Are you the real deal?

I once had a discussion with an HR Director about leadership development where we found ourselves listing the attributes we felt all good leaders should have.  High on our list, if not in top spot, was authenticity – one of the 3 Golden Rules of Personal Branding.  But then my companion made an interesting point: it depends on your definition of the word.  She’d worked with executives who felt being authentic was as simple as not telling a lie – what I’d classify as ‘truthfulness’, which doesn’t in itself constitute being authentic.  

So instead, here’s my definition:

• Authenticity is knowing and understanding who the real you is – from the tangible, rational aspects of your image, skills and experience, to the more intangible, emotional aspects of you behaviours, beliefs and values
• Authenticity is accepting the real you comprises not only the great attributes but also the not so great – and being willing to let others see both
• Authenticity is being the real deal at all times with all people – regardless of occasion or status

Do you agree? And if not, what constitutes authenticity for you?  Leave a comment!

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Please help me to spread the word using the buttons below.  Or if you’d like to learn more, check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter.  Or drop me an email at jennifer.holloway@sparkexec.co.uk.  Thank you! 

Spark specialises in branding, but not for companies – for people.  Personal branding delivers many benefits including: career development, reputation management, online presence, leadership development, talent management, social media marketing, presentation skills, networking skills and personal marketing. Spark delivers personal branding to executives and senior managers in Leeds, Harrogate, Skipton, York, Bradford and the Yorkshire area, as well as in London and other UK cities. The company was founded by Jennifer Holloway and her 15 years’ experience in PR coupled with several years as an executive coach means she delivers a personal brand service unlike any other in Yorkshire.

Put some personality in the pitch

When I wrote my blog 5 Words We All Dread: “And what do you do?” and chatted about it with people I met, it seemed that no matter what our age or status, this simplest of questions was leaving us stumped.  (Although help is on hand in my follow-up blogs).

Which is why I was interested in Personal Brand Week, an event run in the USA by PwC to help students learn more about the importance of a personal brand and teach them early on how to stand-out in a crowded job market.

Included in the week was a competition to find the best elevator pitch and here’s the winning entry for you to watch: http://www.facebook.com/PwCUSCareers?sk=app_7146470109

So what do you think?

For me, whilst I appreciate Susan’s skill in fitting so much into 30 seconds it didn’t float my boat.  Why? A lot has to do with the cultural differences (defining and sharing your personal brand is in its infancy in the UK and self-promotion of this strength jars).  But just as much has to do with the lack of clues as to who Susan actually is; from all she said, the only bit that stuck in my mind was that she’d spent time in China and could say, “Goodbye” in Mandarin.  

And here’s the point…

People buy people before they buy what they’re selling so there’s a balance to be had between selling them what you can do and selling them who you are (as my personal brand experiment aimed to show). 

 The trouble is, we’ve been brought up to converse only in business speak, just as Susan did: “driven leader”, “committment to excellence”, “passionate advocate”, “thrive on immersion”, etc.  Instead, we should be balancing that out by offering people clues as to what we’re like outside the business environment so they have something more interesting and tangible to connect to.  

Think of the times you’ve been at an event and got chatting to someone about business and, whilst the conversation was OK, it certainly wasn’t riveting.  Then think of the times when a bit of personal information popped into the conversation – maybe the person mentioned they’d spent the weekend rock climbing or were going to see their favourite band.  All of a sudden, the conversation came to life and you started to enjoy the other person’s company – and ultimately bought into their personal brand.

Isn’t that what we should all be aiming for, every time?

Try the personal brand experiment

Let’s try an experiment.  Grab yourself a pen and paper and before you read any further than this sentence, write down your answer to the following question: “What do you offer as your personal brand?”

x

x

[I’m leaving a bit of a gap here so you don’t cheat and read ahead!]

x

x

So what did you put? Did you answer with a description of what you DO, or did you answer with a description of what YOU do?

The difference?  The first one is the default setting we’ve been trained to use – to define ourselves by our job titles and roles. But whilst that is certainly part of what you have to offer, if you leave your personal brand at that all you’re doing is putting yourself into a box with every other person that does that job.

The second description however – what YOU do – says what you bring to the job that others don’t. And that’s what people need to know when they’re deciding whether or not to buy into you.  So think about that the next time you’re promoting your personal brand!

