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Effective Personal Branding & Customer Service- Trader Joe’s Case Study 0

I love to shop at Trader Joe’s.  I find it makes me happy to just think about going to that store.  And yes, I do spend money and deal with the parking headaches in their lots.  But I still go happily.  Not only that, every time the name, “Trader Joe’s” comes up, I feel happy.

In personal brand management, we teach that everything is about the emotional quotient- what feeling do you drum up in us about who you are so that we remember you and want to be around you, buy from you, etc? Trader Joe’s clearly has that emotional quotient value mastered.

We can all agree that their quality may not be the absolute best and their prices are low, but not the lowest.  We’ve all noticed how the packaging tends to shrink (one less egg-roll, a few ounces less jam), but I still go back and so do all the people we have surveyed.  The reason is that Trader Joe’s still gives us that happy feeling-and that is priceless.

In addition, the customer service in their stores is excellent. Every employee works with passion and purpose and acts like they own the company! I love it.  I’ve heard they receive excellent benefits- even if they are part-time workers.  So clearly, Trader Joe’s has figured out the customer service personal branding secret, too- hire well, take care of your employees and the rest is history.

So stop and ask yourself- do you make your clients and prospects and friends and family happy?  When we think of you, do we forget the not-so-perfect stuff and remember you for the happiness you elicit in us?  Do you train your staff to provide that same level of happy customer service?  Hope so.  Visit a Trader Joe’s store and see how it works.

Posted on: 04-9-2012
Posted in: Behavior, Being Memorable, Business Brand, Communication, Corporate Image, customer service, Fees/Pricing, Personal branding, Uncategorized

Being the Connector & Source For Others 0

I try to spend at least 45 minutes every Monday introducing people to one another via email.  I find it so much fun helping people find the products and services that enhance their lives.  I connect clients with services and products. I connect prospects with other service or product providers. I connect clients with other clients who have had a similar problem/need and have found a solution.  I connect my business vendors to one another.  I find people speaking opportunities.  I even help people find good restaurants!

As a personal brand, there is nothing more powerful than being able to hook up people to one another.  Call it Karma or just being helpful and gracious. Do it for no other reason than to help others.

If you reach out to connect people for these reasons, the results are always the same- you get looked upon as helpful, resourceful, collaborative, productive and in a certain way, “all-knowing” or at least able to perceive what others need and provide it.

The point of having an effective personal brand is to be top-of-mind to others and generating powerful and instant recall in others’ minds about who you are/what you do based on your unique qualities.   What else could we ask for when are called upon to bring others together in service?

Make a list of the people you have GENUINELY connected in the past week.  Follow up at some point to see if the connections have worked out and how else you can help.

Posted on: 02-27-2012
Posted in: Behavior, Being Memorable, Business Brand, Networking, Uncategorized

Come Out Of Hiding in 2012! 0

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As business owners and employee, we try to do a little of everything as best we can.  It is hard enough to run a business or be a good employee and get the substantive work done. Then there is the other type of work that has to do with networking and showing up and representing.  This is where it gets harder and harder and harder, especially if you are fixated on the substantive work.

I often get feedback from clients and those in my networking/personal branding classes that they feel it is good enough to show up at a networking event.   Why do they have to be happy about being there or resolve to do things differently while at the event.  Or worse, there are those folks that have the following excuse about why they don’t show up in public and sell their personal brand- they often say that their work speaks for itself as a first impression and so no one needs to meet them or see them.

So my questions for you are:

Do you feel your work speaks for itself and sets a great first impression so you don’t have to show up in life?  If you do show up at events, do you believe it is good enough that you are there and so you don’t put forth much effort?

If you answered “yes” to either question (be honest with yourself!), then you are missing out on developing an effective personal brand and missing out on life!

Folks, it is not good enough for you to assume your work speaks for itself.  While you may produce superb work product and that is very important, you need to make sure we see there is a dynamic human being standing behind the work product.  At some point, everyone produces work that is on par with one another. How do you stand out from the other  “good work producers”?  It is only from actually knowing you and your quirks and personality (ie, your personal brand) that anyone will remember you…and your work product.

Guess what? The only way to get to know you and your quirks and your personality is to get out in public and do it with a passion and purpose. So it is not good enough to just go to networking events- I need you to want to go to networking events and want to meet people and genuinely be interested in meeting people and sharing yourself, both personally and professionally, with people.

So be high-impact and genuine:  don’t hide behind your work product, show up. Don’t just show up.  Show up and be genuine in your interest in being there and connecting with others. It’s a fabulous personal brand builder.  I promise.

Here’s your challenge for January 2012:  Attend a networking event/meeting, etc that you normally would not attend because you “don’t have time” or it makes you uncomfortable to go.  Go by yourself.  Go with the intention of standing out, being interesting and being interested in others at the event.  Email me and let me know how it went.

Posted on: 01-9-2012
Posted in: Behavior, Being Memorable, Business Brand, Networking, Personal branding
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