Small Business Revitalization Blog

Imagine this… you are new in town and attending a networking event.  There are plenty of service providers there and you are looking for a day spa you can visit regularly. You meet a hairdresser/beautician who wears no makeup, promotes tanning but is pale as snow and has ratty looking hair…would you use them?

Most of you are already laughing – you are probably thinking ‘stupid question’!  It sounds stupid, but it is a reality for many service providers – who they are does not reflect the products or services they are promoting…  If you are going to promote yourself as a success coach then you must be vibrant and full of life first.  If you are a strategist, then demonstrate your expertise in your conversations.  If you are an image consultant then lose the bright green eyeshadow and frumpy clothes!

When your personal brand is incongruent with your stated business image, your potential clients experience confusion.  They don’t know what to believe… and research tells us that people believe what they see before they believe what you tell them.  Everything about your personal brand needs to reflect your business brand if you are the one representing your business in public!!

As a small business coach, I encourage my clients to look at their personal brand Here’s 5 (hard) questions to ask – if you want an honest opinion, ask for feedback from others who are willing to tell you what they really see:

1.    Does my branding (logo, business cards etc) reflect my product and services accurately?
2.    Am I dressed and groomed appropriately to represent my business?
3.    Do my written communications demonstrate my expertise?
4.    If I met me for the first time, would I have confidence in me?
5.    How else can I add value to my brand to make it even more distinctive and personal?

Reinventing your brand can reinvent your business.  The devil is definitely in the detail!!