Our “cowboy room” tells all - yes, we’re Dallas Cowboy fans. Whatever you think of “America’s Team”, they have done a stellar job at putting forth a powerful brand.

Sitting at Texas Stadium yesterday, braving the cold with only a few thousand other souls, I had to take a deep breath as I looked around the sold-out stadium and saw the sea of blue and silver.

The tailgate parties alone show just how “branded” this product (team) is. The “blue parking” (the only parking area I want to be at and would recommend!) is filled with tents donning the silver star logo, painted faces, painted vehicles, millions of jerseys, koozies, logoed barbecue pits, blankets, Santa Claus hats in blue and silver, and yes, for the first time ever, I saw a Dallas Cowboy sombrero, yesterday!

What this successful brand has done is MOVED PAST THE PRODUCT and made it an EXPERIENCE and a part of fan’s lives. That is key to personal branding. Branding, by definition, is the emotion or image you have tied to a product. Today, YOU are the product. In every interaction and transaction for yourself, your company or your business, you are a “piece” of the product. Sometimes, especially in service industries and associations, YOU are the entire product.

Okay, if you’re not a cowboy fan (heaven forbid!) think of Harley Davidson. People don tattoos with their logo. It’s a lifestyle experience more than “just” a motorcycle. Can you, your personal brand, be more than product or service based?

The answer is YES - in fact, if you manage your brand to be more than that you get passed “transactional” or “commodity relationships” which are solely built on price alone.

So, how do you manage to do that? Here’s how -

#1 - Focus on what you’re good at

Whether you’re doing this for a company or for your self, focus on what is your strength and what you want to be known for. Be sure that this is a TRUE strength and not something “positional” or that you’re “imitating”. If you’re doing any of those things, you’re integrity level will plummet when they see that you actions are incongruent with your words.

#2 - Give Them What They Want

Heed the caution that this is not about positioning yourself, at all. People want to feel included, valued, a part of the process, to make a difference, and to feel important so make sure that in the things that you do - you GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT. Having said this, you won’t please everyone. You are seeking to stay in contact with those who give you the most pleasure and profit (understanding that profit doesn’t always mean dollars - what else do you like in your life and from the people you connect with that would help you live “richly”?) Provide opportunities for them to be included in your brand (for example: my clients utilize a 360 brand feedback that provides them inside and makes their connections feel included, valued and apart of the process.). This is where many people “self studying personal branding” go wrong. Be cautious of being a “people pleaser” and remember Abraham Lincoln’s words, “if you try to please everyone you’ll end up pleasing no one.”

I can go on, and will, in future posts about having a good story, making your connections apart of the story, timing’s major involvement in personal branding, etc. And, that’s for future discussions.

For now, do one thing to bring emotion and engagement into your personal brand.

People Are The Brand-

Maria Elena Duron - The Champion of Connections Coach

Buzz To Bucks Connections | a personal branding agency

“buzz: compelling others to speak positively on your behalf”