Lessons in building your personal brand in business

Author: Liz Haywood 

http://lizhaywood-copywriter.com/content-marketing-services/

 

Humans thrive on stories.  We find stories are a wonderful and interesting way to learn, gain a deeper insight and shift our perception.

We all have interesting stories to tell, journeys of success, adventures down the wrong path, perhaps mishaps that turned positive.  These stories can be inspiring and powerful, more memorable ways to communicate your message.

Charles Fairlie, publisher of 50 Unsung Business Heroes, knows the power of these stories and how they can become a tool to create a moving message for others.

The idea for Unsung Business Heroes began when Charles’ father was featured in a book of boat builders, and thought this could be a powerful way for a business person to tell theirstory and build their brand.  

Unsung Business Heroes is more than a book, it turns your story into a profitable conversation. Removing the overheadsof publishing, time constraints and distribution issues, the service provides a personal brand package to create and tell your story, to engage with your audience on multiple mediumsand devices.

Charles’ presentation to our Business Builders Group, Sydney CBD chapter event in July 2017, opened our eyes to how powerful other peoples’ stories are, and how they can be used to build your personal brand.

The presentation didn’t just focus on this amazing book, it was about the lessons he had learnt along the way in his business.

What Charles learnt to do

These were the aspects of his business that had the biggestimpact on building his personal brand in his business 

1. Build a website

Charles needed to build a central point to house all his content, and from which his prospects could find him.  After many tweaks, and a whole lot of time, he had a website which featured all the information his prospectsneeded to know.  This became the anchor for his business.

 

2. Create and build your social media platforms

Charles started new accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to build an audience.  These platforms became the brand’s voice.   As content is fed through these mediums he is connecting in a positive way with businesses and the people who may influence them.

3. Build a team

Pulling together a team to make it all work, Charles formed a professional team to support his activities and sales.  This added credibility to the business and assisted him in the skills he personally did not have.

4. Define the service proposition

Charles created a whole package of branding to go with each person’s chapter in the book. From web, videos, podcasts, blogs and events.  This ensured value for the customer, ongoing brand support after the book has been published and a source of easy to use content for their personal branding activities.

 

5. Add impact statements

Charles sourced testimonials from his customers.  Theseare a powerful ally for his business, as they restated the value others have received from his service, built trust and credibility.  These customers became advocates for his business.

 

The lessons Charles learnt

 

We all have many lessons that we learn daily, here are Charles’ top lessons in building your business-

 

What to do

1. Know your market – do your homework on your target audience, there may be different types of buyers.

2. Build your plan – double your estimates as goals will take twice as long to achieve than you perceive.

3. Estimate your revenue each year – then half it!

4. Build a good team – a talented, hard-working team will help you attain success.

5. Work the dream – be clear about your vision, it makes decision-making easier.

6. Monitor your progress and adapt your offering – keep a check on how the business is really going (not how you think it is going). Use reports and numbers for real facts.  Be flexible, as the business environment is always changing.

 

What not to do

1. Don’t listen to people who kill your dream – stay focussed on your goals, refer to the plan when you go off track.

2. Don’t ignore feedback from prospects – your prospects will give you valuable feedback about your offering or services, especially through their objections.  Listen hard and validate them if appropriate.

3. Don’t avoid research – research the market, your competitors, your prospects, and any information that will make your business better.

4. Don’t quit too early – all successful businesses take timeto gain momentum.

 

At the conclusion of Charles’ presentation, most of us said we learnt a lot from his insights, whether it was something that resonated with us or information that we could use in our own business.  

 

As part of the Business Builders Group (BBG)  foundation to know, like and trust each other, Charles’ business story allowed us to know, like and trust (KLT)  him and his business to refer suitable business contacts to him.

And as Charles said ‘There is an unsung hero in all of us!’.

The Power of Referrals and Word of Mouth Marketing

Great insights by Roland Hanekroot https://www.newperspectives.com.au/about/

Most networking events are an absolute waste of time and worse, they’re often boring. I’ve certainly never sold anything at a networking event and yet I keep going. Why is that?

Doing the business card shuffle

Roland has been going to business networking meetings at Chambers of Commerce and gallery openings and industry specific events and conferences and seminars and dinner parties and everything in between for the past 11 years. He networks with anyone from start ups and solo entrepreneurs, to owners of SME’s and everyone in between, some of my activities are really social networking, and he often refers to himself as a business networking trollop. As they say: “He will turn up at the opening of an envelope”. He can’t get enough of it, it seems, yet he doesn't  think he has have ever sold anything at any event he have ever attended.

