Marketing the brand 'You'

The first rule that every marketing expert will vouch for is - Believe in your product, whether it is a commodity, a service, a philosophy, a political ideology or the ‘brand you’ that you are trying to market. Marketing is marketing. It is all about positioning and creating a desired perception. So how does it work when you are trying to market the brand ‘You’?

Let us assume you are applying for a job or are trying to woo someone you really fancy. If you have loads of confidence and a high self-esteem, you would most probably adopt a direct approach. If on the other hand you are not too sure of yourself, you would not be approaching your potential employer or romantic partner directly. On the other hand you would perhaps look for some references or recommendations.And would also try to find out whether a suitable position exits and whether the person is already seeing someone. But in both the situations, whether you are confident or not, whether you have a very high self esteem or not, you would be required to market yourself, the brand ‘You’ and ‘position’ yourself.

Let’s start with building trust being trustworthy. Nothing you do or say during interview or the first interaction would help if you do not get perceived as trustworthy. Your new employer or the date has to perceive you as dependable. Someone very rightly said it – ‘perception is reality’. Nobody hires someone who doesn’t come across as truthful, believable and reliable. In the same way nobody would enter into a relationship with someone who doesn’t sound and look believable. So the next and the obvious question is how to come across as someone who inspires trust? The first and the most important rule is – Be truthful. You might be an expert in telling lies but as the saying goes – ‘you can not fool all the people all the time’. It is extremely difficult to keep covering up your tracks for too long. Lie and falsehood catch up with you sooner or later.

The second rule is - always maintain the eye contact. It simply means always look into the eyes of the people you are talking to, whether you are in an interview or on your first date. Do not look here and there or stare at the walls .Constantly remind yourself if you have to, and maintain direct eye contact and speak in a relaxed manner, as naturally as you can. If you have butterflies in your stomach, admit it. They would understand and appreciate your honesty and frankness. In the same way, through out the interview or the date be absolutely honest.Only the relationships build on a foundation of honesty, truthfulness and trust are enduring, irrespective of whether they are professional or of personal nature.And don’t forget, in every interaction it is not you alone, others are also evaluating you.

The third rule is – smile, but it must be a genuine one. The smile will complement your honesty and the eye contact. In fact eye contact and the smile add credibility to what ever you say and do during the interview or the date..

You must be wondering…but what about the marketing the brand ‘You’? Let’s come to that. How would you market yourself as an efficient, reliable and committed member of an organization? Or how do you build your brand equity as a responsible, loving, caring and committed partner? Well before you go for an interview or a date make a list of your strengths that are in line with the above qualities. Next, recall and list down at least one incident from your personal and professional life that demonstrates the existence of the strengths you have listed down. Going through the incidents and life experiences over and over again will strengthen your conviction in brand ‘You’, in terms of your dependability, competence, commitment and all other qualities you want to project in the interview or on a date. Having done this preparation, you will be more comfortable and confident in presenting yourself as the best person to fill the job or the partner of first choice.

Last but not the least, do not ignore the icing on the cake, yes you are right, and your physical image. Be on time. Never be late for an interview. Never make you potential partner wait for you. Be well groomed, dressed up appropriately for the occasion, depending on whether you show up for an interview or a date. Mind your language and voice modulation. Be mindful of the tone and pitch of your voice. See that they don’t cost you your dream career or your object of desire.

Are you are looking for a new boss and a career, or a promotion, or a raise? Or may be you are trying to create a life of your dreams with someone special. Either way you are in the market, marketing the brand ‘you’. If you are really confident of yourself, marketing yourself would be smooth sailing. Doing the above exercise will do a lot to boost your confidence and whatever you want will be yours