instructor Hood's Key Ideas from Sell Yourself: How to Create, Live, and Sell a Powerful Personal Brand
by Cindy McGovern

If you leave your brand to chance, you let others define your image, which can severely reduce your chances of getting the job, success or lifestyle that you want. Carefully shaping your brand, and defining how you present yourself in every type of situation, puts control back in your corner.

“Every good salesperson understands that you have to know your product inside and out and make a plan to sell every aspect of it.”

1. Pinpoint how you see yourself – Do you see certain aspects of yourself, such as your religion, race or gender, as important to your identity? Which core values, such as honesty, resonate with you?
2. Identify how you want your life to look – What are your goals? Do you want to have kids, create a business?
3. Consider what you don’t want – Sometimes your dreams don’t match your reality. Think about the things you don’t like doing and how they might affect your brand.
4. Focus on what you want – Nobody is good at everything. Pick what’s important to you and what you can do well, and focus on those things.

Once you’ve decided on a brand, incorporate it into your life. Practice it as much as possible until it becomes second nature. If your brand is “polished and professional,” then make sure, with every appearance you make, you arrive dressed well, prepared and on time. Staying consistent is imperative to building a successful brand.

Deviating from your brand can have serious and damaging consequences. For example, the Instagram influencer Yovana Ayres made millions of dollars promoting her vegan lifestyle until someone caught her eating fish and posted it online. She lost most of her followers and received a lot of backlash. Damaging your brand can ruin your reputation, cost you a job and disappoint those who count on you.

To avoid this fate, follow these five tips for living your brand:

1. Stay on script, no matter the circumstance or how you feel.
2. Keep on your toes, and don’t get too comfortable.
3. If your brand brings you success, don’t abuse your power.
4. Reevaluate your brand every six months to determine if you need to make subtle changes or to undertake a more dramatic shift to reflect new goals and interests.
5. Stay humble and thank those who help you.

If you do happen to step outside your brand, results can be disastrous. Going off brand tells others that your brand, or your company’s brand, is inauthentic. Thanks to social media, having a compromising photo or video make the Instagram rounds can happen even without your consent.

“It’s not impossible to recover from an off brand fiasco, but it’s not easy.”

Once you’ve created your brand, worked out the kinks and found what fits, it’s time to start selling. You already sell every day, in many ways. So, you lay out your reasons – over-tired from work, haven’t had a vacation in two years. Your partner listens, hears your logic and agrees. Right there, you’ve made a sale. Situations like this happen all the time, whether you need to convince your boss to pursue an idea or you want your children to eat their vegetables. You most likely already have a clear sense of how to sell.

“Once you choose a brand, own it.”

1. “Plan for the sale” – What are your selling points? To whom to appeal? How will you make them notice?
2. “Look for opportunities to sell your brand” – Start talking to people about your brand, your goals and where you want to go.
3. “Establish trust with the people you want to buy your brand” – Be consistent with your brand. Build trust through reliability.
4. “Ask for what you want” – You need to advocate for yourself and tell others what you want. Don’t be “too proud to accept help.”
5. “Follow up with consistency and gratitude” – If somebody helps you grow, or lands you a great job, thank them.

Part of consistently delivering on your brand means finding ways to show yourself in the best light possible, in whatever circumstances you find yourself. For instance, if you’re on a date, highlight your good listening skills.

“Make sure everyone sees what you want them to see.”