Why ever would he do such a thing?

“Oh spare me, I’ve been to so many networking events and nothing ever comes of it. There is nothing more boring I can think of doing … watching paint dry is more fun… no one’s ever bought anything from me, networking, chamber of commerce gatherings, you name it, they’re all an enormous waste of time.”

Fair enough, I hear you, they usually are… That’s to say, if you go to a networking event with the aim of selling stuff, they will just about always be a complete waste of your time.

Geoff Hirsh, CEO of BBG said at the last BBG briefing : “Hands up if you go to a network event  to sell something?” and most people raised their hand. Then he asked: “Hands up everyone who goes to a network event  to buy something?” This time no one raised their hand, demonstrating once and for all that going networking to sell stuff is a waste of time - because no-one is there to buy!!!!

Having said that - Networking events are an amazing way to have that initial contact, and invite them to be your guest at a bbg forum! (You are going there to sell as well!!) 

The mindset

So why does my business group work for me and for most of the members of the group? The difference is a mindset. 

Ivan's comment :- we come to a BBG forum for 3 hours, once a month, with a spirit of generosity. To add value to members of the group. The mindset is - "what are we going to do to add value to a member/ members and guests at the forum." 

We come to the forum to collaborate, learn from each other and grow.  Over a period of time, the members of the group build klt with each other - know like and trust - and referrals will flow. (See www.bbg.business/events to come as a guest to a BBG forum)

Once you get to understand what your fellow  member does, and you build KLT, (know like and trust) magic starts to happen.

Here is an example of how magic can happen 

Roland Hanekroot,  who is a long standing BNI member - has built trust over a period of time with an event manager. (BNI is a referral marketing business that meets for breakfast weekly - and also works on the premise of "givers gain")

Here’s how that works: the other day I had a conversation with one of my fellow members who is an event manager. I don’t run events, none of my friends are about to get married and none of my clients are planning a conference, so on the face of it there was little I could do to assist her. But we spent some time getting clear about her perfect clients and then she and I went digging around in my existing networks. We found 4 people in Linkedin, as it happens, who met her criteria and I sent all 4 of them an email mentioning that I have a good friend who is an event strategist and would it be ok for me to introduce the two of them to each other. Within half an hour I had a reply from one of those contacts saying: Yes please we are just about to start looking for someone and it would be great to talk to your friend because we’ve had some terrible experiences with event managers in the past.

Just last week my friend signed a contract with this company for a small user conference to be held in a few months.

Great  outcome all round, it made me feel great to have made the introduction and I’m sure that my friend will do a great job for this client because she always does.

If I need an accountant , I am 10 times more likely to ring a friend and ask him for the name of someone she knows likes and trusts  than to go to the local paper or search on Google for an accountant 

We are wired that way as humans. if you can get a referral from someone who knows, likes and trusts you, you are so much more likely to get the business and it costs you nothing.

And that is the point of this article. The best, easiest, cheapest, most profitable new business you can get for your business comes from word of mouth referrals.

And there is no shortcut to become referrable and build KLT (know like and trust) with fellow humans who will become your advocates. KLT is built over time - where experiences are shared, reliability and dependability is proven, and empathy between each other is created.

The most effective way for people to trust you is by having someone they trust tell them they can trust you.

Focus on having your army of advocates spread the word for you and you will indeed build an amazing Business that will help you build your generational legacy. 

Neuroeconomics and BBG

A synopsis of the July BBG Sydney Enterprise Forum 

By Heidi Kaye 

Neuroeconomics is an interdisciplinary field, combining research methods from neuroscience, experimental and behavioral economics, and cognitive and social psychology. 

Business Builders Group has designed an interdisciplinary programme that aligns with this research that is currently being facilitated in 20 BBG Chapters across Australia and Singapore. 

The pursuit of organisational excellence and the connecting with like- minded individuals is invaluable to a business owner and leader committed to a vision. 

Some people come to the table to pursue lead generation, others for support in solving problems and keeping in check with the 21^st century-ever-encroaching-business-disruption. The outcome of the meeting is that these intentions are mutually achieved, as people get to know, like and trust one another.  

