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Brand YOU–You Are What They See

March 24, 2006 by Liz 12 Comments

Covers Sell Books

People say, Don‚’t judge a book by its cover. People judge books by covers. Covers sell books. We only have so much time to look at books, and the cover is what gets our attention. This photo lets you know how important a cover can be. As a publisher, I’d edit that old advice to say, “Judge a book by its cover, but also judge the book builder too.

A book cover makes a promise about what you will find when you open the book.

Your image works the same way for you.

What’s Your Cover?

What people see about you, your first impression, your image, is like the book cover to your personal brand. Your first impression literally makes a mental image. Your image makes a silent promise about who you are and what people can count on when they get to know you. That mental image lasts. Pictures stay longer than words.

When there’s a question about what to believe, your image might just tip the balance. That’s a powerful reason to be sure that the big idea of your brand carries through into all things that people see around you. Here’s a checklist that might help you make sure your image supports your personal brand.
For the sake of this checklist let’s imagine that you want to be known as one who is always on top of information.

  • Your personal image. Do you dress the part? Do the clothes you wear and your haircut look pulled together? Do you sit and stand like one who is always ready to take notes? Have you got the right energy level? Do you carry the tools you need? Notebook, pens, list of phone extensions to use when outside your office? When you’re asked, can you look things up and find them?
  • Your workspace. Is your workspace organized? Is your computer desktop organized too? Have you put the things you use most often closest to where you use them? Have you placed the things people are likely to ask for in a place where you can find them quickly? When you stand at your doorway, does your space look like the workspace of one who handles information well?
  • Your skills. Have you mastered information software programs, such as spreadsheets and databases that might be useful in your job? Do you know more than usual references that people might use to answer questions that come up?

Once you start thinking in this direction, you’ll start to see that everything you do is an opportunity to enhance the big idea of your personal brand. It’s not so hard to develop habits that form around your big idea. That’s the key learning to live your brand.

People do judge books by the promise of the cover. Make a promise they will value. One that you will keep–and they’ll notice it for sure.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related article
Brand YOU – What’s the BIG IDEA?
Personal Branding: Strengths Assessment Tool
Building a Personal Brand YOU

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Filed Under: Marketing /Sales / Social Media, Motivation, Personal Branding, SS - Brand YOU, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, big_idea, BRAND_YOU, image, personal_brand, personal_branding, personal-branding, promotion

Comments

  1. Robert Bruce says

    March 24, 2006 at 1:45 PM

    Yep. Interesting too how this varies from industry to industry… the accountant will not dress like the actor and vice versa, etc.

    Although, between outsourcing and the possibilities of income using the old internet, we may all be wearing the same “cover” soon….

    A bathrobe and slippers.

    (Which may not be a bad thing)

    Reply
  2. Robert Bruce says

    March 24, 2006 at 1:46 PM

    Great title btw. “You are what they see”

    Reply
  3. ME Strauss says

    March 24, 2006 at 2:05 PM

    Hi Robert,

    I think our “covers” will become what they see on the Internet–our blogs etc. How I look will change with my header. 🙂

    You make a good point about the “uniform” for each industry. 🙂

    Thanks for your comment.
    Liz

    Reply
  4. Michael Choate says

    June 20, 2007 at 1:34 PM

    Great piece! I am now cleaning up my desk and will start living my brand!

    Thanks!

    M!

    Reply
  5. ME Strauss says

    June 20, 2007 at 2:09 PM

    H Michael!
    Welcome! I’m glad you found this one useful. I love the energy. 🙂

    Reply
  6. Divya Ramamurthy says

    January 18, 2016 at 12:06 AM

    I’m a 15-year old high school intern for a small business, and this article helped me change my habits and understand what branding is all about, being a unique individual.

    Reply

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