Unleashing and Channeling Your Power To Succeed

Think of your brand in terms of what the customer gains when it is viewed by each of his or her five senses – hearing, seeing, tasting, smelling and touching. In a nutshell your brand is the result of everything your prospect’s senses can pick up on or about your brand.

It’s the image you present at all times. From the company’s logo and color scheme all the way to the manner in which your employees dress. Think of what your colors portray.  Are they giving the message you want to give?

It’s what your prospects hear from and about you. From what they hear about you in the media to how your customer service team handles incoming complaints. Are former customers likely to speak kindly about you?  Are you and your employees pleasant when you speak? 

It’s the feeling your prospect gets in all their dealings with you. From their satisfied or unsatisfied interaction with you to the relationship building activities you carry out. Do customers and prospective customers feel they can trust you?  Do they feel your honesty?
It’s the pleasant or unpleasant scents that get associated with you covering everywhere from the scent of your product or facility, to even your employees. Do customers get a scent of cleanliness? 

It’s also the tastes that get associated with you. From the taste of your product (if it’s a product meant to be tasted) to the quality of coffee or tea you serve.

Your brand encompasses everything about you.

Read more about building your personal brand here:

http://www.mbrownassociates.com/personalbrand.html

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Whether you are thinking about making a career change or satisfied in your current position but still don’t know what your skills are, it’s time to discover your abilities and strengths and what makes you marketable.

Any marketing professional will tell you that one of the first things you have to know about a product before you put marketing plan together is to know the benefits – what makes this product different? Why should I buy it? How will it benefit me (and maybe my team)? Translating this to your job and/or career means knowing what YOU have to offer, what makes YOU different and why Mr. or Ms. HR person should hire YOU?

It is imperative in today’s competitive job market to know YOU. By knowing what you have to offer and then marketing and branding yourself as the person with that information, will help to separate you from your competition. Your marketability will depend on your ability to demonstrate, on paper and verbally, your skills (even if within the same organization).

Read more about building your personal brand here:

http://www.mbrownassociates.com/personalbrand.html

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

April 2011

Welcome to the March issue of According to Marshall…

There is a lot of information out there and most of us have little, or no time, to read it. My goal is to provide you, my readers, with relevant, important and up to date information that will help you in your business success. It’s just a quick summary, on various topics of interest, that I am sure will be relevant to your personal and professional success.

If there are particular subjects that you would like to receive information on, let me know. And if you want to share relevant information I would be happy to include it to my readers. Please feel free to send your information to me.

If you have trouble reading this or seeing graphics click here for the online version.

10 Signs of a Healthy Job Search

by Tim Tyrell-Smith – USNews

“If you’re out there looking for a job right now, you may be wondering, am I doing this right? How would I know? And if I am, why haven’t I found a job yet? Here’s the truth: In a struggling economy, you can do everything right and still not find the right job—or any job, for that matter.”

Click here to read the full story

Top 10 Interview Tips

by Alison Doyle – About.com Guide

“These top interview tips will help you cover everything you need to know to successfully ace a job interview. From checking out the company to sending an interview thank you note, these job interview tips cover all the basics needed for interviewing success.”

Click here to read the full story

10 Mistakes You’re Making on Your Resume

by Alison Green – USNews

“Chances are good that you’re making a few of these common mistakes on your resume. How many are you guilty of?”

Click here to read the full story

10 Tips for Social Media Introverts

by Heidi Cohen, Smart Blog

“Are you part of the social media silent majority? Do you hesitate to participate — either as an individual or as the manager of an organization who reads and observes what’s happening in the social media sphere? Do you want to break out of your social media shell? If so, here are 10 suggestions that you may remember from high school to help you ease into social media participation.”

Click here to read the full story

Marshall’s Blog at the Washington Post

For those of you that have not had a chance to visit my Washington Post blog yet here is the link:

http://views.washingtonpost.com/on-success/career-coach/

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

I was in Ethiopia for 2 weeks training with USAID (United States Agency International Development). Below are more pictures from my time in there. It was an amazing experience.

My next international training session for USAID is in Kenya from May 1-May 15, 2011.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

March 2011

Welcome to the March issue of According to Marshall…

There is a lot of information out there and most of us have little, or no time, to read it. My goal is to provide you, my readers, with relevant, important and up to date information that will help you in your business success. It’s just a quick summary, on various topics of interest, that I am sure will be relevant to your personal and professional success.

If there are particular subjects that you would like to receive information on, let me know. And if you want to share relevant information I would be happy to include it to my readers. Please feel free to send your information to me.

If you have trouble reading this or seeing graphics click here for the online version.

What Business Leaders Can Learn From “The King’s Speech”
by John Barker – The Financial Post

“The movie’s parallels to the world of business are clear: when called upon, leaders often struggle to find their own voice. Whether king or queen, executive or manager, anyone who aspires to inspire must face this rite of passage.”

Click here to read the full story

The Skill That Separates
by Marshall Goldsmith – JobDig

“If you want others to care about what you have to say – care about what they have to say!”

Click here to read the full story

Learn The Tricks Of Effective Networking
by Howard Adamsky – Monster Thinking

“How we go about our networking is important because in the end, if networking isn’t effective, there’s little reason to continue doing it. There are many rules of engagement for networking…”

Click here to read the full story

Why “Good Enough” Is Better Than “Best”
by Kimberly Weisul – BNET.com

“New research compares people who strive for the best to those who strive for ‘good enough.’ The high achievers aren’t who you’d expect.”

Click here to read the full story

Marshall’s Blog at the Washington Post

For those of you that have not had a chance to visit my Washington Post blog yet here is the link:

http://views.washingtonpost.com/on-success/career-coach/

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

I am in Ethiopia for 2 weeks training with USAID (United States Agency International Development). It’s hard to describe my reaction to this country as in many ways it’s so beautiful AND so very very poor.