Chairman and co-founder, Ivan Kaye, attends for creative stimulation, and commitment to his vision of ‘creating generational legacies’ and his own workplace wellbeing of feeling socially engaged and inspired. 

Regardless of the ‘why’, the atmosphere of the room is one of camaraderie underpinned by enticing ambition. What brings guests here is a fusion of their curiosity and entrepreneurial edge.

 People ask… Is this similar to BNI and other networking groups and meetups? 

All is revealed at 7.30am as the meeting kicks off with a breakfast spread and an agenda packed with elevator pitches, teamwork brainstorming on the topic of how to effectuate automation, problem solving for members and a ‘knowledge share’ seminar by Christopher Paterson, director of Alchemy CM specialising in workplace wellness. 

Before breakfast has even begun, Chantel, first time guest, has already exchanged business cards with three members who occupy a different niche of the space of Human Resources. She shares the basics about her newly developed software, a culmination of her expertise, compact in a scalable online platform. By the meetings intermission, she has set up three meetings, including one with Transport NSW. 

BBG Sydney Enterprise Forum 

Thirty members and guests took their seats. Affinity People’s CEO and professional facilitator John Cooksey opens the forum. The key principle of BBG is reinforced: members are here to attend with the mindset of ‘how can I add value to your business’. The spirit of generosity is a quality indispensable to members. They listen to one another with the intent of contributing in some capacity. 

The meeting is dynamic. Yet it doesn’t feel like traditional networking. The enigma of BBG moulds to the shape of its members needs on that particular day. It responds to the law of business survival whereby collaboration allows for continuity. 

BBG also abides by the law of a healthy breakfast and the law of reciprocity, as referrals received inspire members to ‘pay forward’ the deed. 

Think Tank - Automation 

The desire for instant gratification need not have negative connotations. This is the innovators fuel and entrepreneurs driving force. Imagine what could be achieved in the time you have been consumed in repetitive tasks. The topic addressed was how to augment and compliment people’s capacity and capability by using tools to enhance jobs rather then replace them. How to enable people more freedom to be creative and innovative.

The BBG Chapter rearranged into four groups of five. Each group collated ideas about tasks that you currently perform that you wish you could automate, noting them on a white piece of butcher’s paper. A member of each group shared the priorities,  challenges and solutions that brought the conversation to a great close. 

The multitude of ideas, reflect the collective hundreds of years of experience in the room. The following table, produced by the group, contains a guide to automation. Embedded in this brainstorm was a sense of each person getting to KNOW each others struggle with repetitive tasks they wish they could automate. There was a sense of getting to LIKE each other in sharing advice for software.  

The “BBG KLT Hotseat” 

Getting to know members on a deeper level - Problem Solving

The Chapter divided again in different smaller groups. As a member, Ivan was one of 3 members in the BBG “KLT HOTSEAT” – he shared some of  his business goals, concerns and reservations in regards to BBG. Usually this information is strictly confidential within chapters, but Ivan overcame his conservative nature and gave his permission to share his concerns and some of the advice that was given.  

HOW TO ENGAGE, INSPIRE AND ENTHUSE?????

“How do I continually inspire and engage members to get them to look forward to forums and mastermind groups?”

“Create awesome content from all the knowledge being created and share it with members and allow them to share it to their blogs and networks.”

 “Upskill train people on use of tools.”

“Make sure feedback is consistently outstanding”

“Make sure your facilitators continue to be the best and engage with members”

“How do I engage members to invite people that they know like and trust as guests to the groups and as guests to mastermind groups and gala events?” 

“reward/ engage people to refer or invite or have one on ones with other members” “ offer them loyalty points – or incentives – maybe take the top 20 to a resort – fully paid – (maybe to Hawaai)”

“Members should put in linked in and social media that they are members of BBG”

“How do I align members, facilitators and founding members of groups to the goals of BBG – Maybe as stakeholders?”

“Your website can be improved – create a piece describing the DNA, soul and character of each chapter  –where each chapter is focussing and the types of people we are looking for in each chapter”

“Allow them to become a stakeholder on same terms as you” 

Ivan concluded: “the advice and comments made were invaluable. We need to focus on continuing to add massive value to members to make sure membership is sticky. And the business will be sustainable.”

BBG Knowledge share

Christopher Paterson: Alchemy Career Management talking about wellbeing at work

Professional development is the foundation of achieving better career outcomes. Yet it is easy to overlook ‘wellness at work’ as the foundation of professional development, when consumed by workplace stress. 

