Today’s guest blog is from Jennifer Holloway of Spark Branding.
It’s a fact of life for any freelancer, contractor or self-employed business owner out there: whatever you do, ultimately you’re a sales person. Because if you don’t go out and find that next job or your newest client, you won’t last long.
But most of us didn’t go into our line of work to do sales (I know I certainly didn’t!) which is why we find it hard to get our act in gear when it comes to building our list of contacts, keeping in touch with them and getting work from them.
But what if I you had something to help you do those things without really having to try?
Well, guess what? You already do. It’s called your personal brand and the reason it’s so important boils down to one thing: people buy people before they buy what they’re selling.
That’s always been true but it’s becoming even more important when there are so many people out there with the same skills, qualifications and experience chasing the same jobs and work that the only differentiator is the person themselves. So it’s important to understand that it’s your personal brand that tells people what they get when they buy into you. Which leads me to ask…
- What is your personal brand?
- What do you offer people who buy into you?
- What is your unique selling point that will attract people to you?
And when you have the answers to those questions, here’s some more…
- What are you doing to get your personal brand out there?
- What will people find when they Google your name or search for it on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook?
- How ‘personal’ is your brand, or are you just selling your skills, qualifications and experience like everyone else?
When 83% of recruiters use the internet as part of recruiting and 73% of SMEs use social media to promote themselves,
you need to have the answers. If not, you could be missing a trick while your competitors’ businesses flourish.
Which is why I’ve teamed up with Freelance World to offer a 20% discount on my Personal Brand: Profile service until 30 June 2011 – now £395, saving you £100.
Jennifer Holloway
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