| By Marjorie Brody
How to move from college professor to business owner to successful entrepreneur? That was the question facing me when I made my first tentative entrepreneurial steps in the early 1980s. It was initially quite a daunting task.
My first course of action was to observe, interview and read about people who were successful. What was their magic? What were they doing to personally build a brand?
Of course, all business owners/entrepreneurs need to have something to sell — a service or tangible product that has value. The next step is to identify the market for that service or item. Then, it’s all about finding customers and creating visibility. With low visibility there is NO visibility. People like to do business with professionals they know, like and trust. Are you that person? Are others aware of what you have to offer?
Remember, it’s not just what you know, or who you know, it’s who knows you and what you’re capable of doing that will build your business and create a brand.
I built my company — Brody Communications Ltd. — by creating and constantly fine-tuning my product and my MAGIC. MAGIC is an acronym I developed after noting what successful entrepreneurs and business executives did both knowingly and intuitively.
My newest book, Career MAGIC: A Woman’s Guide to Reward & Recognition, provides a self-marketing formula based upon this acronym that will streamline your efforts to gain visibility and help build your personal and company brand.
“M” Is for “Manner”
The first aspect of marketing your MAGIC relates to your manner — the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you meet people, the way you treat people.
Do you project the body language of a winner? Do you walk with purpose? Do you look people in the eye and smile? Do you attract others to you?
Does your grooming project attention to detail? Are your clothes appropriate for the occasion? Do you project the image of success?
Are you the type of person with whom people want to do business? Can they count on you? Can they trust you? Do you treat them respectfully? Are you the consummate professional?
No one wants to do business with — or work with — people who treat her or him poorly. Your manner can open or shut doors. What does your manner say about you?
“A” Is for “Advocates”
Creating an advocate system is another great way to market your MAGIC. Webster’s New World Dictionary defines an a dvocate as “a person who pleads another’s cause ... a person who speaks or writes in support of something.” These are the people who create “buzz” about you and your company or services. Consider them your unpaid sales force.
Advocates don’t just happen. You need to meet as many people in as many places as possible — at work, within professional associations and groups, and in your daily life. Being a good networker helps with the first step in creating advocates.
There are four things you need in order to make the most of your networking opportunities: 1) a good self-introduction; 2) business cards (carry them with you at all times); 3) an effective handshake (firm, not bone crushing or wimpy); and, of course, 4) an interest in helping others.
Advocate relationships in your life often evolve and grow over time as you get to know each other better. It’s all about creating, building and maintaining the relationship. Here are three pointers to nurture the relationship you develop with advocates:
- Ask for their advice. They will probably appreciate and remember the fact that you respect their opinion.
- Focus on ways in which you can help your advocates, not just on ways in which they can help you. Be willing to listen, offer insight, help with projects, and share your best practices.
- Stay in touch — call, send articles, “do lunch.”
Remember, if people don’t know who you are and what you do, how can they benefit from what you offer?
“G” Is for “Grow”
The third part of my MAGIC formula for success is to grow. Strive to grow in knowledge in three areas:
- Craft: What you do; the skills/information to do your job.
- Market: Your field. What are the trends? What do you need to know so you don’t become obsolete?
- Self: Take risks; try new things.
How do you grow? Continue your education and get advanced degrees or certifications in your industry. Training programs, mentoring, and mastermind groups also provide opportunities for growth.
Taking risks is necessary for growth. Whenever you evaluate a risk, ask yourself the following two questions: 1) What’s the worst that could happen? 2) Then what?
Once you’ve identified the worst possible outcome of taking a risk, think about how you would cope with potential failure. Do you have a good backup plan? Would you have opportunities or resources upon which to fall back? If so, then what do you have to lose?
When you look at risk and how you would handle the possible outcomes, it’s no longer frightening or overwhelming. Besides, growth occurs even when things don’t turn out the way you hoped they would. We learn not only through our successes, but through our failures, as well.
One of my favorite quotes about growth is, “If you’re not green and growing, you’re ripe and rotten.”
“I” Is for “Involvement”
The “I” in the MAGIC formula relates to getting involved. Find out the organizations and activities with which the winners in your life (and the winners you’d like to have in your life) are involved. Get involved in the same things, including:
- Mastermind groups (aka “think tanks” or “dream teams”) — trusted advisors with whom business ideas can be shared, dissected and fine-tuned, all in a non-competitive, nurturing environment;
- Associations and other professional/community groups; and
- Life (country clubs, synagogues, churches, your childrens’ activities, etc.).
Involvement means taking leadership roles, getting involved training others, becoming a mentor, serving on a board. So, do something! But, pick and choose strategically. Where will you learn the most? How can you contribute? Who will you meet? Weigh your personal satisfaction against potential payback and visibility. A majority of referral business comes from the people with whom we are involved outside of our immediate work environment.
“C” Is for “Commentary”
The last part of the MAGIC mix is to be perceived as an expert. You need to give commentary in order to do this. Get your name out there. Become an expert resource.
If you’ve already achieved some level of media exposure, aim higher for national and international exposure. Unless you’re talking about the sun, too much exposure never hurt anyone! There are two aspects to creating commentary:
- Write
- articles
- newsletters
- books
- letters to the editor
Get your name in print. Once you are published, send articles to your advocates and to others in your network and industry. Send out news releases in order to secure media interviews with radio and television stations, print media (magazines and newspapers), and Internet sites.
- Speak
- address meetings, conferences and conventions
- teach a course
- do radio and television interviews
- present papers
- introduce speakers
Both writing and speaking skills can be developed through coaching. All of these techniques — paying attention to your manner, creating advocates, growing constantly, involving yourself in the things with which winners are involved, and delivering commentary through speaking and writing — will help you create greater visibility.
You may think that just because you’re already successful, there’s no need to invest time or energies into self-marketing strategies. Wrong! There’s always room for further growth, greater accolades, and the resulting increase to your bottom line.
Marjorie Brody, MA, CSP, CMC , is the president of Brody Communications Ltd. (www.BrodyCommunications.com) and the author of 18 books. She can be contacted at 800-726-7936 (e-mail: mbrody@BrodyCommunications.com). Article copyright 2004 by Marjorie Brody and Brody Communications Ltd.; featuring concepts found in Brody’s newest book, Career MAGIC: A Woman’s Guide to Reward & Recognition.
(This article is reprinted from the Spring 2004 edition of Enterprising Women magazine. Copyright 2004 Enterprising Women Inc. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited, except by express permission of the publisher.) |