This inconsistency is not only limiting a persons potential of ‘living to the full’, but their hindered performance is costing companies huge revenue. Christopher Paterson of Alchemy Career Management, has devised a comprehensive formula to reconcile something which has been ‘broken’ in the collective. 

The 6 cylinders is the strategic plan for career success. This is a cognitive, emotional and behavioral approach that begins with neuroscience: ‘it is not about making life changing alterations but rather tweeking the dna of your day’. Emotional intelligence and a lifestyle conducive to wellbeing enhance ones ability to a) think laterally and creatively b) focus on complex tasks with clarity and c) feel self motivated to work conscientiously, producing consistently high quality work. 

Chris emphasized that the level of cortisol corresponds to level of successful engagement as working in ‘the sweet spot’ balances boredom with anxiety to produce an optimal state of engagement.  

Through the six cylinders, employees are empowered to look after themselves as individuals and take responsibility for their own behaviour and performance. 

What is one thing that you learnt today? (summary from feedback forms)  

• “Advice of various Tools for Automation”
• “Reference for Neuro leadership – Chris’s presentation was excellent”
• “Tools to automate and create better proposals “
• “LOTS”
• “Importance of Community” 
• “Learning more about the people in the Enterprise Chapter”
• “The extent of Depression and Pressure in the workplace, impacting employees”
• “What the model of BBG Is” and “the importance of sharing with generosity”
• “The importance of Work / Life Balance,  managing stress” 
• “ The importance of Wellness – and how often it is overlooked - and what you can do abut it in the workplace”

How Emotionally Intelligent are you?

We are honoured to have Ush Dhanak talk to us about "Why we will need Emotional Intelligence in the Future Of Work" on Friday 28 July in Sydney.  

Emotional Intelligence has helped businesses explain why some of their best performing staff and leaders don’t necessarily have the best academic qualification or professional skills.

But many leaders are still confused by emotional intelligence and its importance to the workplace. They are asking:

“How do I know if I am emotionally intelligent?”

“How can I measure it in myself and what do I look for in others?”

In order to answer these questions, it helps to first understand the main traits of emotional intelligence. Once you know these, you can start looking for them in yourself and others and assess how you measure up. You can then take steps to improve those that you are weakest on, if you want to raise your EQ.

Below, Ush Dhanak identifies 15 initial questions you can ask yourself to self-assess your level of emotional intelligence:

1. Do you have the ability to listen to others?

Blindly ploughing your own course with no regard for others is no sign of EQ! Instead, emotionally intelligent people are able to listen and take in the thoughts, feelings, and opinions of others. They actively seek these out and are able to process them without judgement.

2. Can you identify and express emotions?

We all experience a multitude of emotions – but people with EQ recognise what these emotions are and are able to label them and express what they are. Labelling emotions has the effect of diminishing their intensity and creating clarity – which can lead to better decision-making in the workplace.

3. Are you curious about others?

Because you have the ability to empathise with others, you are also curious about them, if you have high emotional intelligence. This connects with the first above: you listen and care about the responses of others – which makes you curious about what they’re going through.

4. How self-aware are you?

People with EQ are comfortable in their skin. They know what they’re good at and what they’re not so good at. They certainly don’t think or act like they are the best at everything. They are also better able to handle situations when their weaknesses may be exposed – because they are prepared for them.

5. Do you display confidence?

Because of high self-awareness, emotionally intelligent people have a confidence about them – but not excessive or misplaced confidence. It comes across as an air of authority and balance. 

6. Do you view change as threat or opportunity?

Emotionally intelligent people don’t feel threatened by change; because they are comfortable, aware, prepared, and confident in their abilities, they are flexible enough to approach change as an opportunity. They can help others to see it positively too: partly for this reason, high EQ points to strong leadership qualities.

7. Are you easily upset – or unruffable?

People with EQ are thick-skinned and can take a joke; that of course doesn’t mean that they are immune to emotion – they are just not offended easily or over-sensitive to criticism and can control their emotions. The balance and confidence that they exhibit makes them seem more ‘unruffable’ than most.

8. Do you build strong relationships?

Another trait is the ability to build strong, lasting relationships. Emotionally intelligent people don’t waste time with partnerships that won’t bear fruit; instead, they focus on working on the relationships that do matter.