PS: If you’d like to meet me in person to find out more about your personal brand I’m running a workshop with the fabulous image consultant Natalia Colman of Style Specialists, whose guest blog has appeared on this site.  All the information is at: http://lookinggoodsoundinggreat.eventbrite.com/

PPS: I’ll be taking advantage of the unusually long Easter break to unchain myself from my laptop and spend some time outdoors chasing the chickens from the vegetable patch and doing other fun pursuits – so my next blog will follow in a couple of weeks’ time.  Cheers and enjoy the sunshine if we get it!

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I’d love to know how you got on with the experiment so leave a comment!  And please help me to spread the word using the buttons below.  Or if you’d like to learn more, check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter.  Thank you! 

Spark specialises in branding, but not for companies – for PEOPLE, helping clients to market themselves so they stand out from the crowd, building a reputation that enables them to be even more successful just by being themselves.   Spark delivers personal branding to executives and senior managers in Leeds, Harrogate, Skipton, York, Bradford, Wakefield and the Yorkshire area, as well as in London and other UK cities. The company was founded by Jennifer Holloway and her 15 years’ experience in PR coupled with several years as an executive coach means she delivers a personal brand service unlike any other. 

Your image: when distracting isn’t detracting

Years ago I read a book about how to dress for success, written by an image consultant in America.  In it she laid out her rules for getting it right – and gave numerous examples of how, if you didn’t follow them, you’d get it wrong.  And while I agreed with much of what she wrote (let’s be honest, bad hygiene is never going to be a winner) there was one rule that I fervently disagreed with: if it distracts, it detracts.

I was reminded of this when an executive approached me after a recent presentation. He said he’d once been at a workshop run by an image consultant who had pointed to the red handkerchief displayed in his top pocket and told him to get rid of it.  She said it was distracting for the eye and therefore was detracting from what he was saying.  He, however, was having none of it, basically telling her to get stuffed as he’d been wearing a red handkerchief that way for years and it was now a ‘signature piece’ that people knew him for.

When he told me that do you know what I said?  Bloody good for him!

And here’s why…she was right that something distracting a person’s attention means it will be detracting from the message you’re trying to get across.  Like when someone has spinach on their teeth and the more they talk the more fascinated you become wondering how long it’s going to stick there, so you stop listening to what they’re saying.

But what if the thing that’s distracting is actually adding to the message?

What if it’s giving fantastic clues to your personal brand that will say more about who you are and what you’re all about that your words ever could?

I’ve said before that my personal brand style is ‘City with a twist’ – I’ll wear a smart dress but then add something like a cocktail ring or an oversized corsage to let people know my big motivator: I’m different and I like being ‘me’ (although let’s be honest, there’s not much competition from anyone else wanting to!)   People then pick up on those clues and that forms the basis for listening to what I have to say.

And if you’ve not come across him before, let me introduce you to Jonathan Straight, founder of Straight Plc which specialises in recycling products.  As you can see, Jonathan is a fan of the strong image because, as he told me when I spoke to him about personal brand, the whole idea is to be memorable; it’s easier to run a successful business if people remember who you are when they’re ready to buy.

Or to give another example: who can forget the media furore that happened when Theresa May MP wore leopard print shoes to the Conservative Conference?  Everyone said her shoes gained so much attention no-one could remember what she’d said.  But what did that matter?  She was speaking volumes about the kind of woman she is, making herself memorable and associated with a strong brand.  And look where she is now, compared to everyone else who took to the podium that day!

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Do you agree?  And do you have a ‘signature piece’ you wear to promote your brand… if so, leave a comment!  And please help me to spread the word using the buttons below.  Or if you’d like to learn more, check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter.  Or drop me an email at jennifer.holloway@sparkexec.co.uk.  Thank you! 

Spark specialises in branding, but not for companies – for PEOPLE, helping clients to market themselves so they stand out from the crowd, building a reputation that enables them to be even more successful just by being themselves.   Spark delivers personal branding to executives and senior managers in Leeds, Harrogate, Skipton, York, Bradford, Wakefield and the Yorkshire area, as well as in London and other UK cities. The company was founded by Jennifer Holloway and her 15 years’ experience in PR coupled with several years as an executive coach means she delivers a personal brand service unlike any other. 

