Get out of your office and let employees, clients and the community know what you stand for.
By Jo Anne Gabbert
What do you stand for? Do you know? Can you articulate it? Do you talk the talk and walk the walk? Practice what you preach?
Often times, we find ourselves so busy running our companies or doing our jobs that we forget what we stand for. Maybe you are passionate about sports, the arts, a particular nonprofit, community service, philanthropy or even your child’s school. The organizations and entertainment that we are passionate about help us build our personal brand.
Personal brands can help us create deeper connections with employees, clients and the community. These personal connections can be used to your advantage while networking in the business world. It can also backfire if you are not authentic and portray a personal brand that you aren’t truly passionate about or don’t back up.
Networking
As a business owner and community supporter, I made it my mission to get out of my office and network. Each week, I would seek events where my potential clients might be. I would attend a Chamber of Commerce event, a nonprofit gala or a community outing. At first, networking was uncomfortable for me. After all, I didn’t know anyone in the room, and I was not a seasoned salesperson. But I attended these events in “sales” mode and sought to tell anyone and everyone about my company and why they should buy from us.
Although this strategy of networking was getting my company and me exposure, I wasn’t selling much of anything. Determined not to be discouraged, I continued to network. I was meeting a lot of new people and beginning to be recognized when I walked in a room, but still the sales weren’t coming. Over time, I was running in to the same people and creating relationships with people who had common interests and passion.
Instead of talking about my company and trying to sell our services, I found myself talking about my community involvement, my kids and even my favorite sports team, the Kansas City Royals. (I know, I know, but I can’t help myself. I love them!) Before I knew it, people were asking me what my company could do for them, and the office phone started ringing, and sales were going up.
Upon reflection of my sales style, I realized what the company had to offer was often times secondary to what I had to offer. I was building my personal brand while networking. I was connecting with people on common ground with authentic common passion, and they understood what I stood for. I began to employ using my personal brand as part of my networking strategy.
Authentic Personal Brand
While building your personal brand and using it for networking can be useful, it is important that the brand you are building is authentic. We all know the people who build a brand that isn’t reflected in their actions. Yes, they talk the talk, but it is apparent they aren’t walking the walk.
It is easy to fall into this trap, especially if being disingenuous works for you the first few times you try it. But be careful, it can come back to haunt you. For instance, if you are continually showing up at community events for the sole purpose of looking for sales opportunities and have no intention of supporting the organization, people will begin to see right through you.
I attended a nonprofit event one evening where some “high-roller” salespeople were invited as guests. The nonprofit hoped to gain a couple of new supporters. The event was a small one, and it was very apparent who was in the room. At the peak of the event, a guest speaker began talking about the nonprofit and why it meant so much to him and his family.
As I looked across the room, I noticed the “high rollers” had pulled aside a couple of the attendees and were pitching them on their company right in the middle of the speech! Not only was this rude, but it spoke volumes about the personal integrity and brand of those individuals.
Make sure when you are out networking that you put yourself in situations where you have a true connection to an organization or the people at the event. Understand the purpose of the event. If it is pure networking, go for the sales opportunities. If it is a nonprofit event, make sure you have a passion for the mission of the organization or want to support friends or clients who have a passion for the organization. If you don’t, people will see right through you, and your personal brand may just become your bad reputation.
Own Your Brand
I am a firm believer in networking. Great friendships and business relationships are built on networking. Networking is nothing more than relationship building. Community service, community activism, sports, the arts and entertainment are all things that lead to relationship building. Relationship building frequently leads to sales or sales referrals. But remember, people want to do business with like people and those they perceive to be good, authentic people. So get out of your office. Decide what your personal brand is and wear it proudly. Talk the talk, and as long as you are walking the walk, you’ll find success.
Happy Networking!
Jo Anne Gabbert is president of JAG Portfolio Services Inc.
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