Robert Hargrove

Brands are what set people, organizations, and nations apart. Brands sell!!! People like to buy brands they know and trust as opposed to the generic variety. Think Coca Cola, Honda, iPod.

Even though we don’t normally think of it that way, the most successful people on earth are successful because they have become a brand in their own right. Think Donald Trump, Richard Branson, Calvin Klein, Oprah.

It pays to consciously and intentionally create what Tom Peter’s calls a Brand Called You. Here are three tips:

1)  Stand out from the crowd. Brands differentiate one person (product from the next). Vive la difference! Think about the people in your profession or occupation. What is it about you that is dramatically different? For example, you are Super Smart, Very Entrepreneurial, High Energy, Trustworthy and Reliable, A Creative Force.

2)  Share of voice. One of the things that make a personal brand great is when people talk about the person. This is called share of voice. Think Obama, Paris Hilton, Oprah. What can you do that will get people talking about you?

3)  Trustworthiness. David Letterman having sex with his staff. Lehman brothers crashing due to the greed of its execs. GM going bankrupt. Businessweek recently reported in an issue on the 100 top brands that trust has become the dominant factor in a brand’s fortunes rising or falling. What mistakes have you made that could erode trust and how can you correct them?