Looking good has always been important. Basically speaking beauty attracts to preserve the species, but is it attracting to preserve and even grow your career and business?
You've heard it time and time again - first impressions matter. So why haven't you become part of the cool crowd yet?
I know why. You've never been taught, at least until now. Or you were taught that if you took too much notice of your looks you were camper than Elton John on fire.
No fear, I'm going to show you surefire ways to looking good plus key tips on how to avoid any unfashionable faux paus that could undo your career or even a contract. The best way to do this of course is with a 'What's Hot and What's Not' list. Enjoy, but not too much, that would be uncool.
What's Hot!
. Well tailored shirts without excess fabric sticking out from around your waist - take them for tailoring if need be. A tailor can put darts in the back to pull it in and create smooth lines that contour with your back.
. 1.5cm's of shirt coming out from your cuff and collar when wearing a suit jacket
. Pant length that falls to your heels and doesn't hang around your ankles (that's only for special occasions, i.e. a quickie!)
. Semi- fitted clothes, they suit absolutely everybody. Too baggy can result in added poundage and too tight will emphasize any lumps and pumps.
. Colours that compliment the wearers skin tonne. To achieve this hold garments up in front of your face before you purchase them and look for key signs, i.e. do they make you look washed out, are they too harsh, are the colours/clothes wearing you and you're not wearing them.
. Low-rise jeans/pants on short guys. It makes you appear taller and gives you more presence.
. Patterns that compliment the wearers frame, i.e. larger patterns for bigger guys, smaller patterns for smaller guys. It's all about balance.
. Wearing what suits not just the latest trend. Some styles and trends will suit you perfectly others will make you look like you've been taking fashion advice from 'Antiques Roadshow.' Go with what works for your shape and your style.
What's Not!
. Malcolm Turnbull - oops, how'd he get on this list!
. Overly tight tops when you have muffin top or a beer gut, this guys for polo tops as well when worn for work. They can accentuate an overly inflated belly.
. Cartoon socks - need I say more? You're a grown man for Gods sakes.
. Hair that is dyed too dark for the skin tonne. As we age our skin colour dulls, keep this in mind if you're dying your hair from light to dark. Find a shade that compliments your skin tonne as hair that is too dark will make the person appear washed out and sickly, especially when you are 40 plus. Women can get away with darker hair colours for their skin as they have make-up to balance it out and make them look healthy. Guys don't necessarily have this luxury. Even when ditching the grey to appear more youthful be careful in choosing the right balance.
. Bad breathe - Take a pack of mints with you everywhere you go. Why? Because I know where your mouth has been that's why!
. Comb-over's - Why won't you think of the children! Cut it short or shave it off. Or alternatively, if you have the cash go to Advance Hair for Men. (Don't tell anyone but I've done it! And I am thrilled with the results.)
. Over plucked eyebrows - This is the opposite to the hairy John Howard days in which he used to look like Chewbacca from Star Wars. Don't make the opposite mistake of having them overdone. Eyebrows make a massive difference in how people treat and interact with you.
. Crocs - They are a complete abomination, burn them to hell! They should never be worn outside of the house, especially when you are going to semi casual functions where work colleagues / prospective clients may be present. Always, always be prepared.
While you're at it, stop complaining. Beauty may preserve the species but it won't last forever, there has to be essence and real personality to back it up. Not even all the Botox in the world can make-up for a personality from hell.
You are the package, looks, communication and actions. All must meet or inconsistencies reign supreme and undo your great work. Now, go and take care of those Chewbacca eyebrows before they get stuck in some heavy machinery and give you a frontal lobotomy.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here. For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
(The introductory scene from He's Just Not that Into You)
And with those two lines women the world over were struck down with confusion. Don't you love it? Parents and their bid to keep us safe and feel accepted created the notion that if someone teases you or pushes you it means they like you.
No seriously, what are we dumb arses? Generations for years have subscribed to this notion and pursued guys/women that were deadbeats and simply not that interested in them at all in the first place.
The movie, "He's Just Not into You" hit cinemas the same week as Valentine's Day 2009 and highlights this misconceived notion. Oh, and by the way, if your partner took you to see that movie! Ok well, you work it out.
The film star's Drew Barrymore, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Anniston and several other well known's that delve into the mystery of dating in an attempt to demystify it. And demystify it does. It turns out that there really is no mystery to dating at all. So to show you the path young Sky Walker or seductive Princess Leia I've pulled out some of the best tips from the movie and you know what, it goes beyond dating, it's directly related to your business!
If your prospective love/client interest isn't;
. Calling you . Emailing you . Texting you . Trying to have sex with you
They are simply just not that into you. And neither are your clients. Okay, so they shouldn't be trying to sleep or text you but if they're not returning your calls after continuous attempts trying to contact them, set them free, now you're just being desperate. The energy that an individual gives off when they are desperate can be confused with; being needy, creepy and even insecure. Not the best vibe to be giving when trying to prove to a prospect that you are a well-rounded individual easy to deal with.
On the other hand, if they are;
. Screwing around behind your back / sleeping with other service providers . Introducing you to their friends as their friend / not their service provider . Not asking you out on dates / booking meetings . Responding to your messages weeks after you've sent them
They are "especially" not that into you.
Who would have ever thought that is was that simple. Save yourself a whole bunch of time right now by letting that prospect / date go. Put simply, you're wasting your time. There is a point when chasing new customers that it moves beyond the realms of prospecting and begins to damage your reputation. Know when to pull back or you may ruin any future chances. Often when you let something go it has a way of coming back, but only if it's a right fit.
I see it constantly, such as; editors and journalists not returning call's or prospects failing to respond to business professionals advances to lock them in as a client. Professionals become despondent and focus on individuals that aren't worth their time and effort and begin to obsess about the opportunity and become bogged down in trying to convince someone to purchase from them when they're really not interested.
It's like convincing someone to have sex with you. There is so much wrong with that I don't even know when to begin.
You want to have clients that want to work with you. Yes, there will be times that some will take some convincing but understand the difference between a prospect testing you and a prospect that would rather see the back of your head.
If they're not responding back to you after four attempts at contact, it's time to let it go. Now you're just wasting your own time and money.
Quit stalking them and get on with the job. It's a big pond. Go dangle your hook in the water and see what you catch (hopefully not crabs!).
Oh, and by the way, go out and hire the movie. There really is more to it than just trying to find a man. Things aren't as complicated as we make them - especially when prospecting.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here. For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
A study done by the University of Alabama (2003) found that individuals with low flirtatious activity tended to correlate with low energy levels. Wow - lethargic and frigid, what an attractive combination…
The university study also demonstrated that these great lethargic lumps of frigid grey pudding (maybe they used more scientific language, I can’t remember now…) thought of themselves as less attractive than their flirtatious counterparts. I don’t think we need a study to tell us that.
You see our thoughts create our reality, and then our reality shows up just exactly the way we asked it to.
Flirting is just another form of energy and as a nifty skill it can work some pretty instant magic for you at work and in your personal life. You see, flirting is NOT just about sex it is about connecting and making another person feel good about themselves.
Here’s the dictionary’s definition: To flirt is to behave as though attracted to or trying to attract someone, but for amusement rather than with serious intentions.
It is the intent behind the flirting that is important to understand.
My research has found that there are two different types of flirting, romantic and platonic. If you have seen flirting go bad then it is most likely that there was an underlying romantic intention behind it thereby sending it way off track.
Once you have separated the two, this powerful tool can be utilised to help you connect with others like never before especially in the workplace.
Leaving a lasting impression (for all the right reasons) is what you should always be aiming for when you network and interact with other colleagues.
