will blossom and both your personal and company reputation will go sky high!

Sales is Not a Numbers Game!

2008-03-22T11:07:00.000Z

Ever been told that sales is a numbers game?

You don't hear a soccer coach saying to his team 'now just go out there and shoot as much as you can. It's just a numbers game. Doesn't matter where you are, just shoot!' Or a basketball coach saying 'just put the ball up there. Doesn't matter how, Just throw it towards the hoop.'

It's not true that the more shots you take, the more you score. It's true that the more quality shots you take, the more you score! If you're in charge of a team, you can either measure results or activity. If you measure sales calles, phone calls or networking events, then you're measuring quantity and not quality. What about measuring sales or leads?

If you manage a team, are you spending your time measuring targets, figures and activity? Or do you spend time on people, coaching, nurturing, encouraging, getting in there with them and helping them get better?

Art Sobczak is the best guy n the world for my money on helping people win business by phone. He gives these three tips:

Sales is NOT just a numbers game. It's a quality game.

Activity, for the sake of activity, indeed gives numbers. It also contributes to burnout, poor calls, bad morale, resentment of managers and turnover.

The most important number at the end of a day, week, month, or year should be sales and profits.

Don't tell them to do more. Help them to do better!

Are You Into Professional Development?

2008-03-11T11:08:00.001Z

Some (hopefully rhetorical) questions for you. Would you...

Trust a doctor that was not up to date on latest medical conditions?
Engage a lawyer that was not aware of the latest laws?
Trust an accountant who was not aware of the latest tax framework?
Reveal your financial secrets to a bankers who was loose on regulation and compliance?

I've recently been chosen to be the Preferred Partner in Relationship Marketing for the Global Marketing Network, an international organisation seeking to raise the world of marketing back to its rightful place in business. Visionary founder Darrell Kofkin asked these questions recently, and added why you might employ a marketing consultant or professional who is not up to date? As he says:

"Marketing is the only recognised profession where continuing professional development is not a mandatory requirement. If marketers are going to be treated seriously in the boardroom this has to change."

As well as a motivational conference speaker, I'm asked by my clients to help them with their marketing. In fact, a lot of people are asked this. There are marketing professionals, coaches, consultants and trainers everywhere. Some have come out of corporate life and are sailing their own ship as a consultant because they did it before. Some are genuinely brilliant. A lot aim to mesmerize as few people really understand marketing. Most are just one small step beyond you!

What questions are you asking the people you engage and employ to give you marketing expertise? And if you're in marketing, why not give your career and your credibility a kick forwards by becoming a member of the Global Marketing Network? It's the future.

How Good Are You At Working The Room?

2008-03-06T11:10:00.001Z

If you were to list your fears, then amongst death, poverty and speaking in public would probably be walking into a room full of strangers! If so, then be assured that you're not alone. Most professionals, regardless of experience or expertise, feel anxious, ill-equipped and out of their depth in both social and business gatherings.

Gone are the days where you just had to be good at your job and people would come to you. Now you have to go out and generate new business opportunities. And that means networking. Wouldn't it be great if:

You could work the room with poise and confidence?
You knew how to approach and engage strangers to create friendships, alliances and business opportunities?
You could network productively and effectively in all kinds of situations?

Well now you can, with my brand new 'How to Work The Room' DVD! You can instantly watch it online or purchase the DVD to watch at your leisure. In it you'll discover:

How to decide who to talk to.
How to approach strangers with confidence and courtesy.
How to take a conversation from small talk to business talk.
How to introduce people effectively AND remember names.
How to disengage with politeness.

...plus a whole lot more tips, hints and scripts to turn you into a professional networker and bring you more business opportunities than you can handle! To see sample sections of the video, see how you can view online instantly or order the dvd with a complimentary copy of my best-selling Networking Bible, here's where to go>>

How to Sell More

2008-02-25T11:16:00.002Z

Ever wondered why you’re not selling as much as you need to? It’s simple – you don’t have the time! If you’re like most people, you’re not just technically competent, but you have some kind of selling angle to your role. For instance, a lot of my banking clients have to manage customer portfolios and also uncover new business opportunities. And you know the biggest thorn in your side? Your boss telling you to do non-sales things!

