What is Your Personal Brand? 9 Ways to Find Out

Every company has a branding identity. These identities go beyond what a company does to reflect who the company is and who they cater to.

Here are some brands and my impression of them:

Wal-mart: low prices, blue collar
Target: fairly low prices, lifestyle and design-oriented

Dell: tried-and-true, stale
Apple: innovation, design

Taco Bell: youth-oriented, inexpensive
Chipotle: fresh, tasty

Volkswagen: good design, affordable European luxury
Subaru: earth-friendly, practical

Not only does your employer (if you have one) have a brand identity (be it well developed or not), but you have a personal brand as well. Your personal brand is who the marketplace perceives you to be.

Answer the following questions to help solidify your brand in your thinking:

1. How re you unique from others in your company? In your industry?

2. How do you view the customer interaction differently than other sellers do?

3. What type of clientele do you seem to resonate with? Who "gets" who you am? Who "doesn't get" you?

4. What types of customers say they enjoy working with you, or give you compliments?

5. What do your customers think about you?

6. Write down ten adjectives that describes you as a seller in your thinking. Now write down ten adjectives that you think describes you from your customers' point-of-view.

7. Ask your co-workers and customers you trust to do the same thing.

8. Do your customers as a group perceive you any differently than your non-buying prospects perceive you? If so, how?

9. Write ten taglines for your personal brand. Here are examples of corporate taglines:

Chevy: "Like a rock"
Target: "Expect more. Pay less."
Ford: "Quality is job 1"
Selling to Consumers: "Sales training to sell more"
Subway: "Eat fresh"

Avoid cliches in your list (taglines that include innovation, quality, customer service, price).

Okay, now analyze this information to tweak or solidify your brand in your own thinking. Where are there inconsistencies? What can you do to exaggerate your brand? How can you better drive your business by focusing on your unique individual brand? How can you more completely differentiate yourself from your internal and external competitors? What do you need to stop doing to stay true to your personal brand? What adjustments do you need to make in your personal networking, marketing, and advertising to ensure you are living the promise of your brand?

You have a brand, you just need to find out what it is, verify that you are the brand you want to be, and then magnify your brand to achieve increasing market resonance.

If you are challenged by this exercise, it might suggest that you are an also-ran, that you don't have any clear market identity, or that you have become a commodity instead of a unique brand. Ouch!

Skip Anderson is a professional speaker, sales coach, and the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and consulting company. Subscribe to our free sales tips newsletter.