(dramatic orchestral music)
- Here's the deal.
Most entrepreneurs, business owners struggle
because most of them suck at sales.
(laughter)
They're just bad salespeople.
They might think they're good salespeople,
can't sell worth a shit, okay?
So what happens is in the business world,
only a certain percentage of people are good at sales.
Small percentage.
Most are not good at sales,
because we are not taught how to sell.
Most haven't taken any sales training.
And then even fewer people are good at marketing.
Because they think, "Oh, it's not that important
and I kinda focus on my product and service,
why do I need to learn all this marketing stuff?"
Or they learn marketing at school,
which is even worse.
And then, very, very, very small percentage
are actually good with personal branding.
Very small percentage.
Why is that, though?
Tell me. Why is that?
Why is so few business owners good at branding?
Yes?
- [Audience Member] Most business owners start their
business and have no idea what they're doing initially.
- They have no idea what they're doing, yes. Yes?
- [Audience Member] Most ideas are already taken.
- Most ideas are already taken,
somebody else is doing it.
Okay, yes?
- [Audience Member] They haven't defined their
purpose of doing business.
- They haven't defined their mission,
their purpose of doing business.
Very true, yes.
- [Audience Member] They probably focus a lot of their
energy on sales and marketing employee promotions.
- Yes, one more.
- [Audience Member] They're not consistent,
no consistency.
- Okay, so they might try a little bit,
try to brand themselves,
but they kind of forget about it
and go back to sales, right?
Good, yes.
Let's do one more.
Yeah, in the back?
- [Audience Member] No emotional intelligence?
- No emotional intelligence,
maybe just no intelligence sometimes.
(laughter)
I don't know. Okay. Yes?
- [Audience Member] I think a lot of times,
business owners they're just good at
what they started out doing.
- Yes. - [Audience Member] You know,
the widget they produce, or whatever it is that they do,
not so much on the
marketing side. - Very nice.
How many of you have read the book,
"E Myth" by Michael Gerber?
Okay, if you haven't, put it on your list,
"E Myth" by Michael Gerber.
So "E Myth", phenomenal book for a small business owner,
in the book Michael talks about that most entrepreneurs
are actually not entrepreneurs.
"E Myth" stands for "entrepreneurial myth".
Most business owners are technicians.
They're good at what they do, they have a craft,
they have a skill, but they have an entrepreneurial seizure.
They're doing what they do, they're doing plumbing,
they're cutting the grass, they're mowing the lawn,
suddenly, "You know what?
My boss kinda sucks.
I could do a better job.
Let me start a business."
They're not actually entrepreneurs.
They're technicians with an entrepreneurial seizure.
I think the biggest reason of all is branding,
most business owners, we don't think in terms of,
"We are a brand."
We think of, "Okay, Michael Jordan is a brand.
Oprah Winfrey, that's a brand.
Me? John Smith, I'm a brand?
What do you mean by that?
I'm just a person.
I'm a father, I'm a husband."
But we don't think of ourselves,
because we think even when we are growing up that,
when you're growing up, if you go to your mom and dad,
and you say, "You know Mom,
when I grow up I'm gonna be a rock star."
What are your parents gonna say to you?
- [Audience Member] You're crazy.
- You're crazy.
- [Audience Member] Stay in school.
- Go to school.
Get a freaking job.
(laughter)
It's crazy.
It's not like, "Yeah, go son, you rock star!"
(laughter)
It's just like it's crazy.
It's just like when I told my mom many years ago,
that I remember, "Mom"--
Because I was so inspired by all the great speakers,
the Brian Tracy, the Tony Robbins,
and when I learned public speaking,
I told my mom, you know, I said, "Mom,
someday I wanna be like that.
I wanna be a speaker, be on stage, inspiring entrepreneurs."
And then my mom was washing dishes in her kitchen.
"Mom, I'm gonna be a public speaker!"
"Do your homework."
(laughter)
That was that.
And it's very, very normal.
So I think we're not taught how,
and we don't think of ourselves that way.
Does that makes sense?
- [Audience] Yes.
- That's mostly the issue.
So let's talk about what is personal branding.
Exactly what is personal branding?
First, personal image is not personal branding.
Okay?
Personal branding is not personal image.
Because without strategies,
all you have is a personal image.
So now your personal image is what people instantly see,
hear, or perceive at a glance.
So let's say the way you dress.
You meet someone, or they meet you, they look at you,
that first impression,
that's personal image.
