Questions to develop your personal brand. Key is value migration from functional view of self...to strengths...to value.

1. Differentiating Yourself from
the Masses in the Job Market
May 28, 2014
Martin McLaughlin,
Managing Partner, Mosaic Partners
mmclaughlin@mosaicpartners.com

2. – Authentic shaping of perceptions
– Positioning you as compelling and differentiated
– Focusing on creating value and not just capturing value
– Conversations beyond functional “what you do” to
relevant “why you exist”
– Engaging stories to carry your brand forward
– Being your most confident self to attract your target
audience
What is personal branding?

3. Change the conversation
with customers, employees
and potential employers.
Be engaging, compelling,
authentic, and remarkable.
Principle #1

4. Principle #1 - Support
• Full Service
• Longevity
• Number of Locations
• Quality of Offerings
• Background of Employees
• Number / Mix of Customers
• Accounting
for Change
• Lowering the
Cost of Everything
• Computing Power to Change
the World
• Transforming Education

5. Principle #1 - Support
Why I Exist:
Quality Leads Driving Quality
Revenue
How I Do It:
Partnering between Sales and Marketing
Building teams and process that fit culture
and deliver revenue objectives
Metrics that extend from LTV of a customer
to program ROI
Engage customers more deeply around
brand value
What I Do: VP of Marketing or CMO
Marketing strategy
Lead generation
Direct mail
Lead team of 35+ people
B2B and B2C experiences

6. MENG: 38 Members Reviewing 650 Resumes
Single Most Critical/Common Weakness:
Undifferentiated Excellence
•The most typical communication is:
• I’m a really good, successful senior marketing
executive. Just give me a chance…I can do whatever you
need.
The biggest problem is that the “point of differentiation is not
clearly articulated.”
“Consider who the resume is targeting and be sure the
messages are directed to them.”
Principle #1 - Support

7. Questions to Think About
What business topics (1 or 2) would you “blog”
about if I asked you to write and engage with an
audience for the next year?
Are your conversations conventional or remarkable?
Principle #1 - Support

8. Define and know your target
audience better than
anyone else.
Beyond industry or size.
Principle #2

9. Know Your Target Better Than Anyone Else!!!
Principle #2 - Support
Your “Cup
of Coffee”
must be
great, but
that isn’t
enough.
Everyone
sells quality
coffee or
they
wouldn’t be
around.

10. Questions to Think About
What thread ties all of your work experiences together?
What do you know about your target audience – how they think, act,
behave, grow?
Who are you most valuable to and why?
Principle #2 - Support

11. Develop a unique brand
position beyond a quality
offering.
(Quality is a commodity in every
industry – create value beyond
your function.)
Principle #3

12. Personal and Company Brand Connect
at Solution Value
Principle #3 - Support
Company Value
Migration
Personal Value
Migration
Product Service Solution Experience
Function Strengths Solution Experience

13. Basic premise:
Customer’s aren’t looking to fill a functional
role…they are looking to you to solve
something for them.
It is up to you to understand what that is and
to help them solve it.
Personal and Business!!!
Principle #3 - Support

14. Principle #3 - Support
Personal Value
Functional Value Build capacity of team to be more than order takers.
Great deal maker.
Expert in the industry.
Have strong negotiating skills.
Strengths Value Build relationships to deliver sustainable results.
Manage conversations and opportunities to achieve positive
outcomes for all stakeholders.
Understand needs to optimize solutions (right questions, right
way at right time).
Solution Value You are selling possibilities to a merchant while others are
selling retail space.
You are a best fit for organizations that invest in their brand
assets – and not just their inventory of space assets.
Experience Value Challenges self and others to be better…to be great.
Inspire confidence
Genuine and interested in merchant’s success while meeting
company revenue goals

15. Questions to Think About
What are your strengths? How are they valuable to your target
employers?
What do you solve for an organization?
What is missing when you are not there?
Principle #3 - Support

16. Life and business is one big value
exchange – so add value in
every conversation.
Compel employers to select you.
Principle #4

