Personal Branding: A B2B Seller's Secret Weapon - Part 1

This article is Part 1, where we focus on the importance of Personal Professional Branding.

For Part 2, we will discuss how to build your personal brand.

Personal branding is emerging as a ‘force multiplier” for B2B sales success. When I refer to Personal Branding, I am really referring to Professional Personal Branding.

In other words, What do you want to be known for as a professional?

I know many younger sellers who are remarkably effective at branding themselves outside of their business lives. Using Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, etc. They excel at branding their “Private Side,” But I think that many often don’t realize the importance of personal branding from a professional/business perspective. Their Public Side.

What is Personal Branding?

I recently discussed this with Ryan O’Keefe , a Personal Branding expert who shared this perspective which I found insightful.

“Personal Branding in a business context is about leadership, if you are prepared to raise your profile, share your points of view, opinions, and vision, then in my opinion this is a leader. “

You can consider that Personal Branding is the art and science of consciously crafting and promoting a unique and authentic identity in your professional field. This is when you showcase your expertise, values, and personality. That allows you to provide leadership to your Prospects, Clients, Colleagues, and Partners.

The Mission: to create a distinct and memorable impression. Since it is so important let me state it again a MEMORABLE impression. A positive one of course. That positive memorable impression will pay continuous dividends.

Benefits

When you build a strong personal professional brand, you are establishing yourself as a trusted authority and go-to resource. This can be for potential clients or to lead and influence others. At a high level, it allows you to accomplish three things:

1. Differentiate yourself from the competition. Who may be genuinely nice people, but they are trying to take money from you. That is the real-world reality.

2. Cultivate relationships faster. That translates into generating more leads more quickly.

3. More productivity. That means more successful sales efforts with fewer resources. Think of it as making more money and/ or having more personal time.

A B2B seller can reap some specific advantages by effectively cultivating a personal brand, such as:

? Establishing trust: Trust is essential in any relationship, especially in a sales environment. If you have a strong personal brand, you build greater credibility and rapport with potential clients, more quickly. I know you heard people buy from who they like. I suggest they buy from whom they trust. And maybe they like them because they trust them.

? Differentiation: Allows you to stand out from out from the crowd and attract more clients. Importantly, it comes in handy when your offering or the company you represent does not have much differentiation,

? Building authority: This is when you establish yourself as a thought leader, and become a more trusted asset to potential clients and partners.

? Enhancing credibility: The more credible you are, the more likely you will be able to persuade a client. You start from a position of strength.

? Increased sales opportunities: When you have a strong personal brand, you will discover that potential clients are more likely to reach out to engage you. Or at the very least be more receptive to engaging with you on some level.

? Stronger Ecosystem. B2B sales success is usually a team sport. A strong personal brand can open doors to valuable connections and partnerships. This extends the reach of your authority.

? Long-term success: Even if you have long-term success, it may not be with the same company. A strong personal brand can help you build a successful career that withstands the risks that exist such as downsizing etc. It is an investment in YOU that will generate returns for you. Make deposits frequently.

In Part 2 we will discuss ways to build your brand.

In the meantime please share your perspective to this article below!