Your Image, What Is It Saying About You?

My friend Diane Parente is a certified Image and Wardrobe Professional with over twenty years experience in all areas of image development and management. She is also co-author of Mastering Your Professional Image-Dressing to Enhance Your Credibility. Do not overlook your image as part of your overall communications strategy.  Enjoy these helpful insights from Diane:

Your Image, What Is It Saying About You?
by Diane Parente

As a professional, you can come in contact with hundreds of people every day — in meetings, at lunch, or traveling from place to place. Your image is talking even when you’re not. You and your business may have all the substance in the world, but if you don’t project a strong, professional image to go with it, people aren’t going to respond the way you want them to.

To back up your image, you also need a good product, extensive knowledge, and strong communications skills. Your image creates the expectation. Your substance confirms it.

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In Marketing, Emphasize Empathy!

If you want your marketing to make money for you, focus on your customers’ feelings and beliefs. Unless you can convince them that you understand them and their problems — that you’re empathetic — they’re probably not going to buy from you.

The headline on one of my marketing pieces says, “Hiring a Speaker is an Awesome Responsibility.” It is. These days, if you hire the wrong speaker in a corporate job, you could end up in severe trouble. Many professional speakers focus their marketing on themselves — how good they are, how successful. It works, but readers don’t get the message that the speaker really knows who they are and can fill their needs. Your customers need to believe that you know, understand, and care about them.

There’s a good way to do this when you’re writing or creating your marketing piece.

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The Surfer’s Situation and Sanborn Triad of Trials

By Mark Sanborn from Up, Down, Or Sideways. I don’t know about you…but this REALLY speaks to me.

http://www.marksanborn.com/blog/ and http://www.marksanborn.com/up-down-or-sideways/

Interact with the waves of change to create the outcome you desire.
The triple whammy hit me in 2008. For one thing, speaking engagements—my primary source of income—had dropped by about 20 percent. For another, my financial investments tanked. And last but certainly not least in the Sanborn Triad of Trials, doctors diagnosed me with prostate cancer.

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Executive Speeches: How Can You Grab Your Audience?

Every year I tell dozens of San Francisco executives and Silicon Valley speech coaching clients “Your first thirty seconds of your executive communications are like the first page of a book or first seconds of a TV show or film. If you don’t make an impact and hint at more to come, you lose your audience.”

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How to Turn a Service Club Talk into a Marketing Opportunity

Speaking before a group about your business is definitely the lowest cost and best way to market your product or service and expand your customer base.  From first hand experience I learned this important marketing lesson. I started talking about my hair styling business at local service organizations, such as Rotary, Kiwanis, Optimists. At the time I didn’t have much public speaking experience beyond Dale Carnegie courses and Toastmasters. Little did I know it would lead to a rewarding career as an executive speech coach and keynote speaker. Here are some key points I learned that helped me build my business.

Expressing yourself with flair will increase the speed with which you succeed.

Peter Butler is an excellent example of how to increase your reputation and visibility by speaking. Peter was in the insurance and financial services industry. When he passed his fiftieth birthday, he decided to start running in Iron Man triathlons and other athletic events around the country.

He gave lively talks at service clubs about his experiences. Peter starts by saying, “Running a marathon is like planning for your future.” Then he told  colorful stories about the different events he had participated in. Finally he said, “For my last few minutes,  here are four ideas you should know about planning for your long-term future.”

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6 of the Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make in Their Presentations

Salespeople are incredible. Like Hollywood actors, whenever they open their mouths, they are putting themselves and their company on the line, taking a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome. Just like actors, even the best, most experienced salesperson can use some coaching and polishing now and then.

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