What Do You Say When Someone Asks, “So, what do you do?”

Watch this video to find out how to create a magnetic elevator speech that allows you to pull new clients or business partners to you in 60 seconds or less.

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You hate selling.

You hate promoting yourself.

You were taught that it was not polite to do. You were taught to be humble and let others praise you.

Well, what if I told you that marketing is not about selling? It is about offering your products and services to those who really, really need or want them. And, what if I told you that by keeping your products and services to yourself or hoping that somehow, some way your target audience might “come across them” is really doing a disservice to hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of people?

What would you say then?

Watch the video below to find out how you can change your perspective and see yourself as an educator–educating the market about your value as an act of service.

And, please don’t forget to share your thoughts afterwards.

Action Steps

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• Have you steered clear of marketing because you think it makes you feel like a cheesy salesperson?

• Does this perspective help you look at marketing in a different light?

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Listen to Catherine Kaputa Interviews on Personal Branding.

• Breakthrough Branding: How Smart Entrepreneurs and Intrapreneurs Transform A Small Idea Into a Big Brand
• You Are A Brand! In Person and Online, How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success

Daniel fascinates me.

I have been studying the book of Daniel in preparation for the Branded by God Telestudy taking place this evening. Simultaneously, I have been reading Branding Pays by Karen Kang and have been amazed at how God has helped me make connections between the two—Daniel and personal branding.

It has been said that personal branding is nothing but showcasing who you are and what you specialize in and my Heavenly Father does that oh, so well. I know that might sound strange but God is the Master Marketer—the omnipotent one who by the very nature of who He is draws men, women, boys, and girls to Him. He specializes in healing broken hearts, setting captives free, “so loving the world”, and granting eternal life.

Even way back in the Old Testament, you can see how He orchestrates what I call Divine Personal Branding through those He chose and Daniel is no different. In fact, Daniel epitomizes Divine Personal Branding–discovering who you are in God’s eyes, knowing what He has called you to do, and then using your gifts and talents to serve those He has called you to serve.

The Incredible Account

Right out of the gate, in chapter one, it is clear that Daniel attracts King Nebuchadnezzar’s chief official Ashpenaz because he meets the king’s criteria. He is—

• A young man without any physical defect
• Handsome
• Showing aptitude for every kind of learning
• Well-informed
• Quick to Understand
• Qualified to serve in the king’s palace

Then, we find out that Daniel makes a decision. He decides that he will not defile his body with the food and wine from the king’s table. He graciously makes his decision known to Ashpenaz, the very same chief official who selected him to be of service to the king in the next three years.

The beautiful thing is that God caused Ashpenaz to show favor and sympathy to Daniel and as the story is told, it becomes obvious that the two of them have an amicable relationship. Ashpenaz shares his concern for his life in regards to allowing Daniel to deny the king’s dietary plan and Daniel demonstrates his genuine concern for Ashpenaz’s well-being by “submitting” what I will call a proposal.

He suggests that Ashpenaz allow him and his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (better known as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) to do a trial run for ten days. They would eat only veggies and water during that time and then see if they still looked as debonair as the other young men who were also “in training.”  Ashpenaz accepts the proposal, so only veggies and water are served to them.

The Bible says—

“At the end of the ten days, they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. So, the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead.” (Daniel 1: 15-16 NIV)

But it gets even better.

The Bible also says—

“To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.

At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. The king talked with them and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, so they entered the king’s service.

In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.” (Daniel 1: 17-21 NIV)

Divine Personal Branding Personified

Interestingly, there are some very evident principles of personal branding in this very first chapter of Daniel that I believe will help you as you walk in your Divine Personal Brand:

1. Personal branding begins with having a goal and a strategy to achieve it. That strategy involves positioning yourself as one who solves a problem or enables an opportunity. 

2. A strong personal brand is the key to influence, opportunities and advancement. 

3. Personal branding is not merely cosmetic. It must be fueled by substance. Concepts from Branding Pays: The Five-Step System to Reinvent Your Personal Brand by Karen Kang

Daniel knew exactly what he stood for. He knew the exact impression he wanted to make. Because of his commitment to serve God, faithfully, he made a decision to be who God had called him to be even while he was being held captive by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar.

In Leviticus 11, God had already made it clear what He viewed as clean and unclean in terms of His people’s diet and unlike the other young men who had also been selected to serve the king; Daniel was determined to honor God even in the midst of this situation.

In doing so, he set himself apart. Not only did he distinguish himself from all of the other handsome, fit, intelligent, qualified young men, but he provided evidence that he was who he said he was when he (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) ended up looking healthier and better nourished than those who ate the king’s food.

The reward…..

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah outshone even the king’s magicians and enchanters and the king found them 10x better.

Your Take-Away

Assess your personal brand and determine whether it is divine. In other words, ask yourself if you are doing what God has called you to do, using  your gifts and talents in such a way that those who are drawn to you recognize that the hand of God must be on  your life. Remember, that when you are in the zone, what you do appears effortless to those who observe you. This is the sure sign of walking in your divine personal brand.

Make a decision to never waver. Do what He has called you to do in the way He has called you to do it. In other words, differentiate yourself from the pack of folks who do what you do by sharing your knowledge but also by being known for something of value. Resist the desire to blend in with the world’s norms or ways of doing things. Hold fast to your faith and be the one to stand out.