Use this influential checklist to make sure you’re ticking all the boxes:
- Make eye contact - Smile frequently - Compliment their personal style- only if you mean it (clothes, attitude, brand) - Compliment their professional achievements - Be playful in your interactions - Joke (but without ever resorting to being overtly sexual) - Make them laugh at least once every time they see you - And most importantly, see the conversation as your chance to play, enjoy and experience one another positively for mutual benefit
Is flirting risky? Sometimes, yes! Your playful nature may be misinterpreted as a sexual advance. However, this only ever happens when there is sexual energy present in the first place (was it lurking in the background when the engagement, lunch or dinner was set up, for example?).
Trust your intuition: you will always know ahead of time if the interaction is about to go too far and stray into unwanted territory. Just make a conscious decision to pull it back and remain professional after all we each teach others how to treat us.
Now, stop reading and go and flirt your arse off!
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here. For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
In 2003 I got thrown to the lions by three church groups. What did I do that was so unforgivable that even the Christians couldn’t turn the other cheek? Well, I wrote an article called, ‘Sleeping Your Way to The Top’ (sound familiar?) which was published in Australian Anthill Business
Magazine - which the church groups in question promptly unsubscribed from.
I had rather cheekily likened business networking to dating and relationships. Hardly pornographic, but then I guess it’s all in the mind of the receiver…
The article was a fun, light-hearted appraisal of how to get the most out of business relationships and the only mention of sex that was actually made was in the title of the article. Ok…there were a few pictures of condoms strategically placed by the designer, but in fact the magazine had already toned down my original version so as not to upset anyone! Which just goes to show there’s not much point in dumbing things down: you may as well be bold and go out with a bang (as it were) if at all.
Now, while I don’t advocate you actually have sex with key decision makers to further your career (I’ll leave that up to you…I mean, what if they’re hot for God’s sake?) I am a very vocal advocate of business professionals expressing their personal opinions in such a way as to challenge the status quo and provoke impassioned debate.
In this case, religious groups expressed their opinion by boycotting the magazine. What’s odd about this is that the article itself promoted building stronger relationships within the community through socially conscious business practice. Not so devilish, you might say.
I must admit to being secretly quite chuffed to have ruffled some feathers;
I’d rather get a polarised reaction than no reaction at all. It is precisely these intellectual scuffles and ideological skirmishes that stimulate reassessment, engage creative thought and give (immaculate) birth to innovation.
One thing’s for sure: when it comes to speaking your mind you’re often damned if you do but even more damned if you don’t. In this case I literally was damned – by the church itself. But goddamnit, it felt good!
I guess in the end all the controversy sparked raised enough awareness and discussion of the serious business issues at hand that what I did turned out to be so wrong it was right.
Controversy is a great tool to build exposure but always, always, remember to put it into context otherwise you could be facing a pr disaster.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here. For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
Have you ever wondered what particular colours mean and whether or not you should be wearing them in particular situations?
Well, today I’m going to give you the inside scoop.
But be warned, the popularity and meanings of different colours in business and in media changes over time.
As I write this the current trend in worldwide politics is to wear a light blue tie to instil trust in voters (although this could change if too many corrupt officials adopt this attire!) Bright red ties for example are definitely passé and conjure up frightening images of sleazy, hard-nosed car salesmen from the 1980s especially when worn badly and out of context.
Take note of which colours are being worn by your peers and why, especially in the media. If everyone in your industry is wearing navy blue, then I suggest you go for something else. Also, wear colours that suit you as not all of them will. More information on that to come shortly. In the meantime remember, your prime objective as a personal brand is to stand out.
Let’s take a look at the various meanings of a few colours now;
Navy blue: Authoritative; Trustworthy; Responsible; Organised.
Light blue: Trustworthy and energetic. But please note never wear light blue shirts that are faded or of poor quality material as they will dull your complexion and make you appear tired.
Charcoal grey: Successful; Serious and Well-informed.
Black: Power, Power & more Power!
Team black with a light blue shirt and a tie with dark blue & white stripes (preferably with a sheen to it) and you’ve come up with a powerful mix for when you’re in front of the CEO. Note: never wear a black shirt during the day (unless of course it is a polo top or a t-shirt, black shirts are for night time wear only).
Red: Commands attention; encourages brain wave activity and makes a bold statement. Be selective when you choose to wear this colour especially in low key scenarios such as a funeral or wedding!
Orange: Stimulates Emotions & Conversation and is a great colour to be worn on jewellery, on watch faces, in ties, scarfs & on cufflinks to add that extra bit of flair.
Purple: Historically Associated with Royalty; Magic and Mystery purple is indicative of Sexual Prowess or (conversely) Sexual Frustration!
Hmm, I wonder why life coaches wear so much of it?
Colour and its Effect on your FACE?
Colours from your waist up reflect onto your face and have the greatest impact. When trying clothes on, ask yourself the following questions.
· Does this colour help me look energised or does it wash me out? · Does it help my eyes stand out or does it clash with my hair colour? · Does it make my skin glow with health or emphasize my wrinkles? · Do I look jaundiced (yellow), grey or ill? (only useful for pulling a sickie!) · Does it gracefully minimise or draw attention to the bags under my eyes? · Does it make me appear younger or does this colour age me horribly? · Do I look slimmer / taller / fatter or shorter when I wear this colour? Looking like an Oompa Loompa may have worked for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but I doubt it will work for you, especially if you don’t work at a chocolate factory!
Use the answers to these questions to better choose colours that suit your skin tone. If you’re unsure, hold the item of clothing directly under your face and look closely at the details. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. Recognise this and don’t insist on being a slave to fashion! Find something else that suits you better.
Utilise this as a guideline when dressing to impress key contact in various business and personal situations.
Oh, and it may be best to ditch some of that purple in your closet. We don’t need to know about your sex life or lack thereof.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here. For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
Attention: Consultants, authors, coaches & solo-preneurs, I've got something Just for You!
There's something you should know about me.
Don't worry it's nothing sinister.
I am also the founding director of ZOOBA, formerly known as NWN - Nationwide Networking and over the last couple of months we have gone through significant changes to our branding and services.
What you also may not know, is that ZOOBA is a resource for; authors, consultants, coaches, solo-preneurs and service based business professionals.
You see, we have identified key areas of need around building a service based business and pro-actively provide our members with tools to help drive their business forward.
The only difference is, the tools that we provide can be applied in the business immediately after download.
Here is a brief snapshot of what we've already given to our members;
media guides
blog submission listings
networking activity templates
ability to promote one event per week in our email campaign
plus loads more.
And this is only just the beginning. We have a content schedule of over 52 resources scheduled to be released in our exclusive pro-club members area over the next 12 months that will see you boost your bottom line in no time! So how can you be part of the ZOOBA PRO-CLUB MEMBERSHIP Program?
Simply visit www.zooba.com.auto download your free BUSINESS DIRECTORY LISTING GUIDE (a listing of over 30 website you can submit your business profile to, to increase your exposure) and you'll be on our early notification list.
Membership will be open from 31st March 2010 for 5 days only. Get onto it now, head over to www.zooba.com.auand register your interest now. Here’s to your success.
“I slept with my first manager at the age of 18, I never got a promotion but I did get a raise!” Excerpt from Ben’s brand new book, “Sleeping Your Way to the Top in Business,”
First of all, where’s the fun if you can’t sleep with the boss, right? Well, if they look like Joan Rivers who hasn’t had plastic surgery for fifty years then it’s probably not an option. In a tough job market you’ve got to pull out all of the stops to ensure that your job is safe and you’re moving up the later and not down it. To help here’s my tips on how to get a promotion and secure your job in troubled times.
1. Be Good at What You Do! – Are you shitting me? As if you didn’t know this was going to be the first tip! This goes without saying. Master your craft and make sure everyone around you is aware of the effort you’re putting in. Continually take courses and workshops to up-skill. If anyone’s going to go it’s not going to be the one with the most experience and the ability to bring business in the door.
