“So…what are you going to do for me”?

What if your current or potential employer asked you this? How would you answer the question?

If you have a strong personal brand that adds value to your organization, employers don’t ask that question. They can SEE the value and worth you bring to the company. 

Here are four tips to help your personal brand stand out to impact your organization and your career.

1. Execute! Lots of people talk about doing things.  But not everyone can act…get the job done…execute. Especially in a down economy, getting the job done is critical to maintaining a strong personal brand. At end of day, make sure you have made all your calls, handed in all your reports, met with all your customers. Make a daily check list and make sure you complete all the tasks: no carry-overs into the next day. And be sure your manager knows that you are executing on all your very important assigned tasks.

2. Be a Problem Solver. Start to think in terms of problems and solutions.  Learn to look for and identify potentially negative situations or actual problems both large and small. Analyze the situation. Put a plan in place, and outline steps that the company can take to fix the problem.  Most importantly, show how the problem is hurting your organization and what would the benefits be if this problem were solved. Get proactive!  Offer your insights to your employer, don’t wait to be asked to solve a challenging situation.

3. Find New Opportunities. Get creative.  Can you find new customers?  Perhaps a whole new group of consumers your company has not yet targeted. If you sell to adults, is there some creative way you can also target teenagers or children or senior citizens? Is there an untapped market opportunity you can bring to management’s attention? Bringing in new revenues and opening up new categories or types of customers will make your brand a hero especially in a tight economy.

4. Keep Customers Loyal. Customer loyalty is the bedrock of a successful company. We all know it is important to go out and find new customers, but keeping a loyal customer base is an even smarter business tactic.  What are you doing to maintain customer satisfaction and customer loyalty for current customers? Helping your company retain its existing customer base in a downturn is critically important.  Keep in touch with your existing clients, reach out and solve their problems, let them know you are there for them. Pick up the phone and call once a month: not to sell, but just to let them know you are there for any questions or concerns. Write a quick email to share a new solution to a problem they might have.  And most importantly, let your managers know that you’ve reached out to your customers.

The key to a strong personal brand at your place of work is making sure the brand traits you’re developing will impact the company’s bottom line. If you do that, you will most certainly impact your career’s bottom line!

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