“And What Do You Do?” The Answer: Pt 2

So you’ve read my introduction to the dreaded question, And what do you do?” and you’ve read how you could answer the question if you’re just starting out in personal branding.  But if you’re someone who really wants to tap into the power of your personal brand, perhaps you’re ready to be a bit more radical, to deliver a reply that really gets people thinking – then this blog is for you!

As anyone who’s read the excellent book The Jelly Effect will know, to be really effective at selling yourself, your communication need to focus on the benefits you deliver – the after-effect you will leave people with when they work with you.  There’s a whole process the book takes you through to determine what those benefits are, but for those with less time to spare, here’s my take on Andy Bounds‘ words of wisdom.

Get yourself a pen and paper and write down the answers to these questions:

Q1. Who do you help?
Q2. What do you help them do? (think hard not about the specifics of what you do, but the benefits that brings to your clients)
Q3. Why is that important in today’s world of business?
Q4. How do you deliver those benefits? (now you can put a few specifics about what you do)
Q5. What are some great examples of when you’ve done that?

And here’s how those answers fit together to form your reply to the question, “And what do you do”:

“I help to .”  Using me as an example, I might say, “I help business leaders to get the right people saying the right things about them.”

Then stop…say no more…not a word….and wait for them to ask you more.

“So what is it you do?”  Now you reply with your answer to Q3.  This is about adding a bit of context to make the listener understand it’s relevant to them, so in my case it might be: “Well, you know how ‘people buy people’ and they can only do that if they know what they’re buying into? I teach people how to define and promote what I call their ‘personal brand’.”

If they’re like most people, the listener will then ask, “How do you do that?” which is when you go into a bit more detail with your answers to Q4 and Q5.  A good way to lead into that is to ask the person about their experiences in the area you work in. So I might say, “In essence your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room…so what do you think they say about you?”

When they answer I use that as the basis of talking about how I can help them find out specifically what’s being said (I offer a personal brand 360), define what it is they want people saying (another service) and teach them how to promote that (another service) all the while giving examples of how I’ve done that with clients.

This is very different from how we’ve been taught to give our answer ie state your job title and the company you work for, so it may feel a little odd at first replying in this manner.  But keep trying it out, adapting what you say based on what gets a good (or not so good) reaction.  I promise you’ll be more memorable than the other people your listener meets that day!

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If you’ve enjoyed these musings, or have followed this advice and want to share how you got on, don’t be shy…leave a comment!  And please help me to spread the word using the buttons below.  Or if you’d like to learn more, check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter.  Or drop me an email at jennifer.holloway@sparkexec.co.uk.  Thank you! 

 

Spark specialises in branding, but not for companies – for PEOPLE, helping clients to market themselves so they stand out from the crowd, building a reputation that enables them to be even more successful just by being themselves.   Spark delivers personal branding to executives and senior managers in Leeds, Harrogate, Skipton, York, Bradford, Wakefield and the Yorkshire area, as well as in London and other UK cities. The company was founded by Jennifer Holloway and her 15 years’ experience in PR coupled with several years as an executive coach means she delivers a personal brand service unlike any other. 

“And What Do You Do?” The Answer: Pt 1

I set the scene in my last blog: you’re at a networking event or you’ve been introduced to someone.  You shake their hand, give them your business card and then they ask those five dreaded words: “And what do you do?”

If you’re anything like my clients before our work together, you’ll be hesitantly replying with something that you hope doesn’t make you sound like a big head or an idiot. But wouldn’t you rather reply confidently with something that promoted your personal brand and made you stand out from the crowd?

Well, as my clients can vouch, with my guidance and a bit of thinking time, plus some practice, you can.  So here’s Part 1 of my ‘how to’ guide.  Why only Part 1?  Because I’ve worked with enough people to know that some are comfortable blowing their trumpet loudly and others less so and depending on which you are, how you answer the question, “And what do you do?” will differ.