2. Look the Part - 55% of all communication is visual. If you fell down the ugly tree, hit every branch on the way down and then was bashed with the ugly stick you’re in trouble. It doesn’t matter who you are and what you look like, you always need to make an effort. If you want a promotion dress like the role is already yours. Here’s a few tips;
Dress like you know what year it is and what industry you work in.
Wear tailored clothing. Ill-fitting clothing leaves the impression you’re messy and out of order.
Keep your clothes up to date. If you’re a marketing consultant you will want to be seen as current and ahead of the trends. Out of date clothing will subconsciously give the impression you’re out of the touch.
Be the best or at minimum the second best dressed person in your environment. Your objective is to stand out for all of the right reasons, this being one of them.
Girls, did you know that you’re four times more likely to get a promotion if you wear makeup? It’s true. Just don’t plaster it on like Krusty the Clown or you may get a promotion as a kids party clown.
3. Engage Your Team Members – Getting a promotion is nothing more than a popularity game. Play the game to win. Engage and influence those that have a say in your career progression. Actively find out what you need to do to advance your career and express your interest directly to the decision makers. Ask lots of questions to find the best possible root (oops, I mean route!) to moving forward. No one got fired for asking a question (actually they probably did and it was almost certainly a really dumb question).
What about you? What are your tips to getting a promotion without having to sleep with the boss? Leave your comments below.
Actually, have you slept with the boss? If you have send those in too! They always make for great reading.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
Oh my god! You look just like them. In fact you’re almost a spitting image. Your competitors that is!
Short of exposing yourself in public, getting people to pay attention to you and your business is fraught with the challenge of keeping up with the ever evolving marketplace. Businesses have tried for years trick after trick to jolt people into paying attention to them. Boundaries have been pushed extensively to capture the consumer’s attention, some even going too far.
A technique that has been utilised in the film and music industry since its inception is now making its way across to the business sector in a big way as it’s one of the only things that your competitors can’t copy. And that is the brand that is, ‘YOU!’
Personal Branding 101 – What is It and Why It Will Be a Necessity of the Future
Producers in music and film know that to turn an ‘up and coming star’ into an ‘A Lister,’ they must groom the individual from head to toe to give them overall commercial appeal. This may include; media training, etiquette lessons, personal grooming, personal styling and having them attend all of the high society events around town to meet the who’s who in the industry.
This practice is called personal branding. My own definition of personal branding is; self expression amplified to influence and command attention. Personal branding is the one and only thing that will always successfully set you apart from your competitors as it isn’t reliant on your logo or what you sell to differentiate yourself in the marketplace. PB is reliant on the personalities within the business and their abilities to influence; the media, prospective clients, existing clients and service providers. Consumers today want to feel connected. FaceBook and Twitter are testament to this. Genuine conversations are opening up across the web and they are being translated across into the ‘real’ world environment. A well themed PB provides instant connection to your consumers by providing a new depth of conversation that thereby assists in the sales process.
To create a PB that has influence and connects to your target market, persistence and a willingness to be groomed within an inch of your life comes into play. Not many individuals have the wherewithal to follow these techniques through hence the one’s that do become very successful.
Why Dressing Up as a Cowboy Shocked People into Paying Attention and Branded Me as “Cowboy!”
Over 6 years ago, my best friend Melissa and I ran speed dating events. Unfortunately we came into the marketplace the same time as a flood of international competitors hit our shores. This made market penetration near impossible. After twelve months of flogging it out we were forced to make the decision to close the doors.
We felt that one last effort was in order so we decided to go out with a bang. To attract the desired attention we needed to make our last event a success, (a cowboy themed dating event), we went to a well known social event dressed up as a cowboy and a cowgirl (I was the cowboy if you were wondering and no my chaps weren’t crouch less!) Both of us were shaking in our boots as neither of us had dressed up this way to promote a business before. A couple of red wines later, we walked into the venue with its 400 attendees. The entire room stopped, turned around and looked at us with jaws wide open. The objective was to attract attention. The result from this one stunt; three radio appearances, television exposure and the acquisition of a regular lifestyle column for a street press magazine of which I still continue to write for 6 years and over 50 articles later.
I can’t say I’ll be rushing to do that again anytime soon, however at the time it served its purpose to attract the desired attention to leave that business on a high note and make our last event profitable. The benefits from the attention attracted translated directly over into my businesses that followed. It served its purpose in getting people to stop and look at what we had to offer. We then had to back it up.
Define Your Brand
For those of you who don’t want to get dressed up or be branded as a cowboy or a cowgirl (boring much?), there is another option. Brand yourself around the themes and angles within your business. If you speak or consult on a particular matter, e.g. marketing, relationships, health, sex, beauty, profits or sales. Become known for this theme/angle inside and outside of your business. Blog, Twitter, network and speak at events as much as you possibly can. Communicate your theme across the board in all of your marketing communications. Create a ‘columnist’ type title for any content that you produce. If you write a blog or have a Twitter page, name it. If it’s on marketing, you could call it, Marketing Meltdown or the Marketing Pot for example. This makes you instantly recognizable and assists in making you stand out.
I have two columns in two separate magazines of which both are called ‘In Bed with Ben.’ This title allows me to speak on a range of topics and it also allows me to be controversial when I want to be. Your title gives you credibility and dictates what you can and what you can’t speak about. But better than anything else, it grabs people’s attention and lets them know what they can expect when they engage in your services, a great way to attract new clients.
If You’re Courageous - Create a Stage Name
Aside from finding your theme and creating a title like introduction to yourself and your topic, you can take the courageous step of creating a stage name for yourself. A friend of mine Yvonne Adele otherwise previously known as Ms Megabyte has appeared on Australian television screens for years speaking on the topic of IT. Her personal style includes striking red hair that makes her stand out against a backdrop of nerds within her industry. She is branded head to toe. The stage name Ms Megabyte gives her a theme and a title in which enables her to attract the desired attention of which has resulted in numerous and regular media appearances and a string of speaking engagements. But be prepared, a name like this sticks. It took me 3 years to lose the cowboy title! It works but be sure to choose wisely.
Once you have a stage name, it is a matter of branding your business cards, blogs, Twitter page, articles, letterheads and email signatures to align with it. You must let people know what you specialise in so they know who to go to when they need your service.
Carve Out Credibility
Creating a title or a stage name makes you the go to person on a particular topic and makes you instantly recognizable and memorable. If you are a consultant, this enables you to charge more for your services because you become exclusive, one of a kind that no one else can duplicate. Your name becomes your credit card.
This branding exercise alone pays great dividends in providing differentiation in a marketplace of lookalikes. If you want to stand out you have to do something different. Back this up with consistency in continually providing inspiring and thought provoking solutions to your consumer’s challenges.
Final Note
No one stood out in business doing the same as everybody else. Dare to be different within an industry of lookalikes and enjoy the added attention and profits you’ll generate. I’m sure you can find an alternate to chaps.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
Don’t worry, it’s nothing too damaging. In fact it’s more of an advantage than anything else. So what is it?
I’m also an image consultant.
I work with authors and entrepreneurs to groom them to help them become more seductive to prospective clients and the media. However today I’m going to share some tips with you and the other men out there on how you can become more influential in whatever you do.
Whether it’s dealing with clients, out on a date or at a business function, I promise having these tips in your back pocket will help you increase your power to influence others.
Tip 1: Quit Hiding Yourself
The first tip has nothing to do with what you wear, it has everything to do with whether you like yourself or not. Bastard doesn’t look good on anyone and neither does having a poor self image. Focus on who you are first and foremost and never ever hide yourself from those you’re trying to impress. At the end of the day they either like you or they don’t. If they don’t, no problem, just yell out next and move on.
Tip 2: Dress to Impress
Dress to impress yourself not others. Wear clothes that you feel comfortable and sexy in and clothes that represent various aspects of your personality. Go to the wardrobe and ask yourself, “Who do I want to be today/tonight and how do I want to be perceived?” Are you going for the sexy, casual, professional, smart, dramatic, creative, romantic or even natural look? Decide which is a correct fit for your personality and the occasion, i.e. is it a night time or a daytime occasion, professional or casual, pick the right outfit for the right situation and you’ll look like you belong.