If you’ve got a sales role, you need to be selling! If you’ve got a marketing role, you need to be marketing. And you need to hold your managers accountable in freeing you up to do that, because it takes time! A phrase I came across recently is ‘time selling’ which represents those critical lead-generating and converting activities. For you, that means relationship building, networking, connecting, questioning, presenting and probing. It doesn’t mean admin, compliance, paperwork, fire-fighting, low level tasks and research.
If you're running a team that you want to win more business, sales expert Justin Hitt recommends you do the following:

Insist sales people spend 99% of their time selling.

Re-assign non-selling activities to support staff.

Require all tasking to go through you first in every instance.

Provide time management training specific to sales people.

Make it policy that selling is their number one priority.

Hire one administrator for your office dedicated to sales.

Help your selling team focus on more profitable customers.

Orient office time around reporting sales results, not chit-chat.

Schedule periodic non-selling team building outside of the office.

Remember that the core activity for anyone with a dominant sales angle to their role is to meet with qualified prospects and potential referral partners. Anything beyond this is not core business development. Think about it! So look to the right and you'll see a tool to get you started straightaway!

Growing Your Business

2008-02-23T11:27:00.001Z

I was recently reminded of some eternal wisdom coined by marketing guru, Jay Abraham. He states that there are only three ways to grow a business:

1. Increase the number of your customers or clients.
2. Increase their average transaction value.
3. Increase the frequency of their repurchases.

Jay simply says that to grow your business, simply find a way to maximize each one. Moreover, if you can nudge all three a little higher, your growth will be exponential!

To increase the number of your customers, you just need to open up your routes to market. That means meeting more people, networking more productively and effectively, increasing your connections and leveraging your existing relationships for referrals, recommendations and introductions.

To increase their average transaction value, all you need a greater share of their wallet. This is the domain of cross-selling and up-selling, and you do that by going deeper with your relationships. When you find out where people are hurting, what's causing their pain and what's giving them problems.

To increase the frequency of their purchases, simply keep in contact with them. Find reasons to connect, to stay in touch and to give them reasons to keep coming back.

The common currency for all of these approaches is RELATIONSHIPS! And your instruction manual for turning relationships into profits is available for free just to the right here! If you're not alreasy one of the thousands who have taken big steps to greater profits, make sure you sign up for these three high-value free gifts TODAY!

Turning Basic Into Brilliant!

2008-02-16T11:32:00.001Z

In most jobs, sometimes the only thing your customers and clients look for is for you to get the basics right. For instance, if someone has a business bank account with you, they expect you to charge the right amounts, pay the right amounts, deal with the basic transactioins and be there if there's a problem.

It's what you do over and above what's expected that starts to make you attractive, better and different. If you want to make millions, you have to give that much of value to the market so they'll pay you what you want. If you want to build your reputation, you have to give people a reson to choose you, think of you, endorse you, talk about you and buy into you.

A lot of my work is with banking, accounting and legal professionals who think it's enough to be technically brilliant. They fail to grasp how competitive it is out there and how we're now in the land of the buyer. As I've heard recently, this is not the age of the internet. This is the age of customer control.

What are you doing to turn your basic into your brilliant? How can you convince the marketplace that you're beyond commoditizing? All of my work shows you how to do just that! For a start, check out the Personal Branding Bible. It helps you articulate where you can be better and different. Because that's where your competitive advantage will be!

Making Personal Impact

2008-02-06T11:34:00.000Z

Meeting strangers and turning them into friends, customers, clients, advocates or meaningful contacts is an essential part of life and business. In fact, I'd say it was a core skill. Much has been written and researched on the significance of the first few seconds when you meet people. This can be summed up in the phrase personal impact.

What people decide about you in the first few seconds is enduring. They lock into those emotions and reactions in judging you for life, whether real or not. If you can make a positive impact, the chances are they'll look on you with favor for a long long time, despite what others might say and even despite what you might do subsequently. Conversely, if you impact negatively or not at all, you'll carry over that bad vibe or anonymity in a way that will not be easy to overcome.