So Part 1 is for those who are just starting out promoting their personal brand, who know they need to turn up  the volume on their trumpet blowing but aren’t yet ready to give it the full toot; who aren’t comfortable answering the question without including their job title.  If that’s you, get yourself a pen and paper and write down your answer to these four questions:

Q1. What job do you do?
Q2. Who do you help?
Q3. What do you help them do? (think hard not about the specifics of what you do, but the benefits you bring your clients by doing that)
Q4. How do you help them do that?

Now use what you’ve written to fill in the gaps below and you’ll have your answer:

“I help to because I’m a .”
So an example of my answer would be, “I help business leaders to be more successful just by being themselves, because I’m a personal brand coach.”

Or if you’re happy to leave out your job title, an alternative would be:

“I help to by .”
At a recent seminar I gave, someone who’s original reply had consisted of a job title that was so convoluted no-one in the audience understood what it meant, ended up with the much better reply: “I help shareholders to buy and sell businesses by giving them the advice they need.”

The reason you’re stating how and who you help first and your job title second is because as soon as you tell someone your occupation their mind puts you in a box with everyone else they’ve ever met with who does that job.  So you need to get them interested with the benefits you bring before revealing what you do.

Now you have your answer, go out and try it.  I guarantee you’ll feel like a numpty the first time you do (I certainly did the first time I told people I was ‘The Antidote to Yes Men’) but watch and listen to their response.  Because I also guarantee they won’t sneer and walk off in the other direction.  On the contrary, they’re likely to ask you more questions about what you do, which is exactly what you want, because now you can elaborate and promote your personal brand even more.

But if you’ve read all that and think you’re up for something a little more radical, stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog when I’ll be helping the more experienced personal branders among you to come up with your answer!

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So what do you say when you’re asked, “And what do you do?”  Or what’s the best/worst answer you’ve ever heard? Leave a comment!  And please help me to spread the word using the buttons below.  Or if you’d like to learn more, check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter.  Or drop me an email at jennifer.holloway@sparkexec.co.uk.  Thank you! 

Spark specialises in branding, but not for companies – for PEOPLE, helping clients to market themselves so they stand out from the crowd, building a reputation that enables them to be even more successful just by being themselves.  Spark delivers personal branding to executives and senior managers in Leeds, Harrogate, Skipton, York, Bradford, Wakefield and the Yorkshire area, as well as in London and other UK cities. The company was founded by Jennifer Holloway and her 15 years’ experience in PR coupled with several years as an executive coach means she delivers a personal brand service unlike any other. 

5 Words We All Dread: “And What Do You Do?”

If you’ve followed the advice of my last blog, you’ve got your business card up to scratch and it’s giving all the clues about your personal brand your audience needs to ‘get’ who you are.  Congratulations!

And if you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll have read my previous post about reinforcing those messages with the handshake you give as you hand your card over. Now you’re on a roll!

But that was the easy bit…

No matter who I’ve worked with – from CEOs, MDs and FDs of large companies, to entrepreneur business people who run their own show – I’ve yet to come across anyone who relishes the next step: being asked, “And what do you do?”

Some tell me it’s because they do so many different things they can’t quite put it in words so just end up saying, “Oh, you know, this and that.”  Hmm, this and that eh? Hardly scintillating conversation, is it? 

Some say they feel embarrassed that they don’t do something glamorous or interesting (not something Lady Gaga struggles with I’d hazard a guess).  “Me, oh I’m just a boring accountant.”  Well, as I’ve posted before, tell me you’re boring and I’ll think you’re boring – which begs the question why I’d want to speak to you. 

And some tell me the reason they hate being asked, “And what do you do?” is that they think saying their job title – “I’m a Chief Executive” – makes them sound big-headed, as if they’re bragging that they’re the big cheese.  

Any of those describe how you feel? 

Instead of seeing the question as something to be dreaded, why not see it as an opportunity to promote your personal brand; to do something to blow your own trumpet and stand out from the crowd so the person you’re talking to wants to know more?

All it takes is a little time to think about what you’re going to say, and I’ll be showing you how to do that in my next blog. So stay tuned folks!

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If you’ve enjoyed these musings, don’t be shy…leave a comment!  And please help me to spread the word using the buttons below.  Or if you’d like to learn more, check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter.  Or drop me an email at jennifer.holloway@sparkexec.co.uk.  Thank you! 