Tip 3: Night Time Wear:
For night time events where you’re looking to impress, wear strong accessories (i.e. a stylish watch), well fitted clothes leaning on the European styled fit in darker colours. Hold your posture well and stand strong in the clothes you’re wearing. Your hair will be well styled and your clothes will have elements of shine in it, i.e. shiny jewellery and shiny shoes with a pointed or square toed tip. This gives you presence and makes a statement that you are comfortable within yourself and being around others.
Tip 4: Casual Daytime Wear:
For the natural look (best for daytime casual meetings/lunches), work with open neck tops or shirts i.e. v-necks or shirts with the top 2 buttons undone. Stick to natural fabrics such as cotton, layer your clothing with scarves and jackets and go with a great pair of fitted jeans and if you like, dress it up with a blazer for business meetings. Your hair will be natural looking and have little product in it. Minimal accessories are required. Top this look off with a comfortable pair of semi casual shoes i.e. tan leather shoes (make sure your belt matches the colour of your shoes). Sneakers are out of the picture here especially if you are keen on making a good solid impression.
Tip 5: Create Influence by Looking Taller:
There’s no doubt that adding height helps in asserting influence and power. There have been countless studies done on the topic of height around the world. If you’re a short arse like me there is help. Here are a few quick tips;
Go for square toed or pointed shoes to elongate your legs
Wear heels (not high heels guys, the only man that can pull of 7inch heels in my opinion is Ru Paul!)
Stick to small rise jeans – the ones that don’t sag around your crutch. Don’t get confused, this doesn’t mean your jeans / pants are overly tight. They need to be fitted not baggy to create a put together look.
For casual wear, wear a v-neck to draw the attention up or an open collared shirt
Wear similar colours below the waist to avoid drawing the attention down, such as dark shoes and dark jeans, i.e. white shoes with black jeans will shrink you instantly (not that you’ll want to wear that combo anyway)
A scarf will add height and give you greater presence as will a tie or polo tops
Get your clothes tailored as it makes all the difference in looking sloppy or sophisticated
Bonus Tip:
My last and most important tip is to play with your clothes and find a style that suits you. When you wear clothes that are congruent with your personality, the occasion and your profession, you’ll not only become more influential, you’ll feel more comfortable within your own skin and that’s when you have the most influence.
Now, if all of this fails to influence and seduce others, then imply go home and seduce yourself!
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
I used to believe that I had to change my outer appearance and personality to fit in - I now realise how wrong I really was. I also understand how much pain it caused me personally to ‘edit’ myself to make others feel more comfortable.
Thank god those days are over. In today’s competitive work and business environments we need to do whatever we can to stand out for all of the right reasons and that includes wearing your heart and personality ‘literally’ on your sleeve. It is more important than ever that we express our individual personality traits to the wider market to achieve cut through and connection. But what happens if you’re too scared of being judged and standing out? Consider the following;
“Personal branding is self-expression amplified to influence and command attention.” Ben Angel
Personal branding is packaging an individual to become more marketable whether it is to; attract a new lover, satisfy an existing one, obtain a new job or promotion or attract new clients. It is made up of everything you are, do and have:
· your clothes; · your hairstyles; · your intentions; · your interactions; · your facial expressions; · your emotional energy/femininity; · your tone and medium of communication.
A powerful personal brand congruently reflects the internal representation of an individual through external advantages. It is self respect at its core. Our outer world is a clear reflection of our inner world. Every single day when you walk out of your front door you are letting the rest of the world know how you feel about yourself by what you wear and how you behave.
Interestingly, a study done by the University of Alabama (2003) found that individuals with low flirtatious activity tended to correlate with low energy levels. The study also demonstrated that these individuals also thought of themselves as less attractive than their flirtatious counterparts. This study has massive implications for addressing self-esteem issues. Hands down THE most attractive quality (whether sexual of otherwise) is a person comfortable in their own skin; someone who is confident without being arrogant. When you are confident in yourself you are also less likely to be adversely affected by what others think of you, thereby free to express your personality more clearly to prospective suitors (work and otherwise) and even more likely to flirt too.
The happier you are in your own representation the more relaxed, confident and influential you automatically become to those around you. It is this authenticity that gives you the personal power to express yourself congruently in all environments. Share more of yourself in each of your interactions and be willing to show who you are minus the fear of being judged. It is important that we respect ourselves first and foremost. Everyone around us will follow suit when they see our gratitude for our own little idiosyncrasies (and believe me I have many of them myself!)
The confusion begins when what we see on the outside doesn’t reflect how we feel on the inside. To assist in developing this congruency in communication (for ourselves more than for others), I’ve created some basic guides on how to dress for various industries. Although there isn’t room here for us to explore every subdivision, you can look at the objective of each industry and find one that reflects yours. From there you can take relevant elements and apply them to your sector with an added dose of your own personal expression for good measure. It is the personal expression that completes the outfit and makes it work.
Objectives: To appear credible and instantly trustworthy in front of key stakeholders.
What to wear: This is the one place that you will want to lean on the more professional side however it doesn’t mean that you can’t do it in style. Wear tailored clothing and suiting that projects someone who is up to date with current business trends and modes of thinking. Black suiting will always be a stable in the professional wardrobe, however, if you are confident enough and your position calls for it, use Michelle Obama as your inspiration and go for bright vibrant colours in classic cuts, i.e. garments with structure.
If you are an independent business consultant and your clients aren’t as corporate, your personal brand will dictate the stylised elements that come through in your clothing.
What to look for: Quality over quantity, stainless steel watches, classic yet stylish earrings/jewellery (nothing too loud unless your brand calls for it). Keep in mind, the darker the colour you wear, the more power you will be perceived to posses.
Objectives: To be a trendsetter; to combine industry knowledge with ballsy credibility.
What to wear: The focus is on integrating creative elements by way of jackets and jewellery. Choose staple items that you can dress around. Tailored jackets will be your best friends as you can throw them over the top of dresses and tops that are inexpensive and easy to change as the seasons change.
Heels are essential as they give you presence through adding height and giving you that needed ‘structured’ element to ensure you are presented as professional and organised. Add splashes of colour to your outfits and various design elements that are expressive in nature, i.e. flowing garments with high tailored cuts. Mix prints with solid colour items to keep you looking professional and grounded in the same breathe.
Find balance in looking up to date but remember that the key to success is relaxed chic: don’t obsess about what you wear.
What to look for: Pieces of clothing with quirky design elements, i.e. a watch with an interesting face, jewellery with interesting stones/colours/settings, tops with interesting patterns.
Objectives: To appear healthy, vibrant and professional.
What to wear: Your objective is to be the epitome of health and vitality. Give clients every reason to place their health and well-being in your hands. If you are a personal trainer, your own health and fitness is of high priority. If you are a beautician, your own skin care regime will also be of upmost importance.
Clean clear colours are essential. Think whites, nothing faded or dirty looking and of course practical to the nature of the work that you do. Life coaches: casual bottoms mixed with beautiful jackets and statement pieces of jewellery. Update your wardrobe every season to project an ever-evolving, positive and successful attitude. As a coach your clothing can more closely reflect who you are as a person than any other industry as you yourself are meant to be the embodiment of an amazing and successful life.
What to look for: Colours that give you a healthy glow. Hold them up to your face, do they give you colour or make you look washed out? Life coaches, go for it and express your ‘self’.
What we feel on the inside affects what we display on the outside and what we display on the outside affects how we feel on the inside. it is an infinite loop. Take a sincere and honest look at yourself and identify all of the things that you love about you. Share that with the rest of the world and observe how your own reflection changes in the positive reflections of those around you. And remember, fitting in was always overrated anyway!
