Read an Excerpt
Fresh Notes On How Not to Graduate Into Poverty
Become a Distinct Brand or Extinct Generic
By Michael D. Brown Greenleaf Book Group Press
Copyright © 2017 Michael D. Brown
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-62634-365-8
CHAPTER 1
THE WORLD IS CHANGING. Once you graduate from college, you will enter a professional environment where companies, organizations, your boss, clients, and coworkers all expect more. They expect an experience that is different from the competition. They want an experience that is more value adding than the competition. They want an experience that fulfills a particular need, want, and/or desire.
So if they see you as a "generic," then you're in trouble. You've seen generic brands, the "no-name" products that usually sit low on the supermarket shelves. For the most part, they're not that radically different from the costlier name brands placed directly at eye level; they are often made by the very same companies as their name brand competitors! But whether it's due to their dull packaging, lack of promotion, or the simple fact that they are less recognizable to the typical consumer, generic products typically sit on the shelves for a long period of time, only picked up by someone looking for a short-term bargain.
Guess what? People can be generic, too. What is a generic person? Simply put, a generic person is someone who may be perfectly nice, intelligent, and talented, but who hasn't made any effort to stand out from the crowd. They probably go to an average school, get average grades, have an average personal background, and in all likelihood will go on to have an average career. They don't stand out as being especially bad, but they don't really stand out as being especially good, either. You could call them your average working stiffs.
What's wrong with the average working stiff, you may ask? Nothing, on a purely humanistic level. All people are created equal. But after creation is where the equality ends. In today's competitive, roller-coaster world, you're either a distinct and competitive brand or an extinct generic. In order to survive, prosper, and achieve great success, you must become a distinct and competitive personal brand. It is when you develop this brand, and college is the ideal time to start if you haven't already, that you will be able to deliver the experience that people are willing to subscribe to and/or pay for. Otherwise you won't be able to take yourself, your organization, your employer, your professors, your classmates, or members to a new level.
Think about "brand name" celebrities like Michael Jordan, Martha Stewart, Oprah Winfrey, Emeril Lagasse, or even Eminem! These people all function as personal brands, but they weren't built overnight, and they constantly evolve to stay fresh in the mind of the consumer. Like these and other celebrities whose fame has transcended their identities as mere humans, you want to build a brand for yourself that screams Fresh, Passionate, Determined, Different, Skilled, and Competitive!
Naturally, there is a lot more to building a successful personal brand than waking up in the morning and saying, "I'd like to become a personal brand today." Like anything else worthwhile in life, it takes time, patience, and effort. I have developed a methodology called "Fresh PASSION," which is short for Preparation, Aspiration, Staying laser focused, Selling like you are crazy, Invigorating yourself, Omitting the negative, and Nailing the brand.
What does each of these terms actually mean? Let's define each of these terms and then take a "pulse assessment" to determine how far along you are in your effort to follow each of
these steps to becoming a personal brand. I will also offer daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly activities you can engage in to either evolve yourself from generic to branded, or make sure you remain at the personally branded level.
But first, let's take a closer look at the concept and rationale of Freshness as it pertains to personal branding. Putting the handle "Fresh" before "PASSION" is critically important, because without a fresh approach to your career and your life, all the PASSION in the world will likely not be able to help you achieve your fullest potential. You can't just land your newly developed brand today, put it on a shelf, and expect it to carry you throughout your college matriculation or professional career while you sit back and reap its rewards.
Anyone who has ever been in love (or even thought they were in love) can attest to this. The initial courtship is passionate, and you can't see enough of each other. But as you know, time goes on, competition enters, and that once passionate flame begins to turn into a flicker and eventually burns out. If a relationship is to have any chance of thriving long term, you've got to keep it fresh, right?
That same analogy is true for companies. Companies need change — strategic direction changes, the type of employee they are looking for changes, the skill sets they are looking for changes, and economic factors change — so you need to stay fresh in order to be in tip-top competitive shape. Staying fresh provides you with a greater return on investment for the employer than a potential employee who has just kept pace with the status quo.
Take Your Pulse
Now that we have delved into what "freshness" is all about, it's time to take your freshness pulse. Are your freshness efforts vibrant and lively, or are they simply "thudding along"?