 

Spark specialises in branding, but not for companies – for PEOPLE, helping clients to market themselves so they stand out from the crowd, building a reputation that enables them to be even more successful just by being themselves.   Spark delivers personal branding to executives and senior managers in Leeds, Harrogate, Skipton, York, Bradford, Wakefield and the Yorkshire area, as well as in London and other UK cities. The company was founded by Jennifer Holloway and her 15 years’ experience in PR coupled with several years as an executive coach means she delivers a personal brand service unlike any other. 

What Is Your Business Card Saying About You?

You’ve gone to the networking event and avoided all the pitfalls of making a bad impression – Congratulations!

Now it’s time to turn your attention to your business card – that little rectangle that says more about your personal brand than you might imagine – and which carries on saying it long after you’ve left the room.  So get one of your cards out now – go on, I’ll wait for you…

Now you’re back, take a good long look at your card, read the wording, look at the logo, turn it over, feel the card, give it a bit of a flick with your thumb.  And while you’re doing that, ask yourself these questions about your personal brand:

• What are some of your key values and beliefs you want your personal brand to convey? 
• What is the reputation you want your personal brand to build? 
• What skills is your personal brand pitching to your audiences?
• What image is your personal brand projecting?
• And most importantly…does my card say all of that?

If not, here’s a few of the ways to get it communicating all you need it to:

Size and shape
There’s a standard size for UK business cards and it’s good to stick to that so your card will fit into people’s filing systems, wallets, etc.  If your brand is more stand out though, you can play around with the sizing, but don’t go too far off the mark.  Too small and it will get lost, too big and it will end up in a different place from all the others (possibly what my friend calls the B1N file!)  Changes to the shape are an option too: rounded corners (all four or just one or two), cut outs and folding all help make it a little bit different.

Card weight
A flimsy card conveys a cheap brand and unless you’re selling a product or service specifically on low price, steer clear of anything less than 300gsm (that’s printer’s jargon for the thickness of paper and card).   Cheap deals such as those on offer by Vistaprint are rarely worth it when you consider the business you might be losing, because if you can’t be bothered to invest in your company, why should I?

Quality of print
As with the card weight, it’s worth paying for decent printing to get the crispness of text and depth of colour to bring your card to life.  If your ink’s smudged and your details a little blurred around the edges, I’m going to think that of your brand too!

Colours
There’s a whole psychology about what different colours mean and it’s something my friend Peter Bryant at Gold Design has been blogging about so check if yours is on the button.

Content
When you think of the purpose of a business card, this is the important bit.  Your card has to contain everything the recipient needs to know once you’ve parted ways: a) your name, b) what you do and c) how to get in touch (by all means, including Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook if appropriate).  That may seem simple but I’ve had some cards where the person’s just put their initial and not their full name, or there’s only their company name and nothing to tell you what they do, or the phone number has been missing.  I’ve ended up with the impression their attention to detail and understanding of my needs is somewhat lacking – not things I’m going to buy into!

And for anyone who’s thinking, “But I have a corporate business card and no say in how it looks,” it’s still possible to stand out from the crowd and be memorable.  Here are some tips:

• You could underline your mobile number with the words, “And here’s the best number to get me on so I can speak to you personally,” (conveying your value of taking responsibility).
• You could write a personal note on it before you hand it over, something that has relevance to your conversation – perhaps the name of a restaurant you’ve recommended or a useful website (conveying a mutual interest and emotional connection).
• Or you can say something witty when presenting your card.  I  was once given a particularly thick card with the words, “And it doubles up as an ice scraper.” I’m never going to forget him!



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If you’ve enjoyed these musings, don’t be shy…leave a comment!  And please help me to spread the word using the buttons below.  Or if you’d like to learn more, check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter.  Or drop me an email at jennifer.holloway@sparkexec.co.uk.  Thank you! 

Spark specialises in branding, but not for companies – for PEOPLE, helping clients to market themselves so they stand out from the crowd, building a reputation that enables them to be even more successful just by being themselves.   Spark delivers personal branding to executives and senior managers in Leeds, Harrogate, Skipton, York, Bradford, Wakefield and the Yorkshire area, as well as in London and other UK cities. The company was founded by Jennifer Holloway and her 15 years’ experience in PR coupled with several years as an executive coach means she delivers a personal brand service unlike any other.

