“Reputation is a transactional currency.” – Mazi Sam I. Ohuabunwa
In branding, just as in selling, people buy you before the product. The salesman who is selling the product is a complete product who must be outstanding at all times. Do your best to maintain a great reputation. A good name is priceless. You can’t talk about building a good personal brand without talking about reputation. Reputation opens doors.
Your brand is as good as you
In Aristotle’s Three Elements of Persuasion – Ethos, Pathos, and Logos – the beginning point is Ethos, which expresses the importance of character, integrity, and ethics. Persuasion, in any context, should stand on the strong foundation of a great reputation of the person behind the persuasion.
Persuasion should have an element of Ethos, which means, ethics and character; Pathos, which means emotional appeal and empathy; and Logos, which means logic and facts. Aristotle’s elements of persuasion can be applied in leadership and management, sales and marketing, and several aspects of life.
Bringing the elements of persuasion to our discussion, we will therefore conclude that your brand is as good as You. The way you are is the way your brand will be perceived. A lion will always give birth to a lion. Something must be wrong when a lion gives birth to a goat! What you are must be consistent with your brand. You and your brand are one. Therefore, before building a brand, build a reputation!
The higher your reputation, the higher your worth
There are brands people identify with over the years because they have proved that they can be trusted. This status continues to give them enviable brand equity.
In personal branding, reputation determines your worth. The higher your reputation, the higher your worth. As a salesman, as a professional, focus on building a great reputation. When you build a desirable reputation, other things will follow naturally. People cluster around men and women they can trust. Your success begins with the name you have built for yourself.
I have several authorities I can call mentors because they are people of great character. Their reputation quotient is high and I go to them to seek counsel when I want to make important decisions. These individuals have continued to be relevant in their industries because of the level of reputation they have built overtime. People like to identify with them anywhere their names are mentioned. Some of them have led their professional associations nationwide. Some of them have contributed immensely in the society by way of social investment, mentorship, and advocacy.
Keep your promise
There’s no better reputation than when people know that you keep your promise. Repeat customers is about promise kept and promise kept is about reputation. Don’t say what you can’t do. It is better you don’t promise and later deliver, than to promise and don’t keep to your promises.
Failed promises kill brands! Keep doing your best to get better. Improve in knowledge. Be innovative and keep discovering new ways to delight your target audience. Personal branding is something you continue to get better at.
Your lifestyle matters
In personal branding, everything you do counts. The individual building a personal brand must be careful about his private and public life. He must be seen to be the same person in private and in public life. This is a way onlookers appraise the reputation of the personal brand.
Choices and actions can make or mar a personal brand. We have seen this happen in many cases. Many individuals have gone down because of their private lives that affected their personal brands.
How do you want to be seen? What word do you want people to use when they see or hear about you? As you work on your personal brand, be mindful of the brand you want to be known as. Work on Yourself to be the person You admire.
The Selling Champion Consulting Annual Masterclass
South-East / South-South Edition holds in Enugu on Sat 3rd August, 2024.
Theme: The Path To Sales Excellence.
Venue: Toscana Hotel, Independence Layout, Enugu. Time: 10am – 3pm.
Masterclass Fee: N95,000. Payment covers: Accredited certificate, training materials, tea break, lunch buffet, and mentoring & networking opportunity.
For Payment details or more information, please call, 07060559429, 08186083133. www.thesellingchampionconsulting,com.www.nigeriasalesconference.com.
