How to build the four foundations of 'Reputation You'

Whether you're an ambitious solopreneur or the founder of small but mighty service-based business, your professional reputation is easily one of your most important assets.

Professional reputation can be defined as the collective perception of an individual's character, competence, and integrity as shaped by their actions, communication style, and work ethic.

A strong professional reputation can drive positive business outcomes in a number of ways, including:

• Competitive edge: It will set your business apart from your competitors, making it easier to win clients and contracts.
• Networking/earned media opportunities: A solid reputation facilitates connections with industry experts and potential clients, and can help open the door to media and speaking opportunities.
• Premium pricing: It will help you to charge higher prices for your products and professional services.
• Potential partnerships & collaborations: Individuals who are well regarded professionally are often preferred as partners for collaborations or joint ventures.

And here are a couple more benefits for good measure: not only can a strong reputation help reduce the client/customer sales cycle, but it will also make your marketing efforts work harder, and thus become more effective. TWO BIG BONUSES!

With so many potential benefits, how many of us though, actually sit down and think through how we can strategically build, reinforce and protect our reputation?

What planning needs to be done, and how do we bring that strategy to life?

A word of warning though: Don't be swayed by the self-serving braggarts, grandstanders, wannabes, hucksters and quick-hit merchants who tell you otherwise - building and reinforcing one's reputation in the marketplace requires sustained foundational effort.

Until then, everything else is window dressing.

I've been neck-deep in the PR and communications trenches for over three decades, and I believe that in order to build and sustain a professional personal brand for the long haul, it's absolutely vital you invest time in building 3-4 key 'reputational foundations'.

What do these foundations look like?

Here are the four reputational foundations that I think every serious solopreneur, thought leader and owner an expertise-based business needs to be cognisant of:

? STRATEGIC VISIBILITY - having a consistent strategic presence online (and offline) -- for all the right reasons. Make it easy for people to find, and connect with, you!

[ QUESTION: What are you doing currently to proactively grow your professional presence in the marketplace? ]

? PROFESSIONAL CREDIBILITY - as people become consumed and distracted by the noise online, standing out and being seen as a credible individual has never been more important.

[ QUESTION: What are you doing currently to build credibility for your personal brand in a way that's strategic and respectful? ]

? MARKETPLACE VALIDATION - serves as a bridge between how you present yourself and how you’re perceived by others in the marketplace.

[ QUESTION: What can you be doing to help validate in the minds of your potential clients that you are the person they need to do business with? ]

? EARNED TRUST is the social currency of today's digital-first world, underpinning everything we do professionally, and needs to be enhanced at every opportunity.

[ QUESTION: What are you doing currently to engender trust with the people who matter most to the success of your business? ]

So yes, having a solid work ethic and being great at what you do will help underpin your reputation. We need to constantly put in the effort to provide the best possible service that we can.

But competition out there is tough, and simply doing a great job today is table stakes.

It's important for us to get on the front foot and actively boost our presence online, enhance our credibility as the go-to expert or thought leader in our space, and to earn the trust and respect of our peers, our followers, our clients - and the people who influence them.

Like to know more how I can help you build your reputational foundations? Please feel free to DM me here, or book in for a 30-minute no-obligation Zoom call.

Onwards!

TY

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P.S. Have you subscribed to my weekly email newsletter ('Reputation OnRamp')? It's jam-packed with ideas and insights around all things self-promotion for self-respecting solopreneurs and founders of small but mighty businesses. Subscribe today at ReputationOnRamp.com - thanks!