‘Go Large’ – Presentations & Your Personal Brand

After a week doing seminars and presentations in both Yorkshire and London (no, that’s not me in the picture!) I’ve seen first hand how important it is to deliver a large dollop of your personal brand along with your subject matter. Doing so gives your audience the knowledge they need to decide whether they’re buying into you as a speaker – and the sooner they do, the better vibe you’ll create.  That vibe will be felt by both you and them and like a ball of energy gathering momentum, your presentation will go from strength to strength and the audience’s enjoyment will go with it.

But promoting your personal brand to a large number of people at once, compared to a few individuals at a time, requires a bit of extra work – so here’s five tips and techniques to show you how:

1. Your Image
Both my last blog and the guest posting from image consultant Natalia Colman looked at the way you can use your image to give your audience clues to your personal brand.  When you’re presenting, you need to be sure those clues are coming across loud and clear and can be picked up quickly from the minute you take centre stage.  So whatever your image, go for a stronger version of it – wear your sharpest suit, your brightest tie, your boldest jewellery, your highest heels and a little bit more make up. (Not all at once of course!)

2. Your Sound
When you present don’t think of it as anything less than you’re putting on a performance and just as actors use their vocal range to convey not just what’s being said but the message behind it, so must you.  This is all about over-dramatising what you’re saying – longer pauses, wider tonal range, greater variance between loud and soft.  It may sound OTT but let me assure you, by the time your voice hits your audience’s ears, it will have diminished to just the right level and represent your brand as it would be if you were speaking to each person one-to-one.

3. Your Body Language
Now you’ve increased your vocal range you need to make sure your body language matches, so don’t forget to increase the drama in your gestures.  One example is to act like the fisherman describing the one that got away: if you’re opening your arms to illustrate something you’re talking about, open them twice as wide a you would normally.  The distance between you and your audience will temper the gesture back to its normal level. (I once worked with the MD of a company who didn’t believe this until he saw a video of himself on stage at the company conference.  He’d resisted the big gestures because he thought he’d look like an eejit, but told me he wished he’d done them because he’d ended up looking bland instead of getting across the bold persona he has.)

And don’t forget to connect with your audience through eye contact – looking directly at someone will strengthen the trust they have in your personal brand.  Add a beaming smile to go with it to show you’re genuinely enjoying your audience’s company and you’re onto a winner.

 4. Spoken Language
I’ve written before about using positive language to communicate a positive personal brand and it’s just as imperative when you’re presenting. But in addition to that, don’t forget to pepper your presentation with some of the key words from your personal brand – hints as to your values, beliefs, reputation, etc. These are the thing that make you you, so make sure people know that.

5. Offering a Connection
Just because your presentation is about what you do, that doesn’t mean you can’t tell your audience a little bit about who you are.  Stories and metaphors are a great way to bring a presentation to life so why not make them anecdotes about you? Use that funny story about the time you locked yourself out of the hotel room on your honeymoon in just your underpants to illustrate risk management (whilst also letting them know your marital status plus somewhere you’ve been on holiday).  Or relate the story of how you trained to run a marathon to illustrate long-term goals (and the fact you’re a keen runner).  I guarantee it will be these things that people come up and talk to you about at the end, because you’ve offered them a personal connection to your brand, rather than just a business one. 

So it boils down to this: when you’re promoting your personal brand messages to a large audience, do all the things you’d normally do…just do them bigger, stronger and louder!

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If you’ve got your own suggestions for promoting your personal brand in presentations, or just want to tell me what you think, don’t be shy…leave a comment!  And please help me to spread the word using the buttons below.  Or if you’d like to learn more, check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter.  Or drop me an email at jennifer.holloway@sparkexec.co.uk.  Thank you! 

Spark specialises in branding, but not for companies – for PEOPLE, helping clients to market themselves so they stand out from the crowd, building a reputation that enables them to be even more successful just by being themselves.   Spark delivers personal branding to executives and senior managers in Leeds, Harrogate, Skipton, York, Bradford, Wakefield and the Yorkshire area, as well as in London and other UK cities. The company was founded by Jennifer Holloway and her 15 years’ experience in PR coupled with several years as an executive coach means she delivers a personal brand service unlike any other. 