Rate how strongly you agree that each of the following fresh statements applies to you today using the following scale:
SCALE
5. *****
Wait, that's really, really true about me — strongly agree
4. ****
That would be me — agree
3. ***
50/50 sometimes, sometimes not — somewhat agree
2. **
That absolutely has nothing to do with me — disagree
1. *
Let me take the fifth on this — strongly disagree
QUESTIONS
SCORE
1. My friends and colleagues come to me for the most up-to-date information.
2. If you are looking for fresh ideas, I am the one.
3. My current skill set and GPA is the most competitive out of anyone I may come up against for a job and/or promotion.
4. I am aware of the latest technology that can help me personally and professionally.
5. When my friends and colleagues want a fresh perspective or strategy. I am the first person they call.
6. The last books that I read was one that was published within the last 12 months.
6.5. My resume is current up to date, and competitive.
GRAND TOTAL :
Analyze Your Score
Now that you've taken the test, let's analyze your score:
• If you scored from 7–13, your freshness is expired. You know what that means: nobody wants to purchase your brand and you'll soon be taken off the shelf.
• If you scored from 14–20, your freshness is day old. There is minimal demand for your personal brand, but only at a steep discount and when the more popular and competitive brands are all sold out.
• If you scored from 21–26, your freshness is canned. Your brand will sell if it stays on the shelf long enough, but anyone seeking real fresh results will look elsewhere.
• If you scored from 27–33, your freshness is fresh frozen. Your brand is a respectable choice for the discerning connoisseur, but not the top choice.
• If you scored a 34 or 35, your freshness is market fresh. Congratulations! You have the brand that is most in demand and fetches the highest prices. You sell out early in the morning, when only the most competitive shoppers are out evaluating the available brands.
It's Showtime!
Here's what you can do now as a college student to accelerate to a competitive brand.
FREQUENCY WHAT CAN I DO?
DAILY
Check online for news items related to your
branded areas of expertise.
WEEKLY
Read one article by a well-respected expert
in your branded area of expertise.
MONTHLY
Attend one professional networking event
related to your branded area of expertise-students
are often encouraged to attend
and some events are even geared toward
students considering their career path.
QUARTERLY Attend a class, seminar, or informational
session related to your branded area of
expertise.
YEARLY
Obtain at least one new certification or
professional citation in your branded
area of expertise — continuing education
programs often offer these types of
credentials.
PREPARATION
Preparation helps you get a large part of the substance for your brand building. Earlier in your career, this can be used to help you conduct stellar interviews with the best companies and have your pick of the job that best suits your personal and professional goals. Later in your career, preparation can be used to make you a top performer and obtain the promotions and accolades that will propel your career forward at a breakneck speed.
For college students, being prepared means taking steps like maintaining a consistently high GPA, test-driving potential careers, and impressing potential future employers through internships by obtaining lots of value-adding work experience. As my own life shows, even a grueling and greasy burger-flipping job can be hugely beneficial to your future professional career. Obtain leadership, networking, stewardship, teamwork, and social skills by participating in extracurricular activities; develop a winning resume; conduct an active job search that takes full advantage of job fairs, networking, job boards, and career placement services; have a thought-out personal marketing plan in place; and do a "heart check" on your major — are you majoring in something you excel at and that truly captivates your interest where you can be passionate about it?
Take Your Pulse
Once again, for each question, use the same five-point scale as before to determine your score. Then tally up all 6.5 scores to see just how well prepared you are to create a branded area of expertise:
SCALE
5. *****
Wait, that's really, really true about me — strongly agree
4. ****
That would be me — agree
3. *** 50/50 sometimes, sometimes not — somewhat agree
2. **
That absolutely has nothing to do with me — disagree
1. *
Let me take the fifth on this — strongly disagree
QUESTIONS
SCORE
1. I have a fully realized ideal of personal and professional success around which I build all my preparatory efforts.
2. I have the utmost confidence that I am truly prepared to achieve success and have no doubts about my ability to overcome any obstacle, no matter how unpredictable.