Despite all odds, the people are extremely friendly and the smiles on the children’s’ faces shine brilliantly like the stars here at night.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

How much time, money and energy have you spent in developing a “personal brand” that is unique and represents YOU.

1. The personal branding process is about having self-awareness of your strengths and talents, and then letting everyone know about your gifts, talents, and experience. It’s about giving a clear impression of who you are, what you value, what you’re committed to, and how you can be counted upon to act. Your branding statement must provide a clear, concise view of your unique set of strengths and tell why you can do it better than anyone else. You need to be able to state clearly and unequivocally why you are different than everyone else, and what services you offer that make you unique and set you ahead of your competition.
2.  Understand how you connect best with people. Consider what your target audience needs and wants, and then identify the value and the experience that you can deliver to meet those needs and wants. Communicate in ways that reach into the hearts and minds of your target audience and connect with their core values and deepest desires.
3.  Consistency is one of the keys to building a strong personal brand. Be aware of being consistent in every interaction you have, both in what you say and how you respond. Establishing a professional brand is absolutely critical to long term, sustainable business growth. In an overcrowded marketplace, if you’re not standing out, then you’re invisible. Branding your products and services will give you an edge over your competition and enhance your value to your target market.

What makes you different?  Click here to share with us, on our survey, what you feel are the top 3 qualities that represent YOU – YOUR brand.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

February 2011

Welcome to the February issue of According to Marshall…

There is a lot of information out there and most of us have little, or no time, to read it. My goal is to provide you, my readers, with relevant, important and up to date information that will help you in your business success. It’s just a quick summary, on various topics of interest, that I am sure will be relevant to your personal and professional success.

If there are particular subjects that you would like to receive information on, let me know. And if you want to share relevant information I would be happy to include it to my readers. Please feel free to send your information to me.

If you have trouble reading this or seeing graphics click here for the online version.

3 Ways to Get a Promotion
by Elaine Pofeldt, CNNMoney.com/Money magazine

“Tired of waiting for better days to arrive so that you can ask for a bump up? Maybe it’s time to quit being so patient.”

Click here to read the full story

4 Ways YouTube Can Land You a Job
by Jessica Stillman , BNET.com

“Here’s another tool to add to your job-search arsenal: YouTube. We’re not kidding. Take notice of these four strategies that actually worked for real people.”

Click here to read the full story

Three Steps to Establishing an Entrepreneur Brand
by Dan Schawbel, Business Week

“But entrepreneurs who fail have a better chance of succeeding at their next ventures, because they have experience and understand what doesn’t wor.”

Click here to read the full story

Soles
by Seth Godin

“All you’ve got, all your brand has got, all any of us have are the memories and expectations and changes we’ve left with others.”

Click here to read the full story

Marshall’s Blog at the Washington Post

For those of you that have not had a chance to visit my Washington Post blog yet here is the link:

http://views.washingtonpost.com/on-success/career-coach/

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Branding is not just for products anymore. Personal branding has become a MUST, not a maybe, if you want to progress in your career, build your business, add value to your company and stand out from your competition. Personal branding shows your uniqueness, your value, your goals… the difference that is YOU. Think about it, and click here to share with us, on our survey, what you feel are the top 3 qualities that represent YOU – YOUR brand.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

January 2011

Happy New Year!

Welcome to the January issue of According to Marshall…

There is a lot of information out there and most of us have little, or no time, to read it. My goal is to provide you, my readers, with relevant, important and up to date information that will help you in your business success. It’s just a quick summary, on various topics of interest, that I am sure will be relevant to your personal and professional success.

If there are particular subjects that you would like to receive information on, let me know. And if you want to share relevant information I would be happy to include it to my readers. Please feel free to send your information to me.

If you have trouble reading this or seeing graphics click here for the online version.

Positive thinking helps net positive results -

by Anita Bruzzese, Gannett at USA Today

“It’s pretty tough to stay positive if you’ve been out of work for a while — or have a job but your boss makes your life miserable.”

Click here to read the full story

5 ways to achieve your New Year’s resolutions -

by Gretchen Rubin, at the Happiness Project

“Many people make New Year’s resolutions, but fewer follow through. To set achievable resolutions, consider what would make you more content, what tangible goals can help you reach that state, whether you respond better to positive or negative resolutions, if you are biting off more than you can chew, and how you will hold yourself accountable.”

Click here to read the full story

Interview Pet Peeves -

by Connie Hauer at JobDig

“Have you ever wondered what hiring managers really dislike during an interview? In an attempt to answer this question, an informal survey was conducted on LinkedIn, and the following question was asked to see what hiring managers and human resource professionals dislike most during an interview:”

Click here to read the full story

Digital Overload: Too Much Technology Takes a Toll -

by Ned Smith, BusinessNewsDaily Senior Writer

“It’s the great irony of the digital age. It seems that the more we do, the less that we get done. Many experts believe it’s our own digital dust that’s dragging us down.”

Click here to read the full story

Too Old To Hire, Too Young To Retire? The New Sandwich Generation -

by Kathy OReilly at MonsterThinking

“To take a pulse of what’s top of mind with job seekers, the White House recently approached us to tap into the large community of job seekers who engage with Monster on Facebook, Ask the White House gave job seekers the opportunity to present questions on what is currently being done, or what could be done, to help stimulate job growth.”

Click here to read the full story

Marshall’s Blog at the Washington Post

For those of you that have not had a chance to visit my Washington Post blog yet here is the link:

http://views.washingtonpost.com/on-success/career-coach/

I also invite you to forward this to a friend.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com