Does that make sense?
- [Audience] Yes.
- Now, personal branding is different.
Personal branding is what people think of you
over the long run.
Long term.
When they say your name, what words come to mind?
When you're not in the room,
when they're talking behind you,
what words come to mind?
Okay? How is your personal reputation? It's your brand.
Do you have a personal brand right now, yes or no?
- [Audience] Yes.
- Hello?
- [Audience] (loudly) Yes.
- Sometimes consciously, sometimes not so consciously,
but you have have one.
Because see if I was to talk to one of your friends,
and say, "You know, what do you think of Michelle?"
"Well she is duhduhduhduhduhduhduh."
"What is she like?"
"Oh, she is kinda like duhduhduhduh."
Yes? We all have that, okay?
And some of your reputations, some of you,
not so good.
Not so good.
So we wanna create that personal brand more intentionally.
Okay? So a personal brand is not a person.
Here's the key: a personal brand is not a person.
A personal brand,
here's the keyword, is the public projection.
What is it?
- [Audience] Public projection.
- Projection of certain aspects of a person's
personality, skills, and values.
It is not the entire human being.
I wanna be very clear,
personal branding is not all of who you are.
A personal brand is the enduring perception,
what's the keyword?
- [Audience] Perception.
- Perception of the person.
Not the actual person. Here's why.
Not the actual person,
because very few people actual know you anyway.
If you think about it.
Maybe your close friends and family, they know you.
Yes?
Sometimes your spouse doesn't even know you that well.
Okay? So most people only know your personal brand.
They have a rough idea of what you're like,
your personality, your values,
but they don't actually know you.
You're not a brand,
you're a human being who projects your brand.
There's a key distinction there.
You're a human being that projects your brand.
So as an entrepreneur of course
then you apply your personal brand to your company, okay?
You have a question?
Yes? Any time you guys have a question,
stop me, go to the mic. Any time.
Okay? So your personal brand is not personal image.
Your personal brand is not a person,
personal brand is just a personal brand,
it's a perception, yes?
Okay. So what exactly is personal branding?
It's a bit long.
So personal branding is about
creating a unique personal identity around
a leading attribute.
What is it?
- [Audience] Leading attribute.
- Leading attribute.
Managing the perception of your audience,
to make them feel a certain way about you
or your product or service, or what you can offer,
just like a product brand.
A great personal brand pre-sells,
here's the keyword, what's the word?
- [Audience] Pre-sells.
- Pre-sells people on you,
making them aware of your character strengths
and personality before they even ever meet you.
Great personal brands do not necessarily attract sales.
Here's the key: but rather attracts power.
Attracts what?
- [Audience] Power.
- Power.
A personal brand gives the power to influence
the decisions, attitudes, and actions of an audience.
Is that a pretty clear definition?
Now there are a few keywords:
Leading attribute,
managing the perceptions a certain way about your product,
pre-sells them,
aware of your character strengths
and personality before they even meet you.
Let me give you an example:
How many of you found about
Vancouver Entrepreneurs Group through a friend,
some kind of referral? Okay.
And so, most people in this room I have not met, yes?
But you would have a certain perception of who I am,
before you showed up, yes, good or bad?
Good or bad,
you would have a certain perception,
so that's personal branding.
That's personal branding.
And then you could be coming here and saying,
"Oh you know what,
my friend told me he's a pretty cool guy."
So that's a certain perception, right?
Or your perception is, "No that guy,
that son of a bitch is a jerk, shit.
I don't even know why I'm showing up,
he dragged me here."
Same guy, two different perceptions, yes?
Very interesting.
So everything you do affects your personal brand,
the way you walk, the way you talk, the way you dress,
your education, your neighborhood, your profession,
your choice of a spouse, car, friends,
the way you sell, negotiate, meet your obligations.
When people talk about you,
are you known for being someone who follows through
and gets stuff done,
or you are someone who is being known for showing up late
or not meeting your obligations,
or don't fulfill your promise, or flakey.
Your customer service, your presentation skill,
how well you follow through on your promises,
the mental pictures others have of you,
and what other people say when you leave the room.
Okay? Everything you do affects your personal brand.
All these things, not just one thing,
many, many things.
So let me give you just two minutes,
how long?
- [Audience] Two minutes.
- Discuss among your table what you just learned so far.
Go.
- [Narrator] 10 times your finances.
10 times your business.
10 times your marketing.
10 times your life.
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