3. I have identified and am actively pursuing the specific skills necessary to achieve success by being a branded expert in my chosen field, organization, business, and/or company.
4. I have identified and am actively pursuing all the credentials necessary to achieve success by being a branded expert in my chosen field, organization, business, and/or company.
5. I feel a burning competitive desire that pushes me to always take additional steps toward being prepared rather than feel satisfied with my preparatory efforts.
6. I know the skill sets and the mental attitudes of three people who have achieved success in the area in which I want to succeed.
6.5. I gain a new competitive skill on at least a quarterly basis.
GRAND TOTAL:
Analyze Your Score
Now that you've taken the test, let's analyze your score:
• If you scored from 7–13, your preparedness is critical. You have the brand health equivalent to that of a person who never exercises, does not watch what they eat, and possibly engages in other unhealthy activities as well. The prognosis for your brand's lifespan is a shortened and painful one.
• If you scored from 14–20, your preparedness is guarded. You have taken a few quick steps to get ready to succeed, but hurrying now will only make success take longer to arrive later.
• If you scored from 21–26, your preparedness is stable. You have done all the obvious things it takes to prepare for success in your chosen field, organization, business, and/or company, but so have most of your competitors. Those who take extra steps and think outside the box in their preparation are the ones who will achieve lasting and top-quality brand fitness.
• If you scored from 27–33, your preparedness is good. You have gone above and beyond the norm to prepare and are ready for some serious competition. But are you ready to win?
• If you scored a 34 or 35, your preparedness is optimal. Congratulations! You have taken the lessons of building top-quality brand health to heart and have thoroughly prepared yourself for all contingencies, including unknowns, and done the groundwork necessary to truly stand out from the rest of the competition. You are fit as a fiddle and ready to compete in the most grueling competition and come out a winner.
It's Showtime!
Here's what you can do now as a college student to accelerate to a competitive brand.
FREQUENCY WHAT CAN I DO?
DAILY
Rise early every morning. Once you are
branded, you will be getting up early to
manage all the exciting activities you have
going on, so get used to it now!
WEEKLY
Review your social media profiles. Make
sure all postings and photos are something
you would want a prospective employer/
client/coworker to see.
MONTHLY
Perform a market check — review the latest
job openings, success stories, failures,
news and events in your branded area of
expertise.
QUARTERLY Take one Saturday or Sunday and visit open
houses at nice homes to better understand
the end point of the impact of a branded
professional career — being able to purchase
a nice home.
YEARLY
Review what you really want to do. Not just
"succeed," but define what success means
in every aspect of your life and what steps
you must follow to achieve it.
If you are currently a brand, here is what you can do to enhance and strengthen your brand through preparedness.
FREQUENCY WHAT CAN I DO?
DAILY
Remember that every day you must prove
yourself anew. No coasting on yesterday's
success.
WEEKLY
Hit the books! Maintaining an active study
regimen and attending all your classes
(even the ones that are early in the morning
or late Friday afternoon) is crucial to
ensuring a top GPA, which will be a big part
of your brand coming out of college.
MONTHLY
Ask at least one professor, academic
advisor, manager, or classmate what you
can do to improve your image.
QUARTERLY Perform a market check — review the latest
job openings, success stories, failures,
news and events in your branded area of
expertise.
YEARLY
Thoroughly review everything you
have done in the past year to prepare
yourself for success. Make at least one
major change to your efforts and identify
one right move to build upon in the
coming year.
ASPIRATION
Aspiration means having particular ambitions and then setting out to achieve your goals. This is your purpose, to fly high and soar to greater heights. Knowing your aspiration allows you to tailor-build your personal brand, otherwise you run the risk of building a brand that doesn't help you reach your aspiration. What is your destiny? Is it to graduate at the head of your class, land the perfect job, start a successful business, receive awards and acclaim from your peers? Find your purpose, and whatever your purpose(s) may be, put them on paper and post them everywhere — in the bathroom, in your car, in your journal, to serve as a reminder of what you are aspiring to do.
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Fresh Notes On How Not to Graduate Into Poverty by Michael D. Brown. Copyright © 2017 Michael D. Brown. Excerpted by permission of Greenleaf Book Group Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