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
As we know, there have been many a Hollywood celebrity's career take off after their sex tape was revealed to the public, Paris Hilton comes to mind. But does that mean that 'you' have to record one to be featured in the media?
I hope not! No offence but I don't want to see you naked!
You see, I love media. Okay, that's totally understating it.
I really love it. I love the game that has to be played to successfully be featured on radio, television or in print. But I have to admit, there is one thing that really frustrates me and that's when professionals bitch and moan saying that they sent one press release and didn't get a response.
The fact of the matter is that most editors and journalists receive over 100 emails per day from people and businesses sending press releases and promoting themselves. If you only send one release the likelihood of it being noticed is minimal. It takes persistence, patience and sometimes added little tricks.
So without further a do, here they are.
1. The title of your release is incredibly important, use inspiring and intriguing words such as innovation or advanced technologies to spark their interest
2. Use the word Media Release rather than Press release when sending through to agencies
3. When pitching – get your main point of difference across in the first sentence to incite interest
4. Create opinion pieces that are within your field of expertise that position yourself as an expert
5. Visual imagery is important, provide the media with visual images that can be attached to a possible media story to complete the picture
6. When sending via email, the subject line needs to be catchy and lively, spend extra time creating them. Don't just go with the first one you create. Write 10 or more and go through the list to see which one jumps out the most.
7. Using stats adds value and credibility to your release i.e. comment on a particular study that has been conducted by a university.
8. Stay local – if you can make your business relevant to a local event , business or charity it is a whole lot more newsworthy
9. When sending a media release add a photo to accompany your release, most agencies appreciate this and can visualise what you are saying.
10. Follow Up – really important to follow up with a phone call the day after you have sent the media release to all the agencies…discuss ideas on how they can use it etc..
Bonus Tip: Don't make it about you or your business. The media print stories they don't print advertisements. If your releases aren't getting accepted it is most likely that it either isn't interesting enough or it wreaks of self promotion. Feature client stories that relate to your business but not your business itself. That will get exposure by default.
Before you send out your next release go through the checklist and tick off each tip. I guarantee you it will improve your chances of success.
If that doesn't work, maybe it is time to take some tips from Paris Hilton!
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
Conference Speakers, Are You Looking for One with a Twist? You may have found him...
Ben Angel will entertain and educate your audience like you've never seen before.
Are you looking for an engaging conference speaker for your next event?
Ben Angel is an author, business and lifestyle columnist, personal stylist, and marketing specialist on personal branding. As a professional speaker he has delivered presentations for Toyota, Australia Post, Australian Institute of Company Directors, Action International and Energise Enterprise Business Festival.
Ben grooms entrepreneurs, companies and authors in how to become more seductive to their target market, the media and their colleagues via networking skills, dressing to influence, energetic engagement and the art of building influential personal brands.
Innovative and provocative in his delivery, Ben's techniques are far from conventional yet he manages to deliver the complete package: practical well-thought out business strategies coupled with irreverent and engaging humour.
Ben enjoys hobnobbing with thought leaders and industry elite, which came in handy when he was engaged by the Office of Small Business (Victoria) to host a number of their key events and found himself talking shop with Federal and State Ministers for Small Business.
Ben’s unique mix of personal development, marketing and personal styling adds a splash of colour to an otherwise conservative day. Media exposure includes but is not limited to: The Australian, Herald Sun, Channel 9 ACA, ABC Radio, Leader Newspapers, Honestly Woman Magazine, QCG Magazine, Q Magazine, Joy 94.9FM and Australian Business Solutions Magazine.
He writes two columns under the guise of ‘In Bed with Ben’ for both Australian Anthill Business Magazine and Q Magazine.
Check out some of Ben's handy hints on tips on his youtube channel below...
Do You Live in Melbourne Australia? I'll Be Hosting a FREE Networking Event!
Today I thought I'd share something incredibly exciting with you.
For the past three years as part of Boroondara's OnBoard program I have played host to their Annual Community and Business Networking event in which I help in facilitating live speed networking activities and educational panels.
And guess what?
We're doing it again this year!
When, Where and Who?
Date: Thursday 18th March 2009 6.00pm - 8.30pm Where: Kew Heights Sports Club, 397 Barkers Road, Kew Presenter: Ben Angel Investment: FREE of charge as part of The City of Boroondara's Community OnBoard Program.
Be sure to come along. This truly is a great event that not only supports business, it also supports the little spoken of community groups that work hard behind the scenes.
Why? Because every time I post a link to one of my articles it generates in some cases upwards of 100 hits in a space of 60 seconds. I know! Pretty amazing.
There are a lot of naysayers out there that say it can be a complete waste of time. It can especially if you don't know how to use it. It takes time to establish a well known Twitter profile, but once achieved it can not only generate web hits but more importantly sales.
As I post this I am currently the 2nd most followed person in Melbourne Australia. How did I achieve this? I set a timer and each day for a minimum of 30 days I scheduled tweets, followed interesting people, re-tweeted cool comments/information and pro-actively shared interesting and useful content with my followers.
It is a matter of consistency. The more consistent you are with any activity the better the results will be.
If you're going to be part of the game then get your game face on and play it with passion.
Starting out in business can be one of the most trying times anyone can experience and even more so if you lack a supportive network of business owners to help you reach your business goals.
So what are you meant to do if your little black book has one phone number in it and it happens to be your mum’s? Take heed, there are several clear cut strategies you can implement to build your business network from scratch and ensure that it serves you well into the future.
Get out from behind your desk
Scroll the internet and look for as many networking groups and events as you can possibly find. Then go about setting yourself a target of attending a minimum of one per week for at least three months to build up a base set of contacts. You are not looking to sell to these contacts, even though it will naturally happen. You are looking to find individuals who will be able to refer you clients and answer your business questions when you need it the most.
Know what you do
We’ll derrr! This one surprises me every single time. I’ll go to a networking event and there will always be a business owner who tries to impress you by initiating long, convoluted sentences that simply confuse and stun other business owners into thinking they must be important! What a load of hog wash. Keep it simple and clear. After all, if others can’t understand what you do, how the hell are they going to be able to refer you clients?
Have your 30-second elevator pitch down to a fine art. You can pull one together in a matter of moments by concisely answering the following questions in order.
1. What do you do?
2. Who benefits? 3. How do they benefit?
Get over your fear
I remember the very first time I ever went to a networking event, it was like being back in high school again, not knowing anyone and being afraid of what they may think (thank god I’m over that now!). I believe everyone in business has had this feeling at some stage, even if they don’t care to admit it.
So what do you do if the thought of walking into a room full of strangers has given you sweaty palms? Simple! Pretend that everyone in the room is a long-lost friend (one that you would actually like to see again). You will discover that your shoulders relax automatically, you become more confident and you greet them with a large smile and open persona. This simple technique makes the world of difference in bringing about your real personality and confidence in what may otherwise be an awkward social moment.
Meet, greet and meet again
It takes time to build up a little black book of business contacts that will open up new opportunities, but persistence is the key. Take the time out to meet individually with each of your new contacts to find out more about what they do and how you can assist one another in growing your businesses. Remain in their thoughts by dropping them an email from time to time to see how they are doing.
By remaining consistent, you will gradually build up a loyal network of business owners that you can rely on for anything, just as they will rely on you.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
You’d be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t used flirting to influence another individual of the opposite or same sex at some stage in their professional life.
So, is flirting just about sex or can it be utilised as a skill to influence others? Well, I say a big resounding “yes” to influence. And here’s why.
The intent to connect
Generally, when individuals think of flirting they assume that it is with the intent to have sex (dirty buggers!). This is not the case. Flirting can have two different intents:
1. Sexual intent 2. Building a mutually beneficial platonic relationship.
Flirting is a social skill and assists to build instant rapport with another. Once rapport is established your ability to influence another’s decision-making process increases dramatically. The benefits are numerous, when dealing with suppliers, alliance partners, colleagues and, of course, clients and the media.
