Written on the 1 September 2007 by Rachel Quilty of Jump the Q.
In 30 seconds your potential client has judged your business image and decided whether they like you, whether they trust you and whether they will do business with you. You can manage the impressions your clients make of your business in that time.
Recent studies have confirmed:
Sixty-seven per cent of first impressions are accurate. People judge you firstly by what you wear, then by how you speak, and then by the words you say. *
Seventy per cent of a market will pay a 20 per cent premium on branded products and 40 per cent will pay a 30 per cent premium. * Consider yourself a brand!
Your business image affects everything, including your:
- marketability,
- market position,
- market penetration,
- ability to attract and keep clients, and
- the price clients are willing to pay for your products and services.
It is essential to discovering how to:
- align your business image with client expectations
- build a business identity that complements your image
- strengthen your professional effectiveness, for tremendous business success.
Often without the resources of large businesses, home-based businesses must think carefully about what image they are presenting to their clients.
It is critical for home- based businesses to recognise the importance of their personal, professional and business image.
Your client’s impression of you will determine if they will do business with you.
They say, ‘If you look good, your product will be good, your prices will be good and your client service will be good.’
You cannot always control business image, because image is based on the perceptions of clients, or potential clients but you can control your business identity.
For business success you must manage your total image, this broadly comprises of your performance, presentation, attitude, communication skills and reputation. These are the vital areas of ‘ image’ from which we are all judged.
Presenting a professional image is a direct reflection on you – do you care about yourself, are you disciplined, do you provide attention to detail and in turn how you will treat a client.
It has been proven that more presentable or professional people are more persuasive.
Being your own PR department means your relationships and promotion opportunities depend on your own communication efforts.
Making a statement about your business image is your:-
- office
- stationery
- attire or staff uniforms
- marketing material
- website
- email and correspondence
- answering machine message
- telephone greeting
- response to client queries
- vehicles
- staff conduct and appearance
Consider each issue and what message these items say about your personal, professional and business image?
How you are perceived contributes to how people behave towards you. It is in your best interest to develop a credible and effective business image to develop the most persuasive image.
*****
Brand Yourself! And Jump the Q! Your personal brand should reflect your abilities and potential. Rachel Quilty, Personal Brand Strategist, known as ‘the Authority’ on personal branding and author of must- have book ‘Brand Yourself’. Go to http://www.JumptheQ.com.au for FREE strategic branding tips. Rachel encourages Jump the Q clients to think strategically when developing a personal brand to get that job offer, gain that promotion or win that client.
Jump the Q assists you to strategically and systematically leverage your professional profile and build your personal brand to become the authority in your industry. Get your free personal branding tactics and tips at http://www.brandyourselfblueprint.com
We assist you to develop your Personal Brand Strategy by:
- Discovering your purpose.
- Designing your best personal brand.
- Devising a personal marketing plan.
- Developing your Signature Brand.
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