Evaluate your brand image. Your image includes your brand associations, your visual branding and your relationship branding. Daniel appealed to Ashpenaz and King Nebuchadnezzar because he was attractive, smart, and well-informed. He also associated with others who held his same convictions. And, from what we see, he knew how to build relationships with not only his peers, but with those in authority. Likewise, you must determine whether your brand associations, external image, and relationship image align in such a way that you attract those you have been called to serve.

Finally, become an influencer as a result of being seen as the BEST person to deliver the solution.

It’s 2013 and time for the real believers to un-apologetically walk in our Divine Personal Brands.

Let’s go!

Do you know exactly who you have been called to serve?

I mean, if I were to ask you to list all of the characteristics of your ideal client, would that be easy for you to do?

And if you can do that, do you know how to position yourself  as the authority in your field so that when your ideal client is looking for a solution to the problem that you solve, you are their ultimate problem solver—without reservation?

Well, yesterday’s show is entitled How to Dominate Your Niche and I was blessed to have Ms. Stephanie Chandler, author of Own Your Niche, on Books That Transform for 47 minutes.

Stephanie shared some of the incredible, results-oriented tips and strategies in her book that focus on choosing the right audience, demonstrating authority in  your field, showcasing your unique skills, and bringing value to your audience.She talked about building loyalty, community, and brand recognition, giving more than receiving, and about growing your business.

All About Stephanie Chandler

Stephanie Chandler is an author of several books including Own Your Niche: Hype-Free Internet Marketing Tactics to Establish Authority in Your Field and Promote Your Service-Based Business, From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products, and LEAP! 101 Ways to Grow Your Business.

Stephanie is also founder and CEO of BusinessInfoGuide.com, a directory of resources for entrepreneurs, and Authority Publishing, a custom publisher specializing in non-fiction books. A frequent speaker at business events and on the radio, she has been featured in Entrepreneur magazine, BusinessWeek, and Wired magazine, and she is a contributing blogger for Forbes. To learn more about her, visit stephaniechandler.com.

Listen Now

Share Your Thoughts & Spread the Word

Wasn’t that some great, applicable content? I had so much fun talking to Stephanie, but more than that, I know that the information that she gave in that short amount of time is really simple, powerful, and effective.

Share your thoughts on the interview and go tell a friend (who wants to sustain a relevant, profitable business enterprise but needs a little direction on how to increase visibility and loyalty with the right audience) all about it.

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• Next show: Friday, March 29th at 12:00 p.m. (EST), The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women with Dr. Valerie Young author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer From the Imposter Syndrome & How To Thrive In Spite of It

Questions I Asked Stephanie

Stephanie, since your book is entitled Own Your Niche and the show is entitled How to Dominate Your Niche, I’d love for you to “educate” us on a couple of things—

• What is a niche?

• How does a small business entrepreneur or solopreneur choose a profitable niche by which he or she can dominate?

Now, that you have defined niche for us and we have a clearer understanding on how to select a profitable one, how then do we establish or niche identity and why is that so important?

Stephanie, on today’s show, I promised the listeners that they would learn online and offline methods that would get them the kind of exposure that will establish them as leaders in their industries. I am counting on you to be our tour guide on this journey. So, let’s divide our discussion into two parts—online strategies/tactics and offline strategies. Is that okay with you?

 Great! Well, let’s start with online tactics first.

 One of the things that made me want to really get into your book was when you began by addressing some of the unethical behaviors that are going on online these days. Stephanie, explain to us the difference between the kind of marketing tactics that most of us are bombarded with today and the kind of marketing that you advocate?

Stephanie, I’d like to share a website with you and the audience and that is www.guzymusic.com. It is the website of a music producer in the Greensboro area where I live named Luguzy Atkins. Now, Luguzy just created his website this year and he is open to any advice you might give him. So, let’s use his site as our model for this portion of the show.

Share with us specific online strategies that he could implement that would—

• Establish his authority as a producer

• Build his audience & engage his community

• Turn his website into a “client conversion machine”

• Increase his website traffic

 In chapter six which is entitled Blogs Rule, you say that “A blog is hands-down one of the most important elements of a successful website.” What are entrepreneurs who do not consistently blog missing out on?

 While we are in this vein, let’s talk about content marketing. If you were starting your business from scratch in 2013 what would be the top two types of content marketing you would implement consistently to establish yourself as an authority in your industry and why?

 Stephanie, I love the fact that you devote an entire chapter to internet revenue streams—multiple streams of income. Give us an example of a client or an entrepreneur in your book who has mastered the art of creating multiple streams of income online.

 Stephanie, now it is time for us to delve into becoming a rock star offline. Professional Speaking is the first offline method that you address. What would you say to the person who 1) does not know exactly how to create interesting speaking topics, 2) needs pointers on how to actually get on the speaking circuit?

 Another method that you address is event promotion. Betty Brand Specialist is only interested in hosting paid events. What are the pros and cons of having this kind of perspective?

 Stephanie, there is no way we could touch on all of the offline strategies that you cover in your book, but if I gave you an apple pie and I asked you to divide it into pieces that represent the fresh new marketing plan of a start-up or start over entrepreneur, how many would go to online strategies and how many would go to offline strategies?