Joining Personal Branding Blog

I am very proud to announce that I have joined Personal Branding Blog as a weekly columnist.  This is an exciting opportunity for me and the five other bloggers who will be contributing on a weekly basis.

Today, Careerbuilder.com and CNN chose their top job blogs which Personal Branding Blog was ranked #1.  Additionally, the blog will be syndicated to some great outlets like Hoovers, Fox Business, Forbes.com, and Reuters.

I will be contributing a weekly article set to publish every Saturday.  If you’re not a subscriber to Personal Branding Blog, you should subscribe here.  Additionally, if you’re not subscribing to my blog and are interested in checking out future articles, I’d suggest subscribing.

I will be joining five other very talented bloggers you should check out including:

• Beverly Macy (Tuesday): Teaches social media marketing at UCLA and is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Y&M Partners.
• Paul Dunay (Wednesday): The Global Director of Integrated Marketing at BearingPoint, Inc.
• Jonathan Burg (Thursday): A Senior Emerging Channels Specialist at Digitas, a world leading digital marketing and media agency.
• Jacob Share (Friday): The founder and SVP of Share Select Media.
• Katie Konrath (Sunday): She is a creativity specialist who helps companies come up with fresh new product and service ideas.

Coming to a Blog Near You

When I started to look at the people around me who have built successful personal brands, one thing is apparent.  They are great at building personal relationships.

Online personal branding is a bit more tricky.  It’s harder to build a personal relationship online.   Relationships online take more repetition, more pinging, and cultivating.  Joining Twitter was a good start for me as it gives those on the web a way to get to know me as a person rather than some distant blogger.

I’m looking for ideas that help build those connections.  Videos might be a good start as they give you a visual and audio representation of who I am.  Done right, and they can help build a brand and connection.  Anyone else have ideas?

How to get an e-mail response

In sales, it’s very important to know how to get someone to respond to your email. In fact, I think we could all use some advice on how to construct a proper email in order to get a good response. I’ve learned that there are a few essential rules to follow to get a good responses.

1. Have an interesting, relevant, and provoking subject line. My favorite subject lines are ones that ask the recipient a question. Anybody who keeps in regular contact with me is probably familiar with the subject lines “Connecting?”, “Touching Base?”, and “Available on 4/21?”. I like these because the recipient knows the purpose of the email without having to read it. When this is the case, people are more likely to open your email and more likely to respond, because their call to action is very clear.

2. Be brief. If you are sending an email with the hope of getting a response, you should say hi, give a quick update, and get to the point of why you’re emailing. People receive hundreds of emails a day. If you get to the point, people will reward you.

3. Be Persistent. People’s lives are just as hectic as yours. Most of the time, if you don’t get a response, it’s not because people hate you–they’re probably genuinely busy. Be pleasantly persistent and make yourself convenient. I’ve been thanked countless times for keeping on people and making sure we’re making progress.

Follow these simple rules and watch how things get accomplished more efficiently for you.

The Art of Preparation

My football coach in High School used to preach that the way we practiced was the way we’d play in games. Football taught me a great deal about discipline and work ethic, and it certainly taught me about preparation. While I don’t play football anymore, I do give presentations, speak at meetings, meet new people, etc. The main thing I’ve learned about preparation is that Preparation=Confidence.

I wanted to share a few lessons my football coaches taught me that can help you prepare as well. They all boost your confidence and help you succeed when you need to most.

1. Know your plays: Know what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it. If you’re giving a speech, know what you’re going to say and how you’re going to deliver it.

2. Learn the big picture: In football, things constantly change. If you stick too close to what you prepared for, you might get burned. Get used to the unpredictable.

3. Know your opponent: Who’s attending your meeting? What questions do you think you’ll be asked in your presentation? Know what’s going to happen before it does, and you will succeed.

4. Relax…but keep focused: The best athletes and speakers are relaxed. Notice how the best athletes always have a sense of composure. Their bodies are almost limp because they are relaxed, focused, and confident.

5. Don’t be afraid to win: If you stay too rigid, you won’t be able to do anything amazing. Don’t be afraid of your audience or your opponent. Be flexible and allow yourself to make a game changing play.

Follow the coach’s advice and we can get you to deliver better than you could have ever expected. Know what you’re going to do and be confident doing it.

Brevity

Get to the point.

1.  Leave short voice mails and emails.

2.  Write shorter blog posts, the point is to leave people with a good idea or two.

3.   Ask questions.  Let others talk, and then pack a punch when you do talk.

4.  Non-Verbal communication is a skill.  How do you look?  How’s your posture?  Are you making eye contact?

5.  Limit lists to 5 or 6 points.  Any more and people will start to forget the big picture.