Not everyone makes a great first impression. Understand that you can you have a useful and significant element of control over waht people think, do, feel and say when you connect. You just have to give them the right cues, messages, scripts and attention, you can make it happen for yourself. A lot of my work is steered towards giving you the tools and strategies to maximise this one-time connection.

To get a head-start from your competition, check out the Liking Pocket Guide- great things to say to get more people to like you more quickly. Once they like you, it's much more likely that they'll trust you, buy you and recommend you!

The Power of Listening

2008-02-01T12:05:00.000Z

Recently I spent a day in the company of some high level banking professionals at one of my clients. I was instructing them on the 'Relationship Game'. One of the key phrases that came out was something I first heard from the wonderful David Maister. I've adapted it as follows:

"When you're listening you're ahead (winning).
When you're talking, you're behind (losing)"

This echoes even more my core message that great questions will always give you great conversations. This will in turn give you great relationships, great opportunities and ultimately great business.

When was the last time a client or contact said to you 'That's a great question!'. Or perhaps 'I've never been asked questions like this before!' Take it as a compliment that you're engaging them, that you're differentiating yourself and you're being more INTERESTED than INTERESTING!

Playing the Relationship Game is bound by certain rules. There are winners and losers. There are ways to score points. There are ways to be a better player. Listening is a given. Yet most don't do it well. My tip to you today - ask the questions you want to know the answers to. Then sit back and LISTEN! And in case you didn't know, LISTEN is an anagram of SILENT...

How to Be a Winner

2008-01-26T12:15:00.000Z

If you ask anyone in business for one word they would use to sum out how they wanted to be seen, then a 'winner' would be high on the list. It encompasses everything. It covers values such as effort and integrity. It espouses traits such as persistence and dedication. It evokes feelings of success and enhanced reputation. So what exactly makes a winner?

As inhabitants of the world of business, we can learn much from our friends in the world of sport. Here are five things you can do to be MORE of a winner:

Work on your skills. Business philosopher Jim Rohn says 'don't pray for less problems; pray for more skills'. If you want to be a winner, you've got to 'up your game' and work on your skills.

Focus on what you can control. You can't control the weather, the crowd or even the referee. But you can change your attitude, your thinking and your actions. So put your energy into doing that.

Move on from mistakes. Understand what went wrong, learn as quickly as possible what you need to put right, then move on! What's gone is gone.

Look after yourself. High performance requires high energy. That means get enough rest so you maximise alertness and endurance. That means you eat well - good fuel in means good energy out. That means drink plenty of water.

Take time for you. Whether you do your garden, go for walks, play video games, play gold, go to the gym, jog, read fiction or listen to music, it's vital you relax into stuff away from the matter in hand.

I'm doing just what I'm telling you. It's simple but it's not easy. I'm working on my skills, focusing on the main things I can control, getting things wrong but learning, looking after myself and taking time for me (I've just spent a few weeks reading all the Harry Potter books!)

Winners don't win by accident. If you want to win more business, become the expert in your field or build stronger relationships, you do it on purpose!

Five Ways to Be More Referrable!

2008-01-21T12:21:00.000Z

I may not know you personally, but I know this about you...

You should be getting more referrals than you are.

You don't ask for referrals as much as you should.

You're equal to, if not better than your competitors in talent, skills and desire to succeed (because you're on this incredible website!)

If you want more referrals, you've got to be more referrable. People are not going to blindly put their faith in you and everything you stand for by introducing you to their nearest and dearest to do business with UNLESS you are a safer bet. In other words, more referrable than you are. To do that you have to do five things:

You’ve got to do something different or better than you’re doing now.

You’ve got to do something different to or better than your competitors.

You’ve got to show benefit to the other two stakeholders (your source and the referred person).

You’ve got to leverage your worthy service and added value by asking.

You’ve got to have a plan and execute it.

If you don't know what these five things actually look like, you need to invest in some of my educational materials. The The Referral Scripts Pocket Guide might be a good start! Now go and change your traditional definition of BD (Business Development) to something a little more in keeping with your desire for more high quality referral business: BD = Better and Different!

Every Professional is In Sales

2008-01-16T12:29:00.000Z

If you’re in business, you’re in sales. They say that nothing happens unless someone sells something. Even if you have no business development angle to your role, you’re selling yourself. You’re selling your arguments, your values, your opinions, your advice, your excuses, your ideas and your thoughts.