17. Have an agenda to direct your meeting:
•Connect: People want to help and work with people they know
and like.
•Understand : It is hard to add value if you don’t know specific
things about the person.
•Add Value: Just because you are in great need doesn’t mean
you can’t add great value!!!
•Communicate Your Story: You have positioned yourself by
giving something of interest / value – so go for it.
•Define How They Can Help: Time to bring out your bio and
make a request.
•Build Action / Commitments: Build in follow-up processes.
Principle #4 - Support

18. Doing Assets
• The Marketing Exchange
• Facilitation of Personal Branding
Discussions
• Villanova Exec Ed Coaching
Being Assets
• Andersen Background
• Open, Helpful, Fun
• Coach, Mentor
• Network
Hard Assets
• Eagles Tickets
• Office in Wayne
• IP (Results from 100’s of Client
Engagements)
Functional Assets
• Strategic Marketing Frameworks
• 11 Years as a Entrepreneur
• Information Broker (share articles,
insight, etc.)
How are you developing and using your
assets to build an in-demand personal brand?
Principle #4 - Support

19. Questions to Think About
How do you show up in a networking
conversation (active or responsive)?
How do you deploy your assets to add value?
Principle #4 - Support

20. Manage perceptions to
influence behavior in 3 and
maybe 30 seconds.
Script the brand message because
brand perceptions are being formed in a
blink of an eye.
Principle #5

21. How did he deliver his original 3/30 second speech?
•I work for company ______.
•We are a retail chain that does business in 5 states.
•My role is very operational right now, but I hope to
get out of this role to be more strategic.
•I develop retail strategies for new product intros.
•I’ve been at big company _________ for 12 years.
Let me tell you more about my resume and leave it up
to you to find something interesting about me…
Principle #5 - Support

22. 3 Seconds, 30 Seconds, and 3 Minute Speeches:
Goal-oriented.
Your goal is to create a dialogue.
Tells a story.
Become a great story teller. Include in the story aspects of
“who you are, what you do, and how you are different.”
As much about them as about you.
People really only care about how you can help them – so add
value in every conversation.
Positions you in the mind of the listener.
Shape it or they will form it. Everything communicates.
Better with practice and refinement.
Principle #5 - Support

23. Question to Think About
Are your introductory words attracting the right people in the right
way?
Are you actively managing your brand perception?
Are you avoiding “limiting” yourself?
Principle #5 - Support

24. Principle #6
What you read and who you meet will
define where you are
one year from today.
Calendars don’t lie.

25. Create a target list of people you want to
meet and get closer to:
–Be specific: define who and why you want to meet
–Be tight: start with 10 people that you want to add to
your network
–Be bold: stretch to meet those that you feel are
outside of your current comfort zone…the strength of
weak ties
–Be focused: have an agenda for your network
meetings
Principle #6 - Support

26. Process Measures of Networking Success:
–Selling to and through people…not 1, but 500
–Measure 1: Are people extending / risking their own
personal brand and providing access to their best contacts?
–Getting the message…introductions aligned to your brand
–Measure 2: Are people bringing you into the right
conversations?
–Getting closer to the opportunity…not 500, but 1
–Measure 3: Are you being exposed to the right
opportunities selling, networking, career opportunities?
Principle #6 - Support

27. Question to Think About
Why would I need to introduce you into my
network?
Are people extending their brand and network
assets to you?
Principle #6 - Support

28. Use language that extends your
brand. Nothing communicates
more than passion.
(Be interested and be interesting.)
Principle #7

29. “He had done nothing to sell me on his
business, yet he had given me the most
powerful sales pitch of my life. Because
his sole concern had been my welfare
and the success of my business.”
Jim Pennman, on learning how to sell
(What Will They Franchise Next? The Story of Jim’s Group)
Principle #7 - Support

30. Question to Think About
Can you authentically show up for them and
meet your objective?
Principle #7 - Support

31. Define your value.
Be clear on who values you the most and why.
Develop your 3 / 30 / 3 minute speeches.
Have an inventory of stories that align to your
value (why, how, what).
Develop your bio to help tell your brand story.
Finally, craft your resume that aligns to above.
In Summary