Flirting shortcuts a lengthy relationship building process in which time is wasted and exorbitant amounts of energy are expended just to get someone to like you. If they like you, they’ll do business with you. Flirting provides an instant connection in which both parties feel safe enough to express their personal opinions without fear of judgement. This is a key component in clearly identifying and responding to another’s needs, minus the “surface conversation” typical in business that delays the outcome process.
The benefits of flirting
A study done by the University of Alabama in 2003 found that individuals with low energy levels were associated with low flirtatious activity. They also found that these individuals thought of themselves as less attractive than their flirtatious counterparts. There is no doubt that this has massive implications on one’s self esteem and their ability to confidently interact and engage with others. When you are confident in yourself, you are less likely to be affected by what people think of you, thereby are more willing to confidently express yourself in your business and personal environments more freely.
Why flirting works
Everyone likes to feel accepted. Our entire society is based on the premise of fitting in and finding our place. When we feel liked and loved, we respond positively. When others hold back from us, we have a tendency to mirror their behaviour and create our own distance to protect ourselves. In creating this distance we disallow true communication to occur and for others to say what they really think.
Many of us avoid complimenting others because we make the assumption that they will perceive it as a come on. Our over-politically correct society is causing more damage than good. We’re so scared of saying something in fear that we’ll be called sexist or even accused of sexual harassment that instead we say nothing at all and devoid others of a positive personal experience. This is leaving us void of genuine experiential interactions that have the power to influence for mutual benefit.
Applying it to business
The application of this social skill is designed to influence another and leave them with a “moment” by which they can remember you by. Within each conversation your objective is to energetically shift someone from one emotional state to another (i.e. sad/neutral to happy and energised). This is where influence is achieved. This can occur by applying a mix of the following:
• Making eye contact • Smiling frequently • Complimenting their dress sense • Complimenting their work skills • Being playful in your interactions • Joking in a non-sexual manner • Making them laugh at least once during each interaction with you • Seeing the conversation as your chance to play and enjoy the experience of the interaction
Knowing your boundaries
Are there risks to flirting? Absolutely! Your playful nature may be misinterpreted as a sexual advance. However, this only ever happens when there is sexual energy in the background of how you’re engaging. You know when the interaction has gone or is about to go too far. It is at that point that you make a conscious decision to pull back and remain professional.
We teach others how to treat us. Understand and take responsibility for your interactions and how you are perceived. Others reflect our own behaviours back to us. They are your mirror to how well you interact. Are they standoffish, aggressive or even aloof around you? It is quite possible that this is happening because you’re exhibiting those exact same traits and they’re mirroring you.
Engage within boundaries and you’ll never be placed in or create an awkward situation. Such boundaries may include:
• No touching (other than handshake, tap on shoulder, kiss on the cheek) • Inappropriate gazing (i.e. nether regions/bust line, that’s just obvious!) • Taking the conversation down a sexual path • Playing favourites in front of other staff/colleagues/clients
Don’t be such a prude!
For those of you reading this who are in deep shock and disgust at the mere thought of flirting to influence others, ask yourself this: are you associating it heavily to sex or to the enjoyment of human interaction? Separate the two and for god sakes, lighten up. We’re here to enjoy one another’s company, not detest it.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
The next phase to attract new clients for your business doesn’t rely on snazzy marketing techniques – it’s bigger than that.
So what is it? And what do business consultants and professionals need to know to stay ahead of the massive changes about to occur in marketing their services? It’s personal branding!
What is personal branding?
It is your own personal signature that is unique to you and to you only. It leaves an impression on those that you come into contact with. It can be positive, negative or indifferent. It must be memorable in such a cluttered market space. You, as the individual, must stand out for all of the right reasons.
It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there. If you want to stand out and attract new clients you’re going to need to lift your game and develop your own individual brand. You are literally your own billboard, after all!
We’re running out of ways to differentiate ourselves from one another. I guarantee that what is unique about you is also the same selling point hundreds of other consultants are currently peddling. Simply conduct a Google search on your competitors and you’ll see what I mean.
Ultimately, this leaves us to focus on our own personal brands to instil positive impressions that assist in converting more prospects. We need to see ourselves as a complete package and ask ourselves if that package is marketable and attractive to prospective clients.
To develop this package and your own brand, the following needs to be carefully considered:
You are the package
The first person you need to sell yourself to is yourself. If you don’t like what you see, then why would others? Clearly define who you are as a person in your field, what’s unique about you, personality traits, your image, the way that you manage clients. Identify these clearly. Are they marketable or do you need grooming to make the required changes.
Visibility
Let’s face it, if you’re not being seen you’re not going to be attracting new clients. Networking is one of the most cost-effective ways to brand yourself effectively and generate referrals. Attend the same networking events regularly so everybody recognises you. Be the first to introduce yourself, start conversations and be the person that everyone loves. This skill can be learned. Other areas to make yourself visible are YouTube, Facebook, blogging and local media.
Relevance
When we think of personal brands we think of names like Donald Trump and Richard Branson. They always remain relevant and in front of their competitors. Think leader of the pack in your industry and you have a brand that is highly marketable.
Culture. Know the culture of your industry and be willing to push new boundaries. Ask questions everyone else is too afraid to ask. It’s important to stand for something as a person and as a personal brand. You may polarise those around you into two groups: raving fans and those that hate you. As long as you’re getting talked about in a positive light 90 percent of the time, you’re well on your way. Just realise that criticism is a healthy part of ongoing development. If no one is criticising your work, then no one really cares enough about what you do!
Reinvention
Re-invent yourself on a regular basis to ensure you stay current and relevant to your ever-changing, ever-growing consumer base. Skill up regularly on new trends in your industry and watch videos on YouTube to observe progress in the rest of the world. There is a wealth of information online that can help you gain an edge. Artists such as Kylie Minogue and Madonna have continually re-invented themselves over the years to engage new audiences (consumers). Why should business consultants be any different? Clients want to know that you’re innovative, leading the pack and the best in your field. A failure to reinvent is a failure to create new buzz for your business that will attract new clients.
You are the product. Would you buy you, or would you trade yourself in for a better dressed, more professional model?
Just remember that they are not only buying the product or service, they are buying the interaction with you as a person.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
That’s no great epiphany. But have you ever considered whether or not you have the attractor factor to bring together key support networks and clients? This vital element can be just the thing you need to tip your sales over the edge. And dare I say it, it has everything to do with how you present yourself, personality and looks included.
Ok, I’m the first one to admit I’m vain. I have no problem in saying that. This can be of help and hindrance. However, in business and in life we all make snap judgments from the moment a person walks in the room. These snap judgments come from how you are dressed to what you say. And if you’re anything like Kevin Rudd, they will all be strategically thought out with next steps carefully planned, especially in the business environment.
When schmoozing for new business, the way that you look and project can ultimately impact on what kind of results you achieve via your customer and alliance interactions. Just think for a moment. Have you ever met a woman that won’t go out with a man simply because his shoes aren’t clean? I have, and more than one. Business owners and entrepreneurs tend to forget that when they are out and about town conducting meetings and downing latte’s with potential customers, they are the brand. As the brand, key factors need to be addressed to ensure you’re communicating the right types of messages to those that you’d like to attract to your business. These factors combine both personal appearance and behaviours.
So, to assist you with a quick overview of these core elements, here’s my, “what’s hot” and “what’s not” list for when it comes to personal representation.
What’s hot!
• A well-designed business suit that is flattering to your body shape and in fashion. • A current hair cut that is well maintained. • Someone who knows their own style and utilises it as a personal branding exercise (i.e. bright colours, fashionable ties, great posture and outgoing personality). • Following up on your projects, phone calls and emails within a reasonable time-frame. • Looking refreshed, alive and healthy. • Being aware of your own personal journey and respecting that of others. • Amazing customer service! (If it exists anymore.) • Exuberating energy and passion for your products and services. • Knowing how to manage your emotions . • Confidence. • Arriving at meetings five minutes early to prepare.