What To Wear For Your Personal Brand

Good things come to those who wait – and I’m pleased to announce that following my blog about addressing your dressing today’s offering is the delayed guest posting from style consultant and all-round fabulous woman Natalia Colman of Style Specialists. 

When Natalia recently found herself ‘sans model’ on a project she was doing with celebrity photographer Cat Hepple I was happy to step-in (well, who’d pass up an opportunity to be made to look glamorous and with Photoshop on hand to help out, I was onto a winner!)  So here’s her take on how image plays such an important part in your personal brand.  Over to Natalia…

“As an Image Consultant it’s my job (and my passion) to help people convey their skills, qualities and talents through the way they dress. 

“Whenever I work with any of my clients the first thing I assure them is I want them to be themselves and that getting dressed every day should be about getting across to people who they genuinely are on the inside.  Your clothes and accessories should be the icing on the cake and give people an instant impression of who you are and what you’re about.  Jennifer is a real expert at taking you through this process of internal self-discovery.  And when it comes to the external self-discovery of buying clothes and putting outfits together for different occasions, that’s when you can really have fun – dressing to represent your personal brand and doing it authentically.

“Jennifer and I have worked together creating outfits from her wardrobe for a variety of different events and occasions she needs to dress for. It’s always a great idea to spend some time in your own wardrobe doing some trying on and planning, writing up different combinations.  That way you avoid a clothes mountain and panic attack the next time you have to go to do some public speaking, go to a meeting, have  lunch with an important business contact or go along to a networking event.  When getting dressed for each occasion, you need to think about two things:

1. What you want people to notice about you  
2. What people expect from you

…then dress accordingly.

“In Jennifer’s case here are some outfits that she can go straight to when she’s out and about during the working day and how they do a great job of conveying Jennifer’s brand authentically.

“This navy blue matching dress and jacket is a favourite outfit of mine for Jennifer.  Navy is a dark colour that conveys authority but is softer than black. How often do you see an ocean of black suits at conferences? If you really want to stand out then opt for charcoal grey or navy instead. These are still authoritative colours but will give you a different look to everyone else.  With everything matching from top-to-toe Jennifer’s outfit this gets across her attention to detail.

 “Jennifer really suits purple so this purple dress is a must for whenever she wants to make a bold statement and to look healthy and glowing.  The lovely corsage adds a quirky, modern twist to show that you can expect creative and flair every time you meet Jennifer!

“If you’re not sure what colours best suit your hair and skin tone it’s always good to have colour analysis and find out which shades and tones really give you the wow factors and which colours to avoid.

“This black and white outfit is perfect for a lunch or meeting clients that Jennifer knows well.  All the fabrics are softer, the print on the skirt is bold so all of this contributes to making Jennifer more approachable. The jacket still conveys status and authority so if Jennifer wants a more relaxed look she can simply remove the jacket.

 “My favourite photo of all sums up Jennifer and her brand in a nutshell.  She has strong classic foundations but brings a modern twist to this with the shirt worn beneath her dress and the beautiful but unusual jewellery. This outfit says ‘Expect to rely on Jennifer’s knowledge and experience but also rely on her to shake things up and add her own special twist to everything she does!'”
Thanks Natalia – a great way to show how you can communicate your personal brand through your image (and she’s not even getting a penny for all that flattery!) And thanks too of course to Cat Hepple – a woman who has an eye for light and shade that’s like no-one I’ve met before.

*****

If you’ve enjoyed Natalia’s guest blog, don’t be shy…leave a comment!  And please help me to spread the word using the buttons below.  Or if you’d like to learn more, check out my other blogs and follow me on Twitter.  Or drop me an email at jennifer.holloway@sparkexec.co.uk.  Thank you! 

Spark specialises in branding, but not for companies – for PEOPLE, helping clients to market themselves so they stand out from the crowd, building a reputation that enables them to be even more successful just by being themselves.   Spark delivers personal branding to executives and senior managers in Leeds, Harrogate, Skipton, York, Bradford, Wakefield and the Yorkshire area, as well as in London and other UK cities. The company was founded by Jennifer Holloway and her 15 years’ experience in PR coupled with several years as an executive coach means she delivers a personal brand service unlike any other.