In order to succeed in direct sales, you want to stand out.
You want to be seen. You want to shine and be known. Bottom line – you are one of thousands, or even tens of thousands of people selling the exact same product as you. Your upline, sideline and downline – you’re all sharing the same product. So here’s the million dollar question: How do you stand out?
To set yourself apart, you need to develop your personal brand. This goes beyond a logo and brand colors. We’re talking YOU.
Your customers buy from YOU because of YOU! Customers naturally want to know, love and trust who they are buying from -- they want to have that sense of connection. Growing your personal brand helps you create just that! So if you’re ready to succeed, it’s time to show up online and in-person in a big way.
You likely have a good understanding of your company’s brand so let’s flip script and focus on refining the magic of your personal brand.
Ready to step it up? Here are 5 personal branding secrets that you can implement today!
Let’s Get Personal:
When it comes to defining your own personal brand, it isn’t just what you do for work or what you are selling. It is all-encompassing. Your personal brand is a happy mix of who you are as a whole person – with a side helping of your kick-butt, entrepreneurial super powers.
When your name comes up in conversation, how do you want to be known? What attributes make you stand out? What are you passionate about?
To help you get clear on your personal brand, pick 3-5 areas to focus on. Imagine listening in a conversation about yourself. It might go something like this: “Oh, I know (your name). She is a (Mom, Entrepreneur, Fitness Fanatic, Small Business Owner, Coach, Book-Lover, Cook, Yogi, DIY’er, Techie, etc.)”
Once you know your focus areas, be intentional about your message and any other brands and viewpoints you express. Do they reinforce one of these focus areas? As you share on social media, let your followers learn more about you and understand you better in one of these areas. Your personal brand is more about you and less about your product.
Say Cheese:
Invest in professional photos at least once a year. I’m not talking a formal new headshot – get photos of you doing your thing. Give your followers a behind-the-scenes peek into your life. Include your family, pets, office space, your team, your favorite things and day-to-day lifestyle. Get dolled up, grab a few of your favorite outfits, find a photographer that you love and spend a few hours smiling until your face hurts. Your updated photos will serve you well on your website, social media channels and marketing pieces – all contributing to building a strong personal brand.
Check Yo’self:
Schedule a quarterly personal branding meeting with yourself. Go ahead, schedule it on your calendar. Take a few minutes each quarter to update your social media photo, make sure your bio is current, update your email signature with a new call to action and review any online directory you’re featured in to make sure your personal brand is in tip-top shape. Next, google yourself. Eeeps. Do a quick google search of your name to see where else you might be showing up to ensure alignment with your brand. You can also set up google alerts (easy peasy!) to be notified when your name pops up in any new search results.
Brag a Little:
Sometimes it may feel out of your comfort zone to announce to the world that you got an impressive award, crushed a huge goal, recruited a new teammate or had a bigtime “win.” Let me ensure you: It’s A-OK to toot your horn every so often! Share away! In fact, your followers want to celebrate with you. You’re doing amazing work and your success inspires others! If this makes you queasy, ask your upline to give you the shout out you deserve.
You are a Big Deal:
Let’s act like it! Be intentional about growing your personal brand. Set a goal to be featured at a networking event or collaborate with another successful direct seller in your area. Pick a social media channel and be consistent in sharing updates. (Here are some ideas on what to post.) When you’re out and about, carry business cards and have product samples or marketing materials on-hand. Practice your elevator speech and make sure it is authentically you. All of these actions will help take your personal brand to a new level.
As your personal brand begins to shine, your followers will feel more connected to you. You’ll be able to more easily attract your ideal customer. And, YOU will stand out.
You can get started TODAY and I’d love to cheer you on. So, let’s do this!
My challenge to you is to start with the basics:
Pick your top 3-5 areas to focus on.
Craft a social media post each day for each focus area.
Hashtag #TRAKstar in your daily posts!
Becky Launder is a direct sales leader, marketing nerd and an expert in helping entrepreneurs build their personal brand. Becky delivers practical tips, proven strategies and a dose of motivation for direct sellers (MLM, network marketing, solopreneur and home-based) to grow their business online and offline. You can find all the details at www.myconsultanttraining.com and at @beckylaunder on Insta!