If you want to rise to the top of almost any profession these days, it will really you’re your cause to be good a selling. It’s hard to make partner in a professional firm, take up positions of responsibility in the bank or move up the ranks in an organisation just by being good at what you do. You must develop that dimension to your offering where you’re bringing in business and creating opportunities.

It will help you to be a profit centre more than a cost centre. You may not be a natural seller. But you can be more persuasive. You can be more ‘clued in’ to what makes people buy. You can make an effort to learn more about sales. You can understand more about why emotions make people buy and cold-hearted logic and common sense are what they use to justify afterwards.

After two years selling private medical insurance for a major healthcare company, I knew I wasn’t a natural sales person. And I knew that wouldn’t change. So I learned to be better than I was at what I could, and that’s when I became successful. You have to be absolutely brilliant to make it merely by being good at what you do.

Just making yourself 10% better at selling takes the pressure off being brilliant all the time. Never forget you’re in sales!

The Role of Change in Relationships

2008-01-16T12:26:00.000Z

If everything stayed the same in life, we'd all marry our first love, we'd all be living in caves and we'd all be speaking the same language as Adam and Eve.

Everything changes, and instead of praying for less change, I would advise you to pray for more knowledge, more skills, more insight and more energy! Nothing gets better unless something changes. Change is constant. You can either embrace it and live, or reject it and die. When you see that changing what's on the inside for you can change what's on the outside, you begin to become unstopppable!

Relationships change quicker than anything. Why? Because they involve something called humans, who (even if they don't realize it) are changing every second. Why, even your body cells completely replicate every few months! What got you to where you are isn't enough to get you to where you want to be.

So if you're facing stretching income goals, formidable sales targets, intimidating career change, unsettling times, aggressive competition or overwhelming demands on your time...then you'd better 'up your game' and start reading, learning, upskilling, building better relationships and looking after yourself. When you get better, your opportunities, your relationships, your outlook and your world gets better too. Now ain't that a coincidence?

Are You Famous?

2008-01-09T12:30:00.000Z

All of my work is dedicated to helping people become famous. In other words, you get the deal. People come to you first, above and beyond all of my other choices. My message to you today:

Don't be the best kept secret in the world!

Make your reputation a key theme for you this year. Think about how you can enhance your good name and raise your profile in three key areas:

Your existing customers and clients. Hang onto them so they stay loyal and continue buying. People tend to switch advisers providers because of price, service and relationship issues. If your relationship is poor, they'll easily be wooed away. Keep close, stay deep and keep 'front of mind'.

Your target customers and clients. Your target market need to know who you are. What are you doing to break into their thinking? More importantly, what are you doing to stay there? Fame can be fleeting. You need yours to endure!

Your peers and your industry. Respect from peers (and envy from competitors) is healthy, and keeps you accountable for improving yourself. If you are a stranger to your industry, and your competitors, your influence and your opportunities will be limited long-term.

Define what fame means for you. Decide what being famous will do for your reputation, your business and your opportunities. Determine the price you will need to pay for it. And resolve to pay that price. That way you'll definitely become the 'go to' professional for what you do!

The Fundamental Formula for Turning

2007-12-09T12:36:00.001Z

From your perspective, whether 'profits' in the above title means more money, more influence, more respect, more attention or more customers and clients, there is a basic formula you must follow. It's the foundation of all my relationship marketing work:

Questions = Conversations = Relationships = Opportunities = Business

It's unlikely someone is going to come to you or call you up and say 'Hey, you don't know me but here's a six figure sum - can I retain you for a few months?' More likely, you'll have courted them over time to the point where you've built the relationship, uncovered the need, made the pitch and won the business. Great questions will usually bring you great conversations. And that almost always leads to great relationships. Once you have those, it's inevitable you'll create great opportunities, which ultimately leads to great business!

It's a long term thing, not a one night stand. And every step readies you for the one after it. So get out there and ask some questions - you don't know where it might lead! If you want the very best resource with over 300 of the best questions you can ask, check out the Great Questions Bible!