U R a brand : how smart people brand themselves : for business success

Today's hottest business concept meets the realities of the modern workplace. U R a Brand! delivers 10 key personal brand strategies that aren't taught in business school--or anywhere else. Like a personal branding coach right by your side, Catherine Kaputa reveals the inside secrets of Madison Avenue product branding and applies these tried-and-true principles and techniques to a dynamic new strategic branding process for individuals. U R a Brand! highlights the self branding odysseys of savvy professionals who have repositioned their experience and talents in pursuit of the corner office and budding entrepreneurs launching their own business ventures--all from the personal brand strategist and executive coach who helped them achieve their success. CONTENTS......Page 12 Foreword......Page 14 Preface......Page 16 Acknowledgments......Page 24 1 TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR SELF-BRAND......Page 26 2 THINK DIFFERENT TO BECOME A BRAND APART......Page 40 3 SEARCH FOR THE SWEET SPOT WHERE YOU AND A MARKET OPPORTUNITY MEET......Page 54 4 FIND A GREAT SELF-BRAND STRATEGY TO GET GREAT RESULTS......Page 68 5 USE THE PRINCIPLES OF VISUAL IDENTITY TO CREATE A POWERFUL SELF-BRAND PACKAGE......Page 92 6 TAP INTO THE POWER OF SYMBOLS, LOGOS, AND DESIGN TO IMPRINT YOUR BRAND IDENTITY......Page 108 7 HARNESS THE POWER OF NAMES, SIGNATURE WORDS, AND PHRASES TO LOCK IN YOUR MESSAGE......Page 122 8 LEARN TO SPEAK FOR EFFECT, NOT JUST FACTS......Page 144 9 BUILD A WIDE NETWORK OF CONTACTS AND ASSOCIATES......Page 162 10 THINK IN TERMS OF EMOTIONAL ENGAGEMENT WITHY OUR KEY TARGET MARKETS......Page 172 11 BECOME A LITTLE BIT FAMOUS......Page 186 12 DEVELOP AN ACTION PLAN THAT GETS YOU ALL THE WAY FROM A TO Z......Page 202 Afterword......Page 218 About the Author......Page 222 Resources......Page 224 Index......Page 228 Take charge of your self-brand Think different to become a breed apart Search for the sweet spot where you and a market opportunity meet Find a great self-brand strategy to get great results Use the principles of visual identity to create a powerful self-brand package Tap into the power of symbols, logos, and design to imprint your-brand identity Harness the power of names, signature words, and phrases to lock in your message Learn to speak for effect, not just facts Build a wide network of contacts and associates Think in terms of emotional engagement with your key target markets Become a little bit famous Execute an action plan to get you all the way from A to Z. Winner of the 2007 Benjamin Franklin Award, U R a Brand! combines today's hottest business concept with the realities of the modern workplace. Helping business professionals everywhere harness their personal potential, take charge of their careers, and contribute their dynamic energy to create sustainable advantage for their organizations. Taking field-tested strategies directly from the playbook, used by Madison Avenue's best product brand managers, U R a Brand! unlocks the hidden rules for creating a unique self-brand. Like having a personal coach right by your side, these are the secrets of A framework for measurement Measuring what matters: exchanging value with stakeholders Owners come first: exchanging value with owners Customers come first: exchanging value with customers Employees come first: exchanging value with employees Stakeholders come first: the winning exchange of value Power tools for management Trust matters: the key to organizational change Leadership matters: a case study of a manager Teamwork matters: the group management questionnaire Performance matters: developmental supervision Profit matters: the pei-genesis story. A guide for business professionals shares inside secrets on how to act and think like a brand in order to bolster one's career and company, in a guide that draws on successful examples while providing coverage of such topics as logos, brand marketing, and business plans.