What’s Not!
• A business suit that is from the seventies • Eyebrow hair that dates back to the early John Howard era. No more excuses guy’s, it’s the world of the metro-sexual now. • Bad breath. Keep a pack of mints in each suit jacket so you’re never caught out. • Uncombed hair or bed hair, this goes for guys and girls! • Whingers. I don’t care if you’ve had a bad day, don’t share it with your customers and become a led weight around your colleagues. • Body odour. If you sweat profusely you can purchase products like Driclor that stop you from sweating all together, especially in summer. • Saying you’re going to do something then not doing it. • Looking like you haven’t slept in days, with an attitude to match • A Hotmail, Bigpond, Dodo or Gmail email address. All of which make you look cheap.
Ok, so they sound pretty straight forward, right? Then why on earth do so many people get it so wrong? This can be a combination of factors, including sheer laziness and simply not being aware of what is going on in the first place.
If you want real honest feedback, hire an image consultant to work you over from top to bottom and assist you in finding a wardrobe that suits your personality. Or alternatively, ask one of your best friends for their honest opinion on how you present when you’re in your business attire, warts and all. You may not like what you hear but its all part of the journey of refining your own personal image and brand.
Now you may think that I’m harping on about how you look? This is all for good reason. Just think for a moment of what judgments you place on a business consultant who rocks up to a meeting late, smelling of bad breathe, reeking of self-doubt and an Optus account as an email address? (Insert ba bow!) First of all you think subconsciously (or consciously) that he can’t get his own stuff together so how on earth is he going to help you! Is this the image that you are presenting?
Go over the ‘what’s hot and what’s not’ list and see if you can improve.
If not, go get ‘em, tiger!
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
A brand is made up of key components. Tick off each one and you have the makings of a powerful word of mouth campaign to improve sales. Fail miserably and you have the makings of a reverse word of mouth campaign known as a “Bitch Fest behind Your Back!”
Oh, did you hear about Frank, his follow up is atrocious! Oh, and he smells! (Memories flood back from school.) Unfortunately, this day and age is no different and you’re in denial if you pretend to be unaware that bad word of mouth can cause irreversible damage to your business.
What exactly is a personal brand anyway?
It is credibility, increased sales, respect for the individual and the organisation and the ability to communicate a unique message to your target market. One that strikes a true chord with them and echoes throughout their networks. So what are the steps to first developing and protecting your own personal brand well into the future?
1. What’s your angle? (Grow some balls!)
Marketers harp on all the time about developing our USP (unique selling point). We try and tune them out but unfortunately they’re right (and too damn loud!) We need to clearly establish what our unique perspective is on our industry, topic of conversation and our opinions relevant to our consumers needs. Quit sitting on the fence, believe what you believe in and communicate that to your consumers. You’re going to piss some people off but you’re also going to develop raving fans who are going to stalk your business and tell everyone about you.
2. What types of images and styles do you represent?
Your images include everything from your email communications (if you have a Hotmail/Gmail account, upgrade it now – you look cheap) through to your website, brochures, business cards, personal presence and your actions associated with your clients. Take a look at the images you use throughout and ask yourself honestly: “What does this say about me and my business?” Ask friends who aren’t willing to skirt around the edges and give you their personal opinion. Honesty counts. After all, it could be costing you!
3. How is the brand communicated? (You’ve got it, so flaunt it! And flaunt it shamelessly!)
To supercharge your own personal profile and build your brand, your motto from now on is, “Be everywhere, all the time!” And even when you can’t be there, you are there because people are talking about you. Consistently attend the same networking events until you become a regular. Become instantly recognisable at various business events because you’re well established and networked.
4. Personal styling – your clothes count
I recently attended a business networking breakfast. From where I was sitting, all I could see was a sea of black suits, with ties that dated back to the early 50s and an interesting wave of comb-overs. Excuse me, but when was running your own business all about fitting in? The point of advertising and marketing is to stand out – including your clothes.
Now, I’m not talking about wearing a pink suit (even though that could work). I’m talking about wearing a grey pinstriped suit when you know that everyone else is going to be in corporate black as fitting in screams uninnovative, boring, uninspiring and even rigid. Is this the message you are wanting to communicate to your customers? My guess is no! Regularly update your clothes and ensure you’re always looking fresh and inspired.
Protecting your brand
Once you’ve worked your butt off to achieve the above, it’s now time to protect your personal brand and reputation. One slip up could destroy all of it. Be aware that if you build your business from networking then you can also destroy it from networking. Bad word of mouth spreads like rapid fire. That’s why if you ever hear any unfavourable feedback about your business you must jump on it straight away. Find the source of the feedback and pick up the phone. Come from a place of love and respect and ask the individual if you can assist in any way regarding your service or, if it is another business, ask if you can be of any help (i.e. refer them business). Never approach them head on, as this will add fuel to the fire.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
You'll be so excited when you start generating referrals you'll want to burst! Or eat bacon, one or the other!
Generating referrals for your business is one of the easiest methods to increase your profit margins effectively. However, few business owners understand the real reasons people refer them business in the first place.
You, you, you. It’s always about you. Isn’t it?
Okay, first mistake. Have you ever met a business owner that is simply not interested in anything to do with anyone else other than their own existence? These selfish suckers are the worst kind. They will ring you out of the blue and expect you to forward on a promotional offer to your database or they may even have the audacity to ask for referrals directly, when there hasn’t been regular contact.
What’s wrong with this? Other than the fact that it’s completely selfish and a one-sided approach, it comes across as rude and brash. Why would anyone want to assist someone who only ever calls when they want something and with whom no genuine relationship exists? Business owners, in their rush to make a buck and put food on the table, have forgotten all about the basic fundamentals of building business relationships and nurturing and caring for them over time. Whatever happened to personal contact where we actually picked up the phone just to see how someone was doing without any type of agenda whatsoever? Have we lost all sense of community?
A little exercise you can do to make sure you are referable and that you are establishing key referral networks is to make a list of all your key colleagues and clients. Write down next to each of them what you’ve done for them lately (i.e. a quick check-up phone call, emailing a relevant article or even sending them a magazine of interest).
It doesn’t have to be much. It just needs to be something and it needs to be personalised. If you’re expecting to generate referrals from these individuals over time, you need to keep in consistent contact. A simple strategy to generate more referrals is: always be in sight, in mind, all of the time. Understand why people refer you business
When seeking referrals from your existing business colleagues, there are a few core reasons that these people will proactively talk about your business with anyone they can. They are:
1. They like you 2. They love your service 3. They talk to you on a regular basis 4. There’s a reward/incentive 5. You asked them for a referral
Hell, who would have thought that it was that simple? It is! People will purely refer you new business based on the fact that they enjoy you as a person and you have a service that has helped them solve a problem or that can assist their clients, friends and colleagues. Ask yourself, “Are you lovable enough that everyone is going to talk about you?” If not, a personality overhaul may be in dire need.
Observe yourself in conversations with your key referrers and closest networks. Do you speak 90 percent of the time? Is it about what you’ve been doing? If so, learn to zip it and take the time to find out about your colleague’s business challenges, life and what you can do to help them. You will notice an instant shift in the quality of your business relationships and you will also increase your chances ten-fold of generating new referrals via them.
Identify and understand your referral channels
Referrals will come from one of two places in your business: existing customers and colleagues. Do you have a referral strategy for each of these segments and do you clearly understand what their individual incentives and needs are?
Your existing customers, for example, will send you referrals proactively when various incentive campaigns are run (they may be competitions, discounts, bonus gifts, and the one that the gyms love: “Refer a friend and reduce your monthly membership fees!”). Whatever you choose, it must hit a home run for your target market and be compelling enough that they will tell all of their friends.
