8. A Solid Brand
Brandon Shea, managing director, DCIO national sales manager at RidgeWorth Investments, spoke about standing out from the crowd.
He liked the Disney explanation of a brand being a living entity, which is a product of a thousand small gestures.
Shea stated that a good brand has three benefits. It will attract people to you, create intense client loyalty and allow for a pricing premium.
Branding, which first came from labeling cattle, has three emotional responses. People can react positively, negatively or not at all. Shea said, “Your name also has that attachment to it. Ask your significant other to come up with three words to describe you. We all have a personal brand.”
This research will allow one to learn how one is perceived.
Shea gave Nike, Starbucks and the Ritz-Carlton as examples of great brands. He then said to use LinkedIn and your Web site to manage the first impression.
When it comes to a biography, he said to do the “three C’s test”: credentials, character and connection points. Credentials are table stakes to get in this business, said Shea. Your reputation says something about your character. Ask yourself, does it pass the “so what” test?