9. Are you good at finding compromises?

Every social situation has people we don’t get along with. The difference with emotionally intelligent people is that they don’t get angry, irritated, or frustrated by them. Instead, they are able to recognise emotions brewing up and to then rise above them. This makes them better able to see the other person’s point of view and more likely to find a compromise.

10. Are you a good judge of character?

Being aware of your own traits and emotions also helps you see qualities in others. This can make you a better judge of character. You are able to scratch the surface and to see what really lies beneath with other people: a very useful skill when you’re a leader hiring employees, for instance.

11. Do you find the positives in all situations?

Emotionally intelligent people are able to get over mistakes, negative experiences, and setbacks more easily than others. They see things positively and realise that most events in life are learning experiences; so they pick themselves up and get on with it. This also makes them more likely to take calculated risks – because they are less fearful of making mistakes.

12. Can you say NO?

People with EQ know where to draw the line and realise that saying ‘yes’ to things actually means saying ‘no’ to other things (which may be more important). They are clear about priorities and so are not scared to say ‘no’ when necessary. This avoids the stress associated with agreeing to things just to please others.

13. Do you know when to disconnect?

Emotionally intelligent people may often be hard-working leaders – but they also know when to switch off and disconnect from the working world. They know that family time, rest, and ME time is important to their wellbeing and they will make time for it. They have work-life balance.

14. Are you usually in a good mood?

You’ll usually find emotionally intelligent people in a good mood and pleasant to be around; they don’t get too stressed and seem generally content with life. This is because deep-down they are in a ‘good place’ and the day-to-day stresses don’t get to them too much.

15. Do you trash talk?

Finally, you won’t find people with a high EQ talking people down; they avoid negative conversations about others and don’t indulge in gossip. They implicitly know that focusing on the negative actions of other also brings your own energy down – so they prefer to focus on the positives.

Hopefully the above questions help you get clearer on the attributes of emotional intelligence. Apart from these observational measurements, there are validated tests you can take that will provide an indication of your level of emotional intelligence.

Want to assess emotional intelligence in your workplace? Or measure your own EQ?

Join us for lunch on Friday 28 July from 12 - 2pm for Part 2 of "Beyond The Future of Work Series"

Set a SMART goals for whatever you do

Great article from network and BNI guru, Ivan Misner 

http://blogbni.com/2017/01/stop-wasting-your-time-in-bni/

Stop Wasting Your Time In BNI

It is the same all over the world, not matter where I go or who I speak to in BNI it is the same. 

More than 90% of the members in a chapter have absolutely no goals for what they expect to give or receive from the chapter. Why is that?

I don’t want to write a blog about the importance of goal setting. There are studies that show that people who write down their goals and review them regularly have a 50% greater level of success than those who do not.

Still most people never bother to set goals for their lives or their businesses and if they do jot down a few goals they have no plan on how to achieve those goals. Besides the excellent studies that have been done about goal setting, there are books you can read if you choose to be interested.

I am only going to discuss the importance of setting goals for your membership in BNI.

You have invested money and time into the organization with the hope of growing your business and thereby creating the life that you dream of.  So wouldn’t it make sense to take the time to understand what you need to give and what you need to receive to create that business and life?

Let’s start with a few questions:

• How much money do you want to earn annually?
• What percentage of that do you expect to earn by referral?
• How many referrals would you need to earn that much?
  • What is your hard and soft cost of membership?
  • What is the average value of a sale?
  • What is your closing percentage?
  • Now how many referrals will you need to receive?

If this looks daunting they you may need to increase the average value of a sale. For instance if you sold gift baskets, rather than looking for clients who order one or two per year, look for clients who order 10 or more per month. If you generally charge $50 per hour for your services then you may need to raise your hourly rate.

Now BNI is based on the GIVERS GAIN philosophy, you have to give before you can expect to get. This means that you have to give to the success of the chapter as well as the success of the members. So what are your giving goals?

• How many referrals will you bring to the chapter?
• How many visitors/guest will you introduce to your fellow members?
• How many one to one meetings will you have with your fellow members?
• How many hours will you invest in service the chapter?

If you take the time to write down the answers to each of these questions and share your goals with your fellow members you will achieve them much faster than you ever expected.

You joined the chapter because you wanted to succeed; improve your odds by setting goals for what you want to achieve.

Remember to get you have to give, 

 Hazel

There are few women better at building a global network than Hazel Walker . Renowned for her straight talk and no-holds-barred approach, Hazel is a globally sought after speaker