Ultimately, you are looking for the one or two diamonds in the rough that will forward an email campaign on to their entire friends list in Outlook or ring up their own network to tell them how good you are. These individuals can be hard to come by, but when you do find one or two, you’ll be set for life when you look after them. Generating referrals all comes down to the quality of your relationship, the quality of contact you have and the consistency of contact. It’s not brain surgery; it’s the ability to connect with other human beings and be likeable.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
We all want free exposure and new clients at low cost. That’s nothing new. But just how do we get others talking about our business and spreading word-of-mouth on our behalf? Here are some basic principles using a combination of networking and marketing techniques that will help you see results within a three-month period. Stimulating Conversations
With copy cat businesses flooding the market daily, identifying a core niche and a different angle can be tougher than getting a date with Jennifer Hawkins. However, it’s a critical factor in getting stimulating conversation and word-of-mouth spread about your business. Brainstorm with colleagues and friends to determine the various different angles and approaches you can take in your industry (i.e. don’t just be another business consultant, be the business consultant that purely works with corporate women on dealing with ego-driven men!) Become the ‘go to’ person for specific challenges and issues faced in your core arena. Develop an entire marketing and networking campaign around this element that focuses on free education, such as e-books, articles and blogs. All of these can be easily forwarded to friends and colleagues virally.
Once you have identified your niche, go on to identify what is unique about you as the individual. Are you upfront and brash with your clients? If you are (and they love it), identify a business personality around this image. It’s almost like becoming an actor. Once you’ve developed your role around what it is that you’re good at, it’s not only easier to get people talking about you, it is much easier to get free media exposure and publicity. This is a key element that a lot of businesses fail to recognise when wanting to generate word-of-mouth. You need to be different and you need to be interesting – that’s why people will talk about you and your business.
Public Speaking Rounds
A lot of presenters are inexperienced and clumsy at being controversial and engaging with an audience. Public speaking is a great way to get exposure and build yourself up as an authority in your field. Just be aware that it is easier to be known for one thing than for many. Pick a topic that your business focuses on and ring up every networking event and group you can find to offer a short, sharp fifteen minute presentation for free.
The amount of exposure and word-of-mouth this generates is enormous and opportunities can come from sources at the events that you would never expect. This also gets people ringing you instead of you chasing them! For whatever reason, getting up in front of an audience and speaking on a topic is almost like getting an instant university degree. If you’re good, people will not only respect you, you’ll be able to charge more, be seen as highly knowledgeable and easily referable.
A Multi-Pronged Approach
Just like a tree with many branches your word-of-mouth campaign will include various key elements that are integrated to promote the viral dissemination of your marketing message. We’ve looked at public speaking. What else can you add to the mix? Email marketing, websites, competitions, trade shows and networking, to name a few. The important thing to remember here is that you want to touch base with your clientele via various different means. It can take up to nine points of contact before a prospect purchases from you. This also means that it can take various points of engaging interaction for individuals to talk about your business and do the marketing on your behalf.
Building Critical Mass
Building up critical mass when it comes to word-of-mouth is absolutely essential. It can take time to be recognised and receive feedback. It’s even more essential, once you’ve built up critical mass in which you’re seeing solid results, that you keep it up. Once you’ve done the initial take off and the campaign is working, you only need to add more fuel to it from time to time and the results come much faster.
Create a solid three-month strategy in which you attend every networking event you possibly can, give as many free talks as people will let you and support all of these efforts by sending out weekly email campaigns with articles and e-books you’ve created that are relevant to your target market.
I guarantee you will see results. And always remember, people advertise to stand out, not to fit in!
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available for purchase by clicking here.For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
I am so unbelievably excited. Youtube have developed a special player that means you can scroll through a selection of my Youtube channels on my very own website. How cool is that?
Check out the various videos on how to attract and seduce more customers, who knows you may just get a tonne of ideas!
From the Bed of Ben
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available exclusively through his website www.benangel.com.au For media and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au ................................................................................................................................................
Donald Trump knows how to network, do you? There's so much more to it than simply handing over a business card.
“Oh my god, not another bloody networking event!”I hear you say. All of that schmoozing is enough to get up your goat, unless of course you know how to reach your target market en masse via your business connections?
So just what is required to boost your business networking to deliver a stream of qualified prospects and paying clients to your door on a regular basis?
KNOW YOUR STRATEGY
Every business on earth seems to have a marketing plan. This raises the question: if so many of us have a marketing plan, but a large majority of our business comes from referrals and networking with other business owners, then why in hell don’t we have a networking plan?
Businesses are still failing to structure their networking efforts around getting measured results. So, if no one is doing a networking plan, what does it consist of and how should it look? Let’s take a squiz.
DEVELOPING YOUR NETWORKING PLAN
Like any marketing plan that we create, there are always several lead streams designed and directed into our business. Hence, if one fails, we have twenty others to lean on. Networking is exactly the same. Don’t expect to network with a small number of individuals and have your sales go through the roof, unless they are a targeted group and you have spent time developing the relationships required to generate leads en masse.
Networking provides endless opportunities for businesses, especially when some of the more innovative techniques are deployed. Your networking plan will consist of networking events, cross promotions, host beneficiaries, joint promotions, referral campaigns and affiliate campaigns. Each of these strategies can be implemented via your existing and future business networks to help you gain reach and momentum with your marketing and networking efforts.
EXPAND YOUR FOCUS TO ACCESS YOUR TARGET MARKET
The old days of networking for the odd referral here or there are gone. The focus has been widened to include sending your marketing messages via your existing business contacts and their databases (such as creating a promotional offer for another business owner’s database and then having him/her forward it on via email). Suddenly, instead of going to a networking event to sell to the people you meet, you are establishing alliances through which your promotional material can be distributed, thereby expanding your reach and leveraging your contacts.
IDENTIFY YOUR CORE OBJECTIVES
To generate great success from your networking efforts, clearly identify the key areas and results you wish to achieve via networking with other business owners, and ensure all of your staff are aware of them. They may include such targets as:
• Mass exposure via joint promotions, host beneficiaries, cross promotions • Key referrers into particular organisations/companies • Alliance partners
CREATE A SPECIAL EVENTS LIST
Your special events list will include a schedule of all the networking events, trade shows and seminars you plan to attend to reach your core objectives. Please note here that to develop real results, individuals will need to bump into you consistently over a period of several months to remember who you are and to develop trust in what you say. Allow for repeat visits to repeat events to maximise your results and earning potential.
ESTABLISH A POINT OF CONTACT SCHEDULE
Create a default diary in which you schedule time on a weekly basis to touch base with key contacts and further establish business relationships. It will be necessary to touch base every couple of weeks with individuals and businesses from whom you are seeking a steady stream of referrals. See how they are going and offer any kind of assistance.
Adding these strategies to your networking plan will go a long way towards building up a well-greased networking machine that works for you. Instead of networking for individual sales, shift your focus slightly and draw your attention towards key contacts who can introduce you to their databases. The slight shift in focus will mean real bottom line results for your business.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available exclusively through his website www.benangel.com.au For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
Are You a Regurgitated Version of Your Competitors + Youtube & 145,000 Views
Youtube made Chris Crocker a video star after his famous words, "Leave Britney Alone," were broadcast all over the world. Could you benefit from a similar outburst? I hope not!
“My product is BRAND NEW! No one has EVER done it quite like this before!”
Yeah riiiiiight; that would be total bullshit. Excuse me for being so blunt but I for one am allergic to crap!
Just like a bird regurgitates food to nourish its younglings, so businesses often try to synthesise and regurgitate what’s working about their competitors in order to replicate financial success. Instead all they often do is miss the mark. The question is, why?
Yes, yes I hear you…you’re adamant that YOUR business model is different. But is it really? Take a moment now to jump online and Google the products and services you sell. Does your offering still feel so unique, or is it starting to look suspiciously alike to others in the marketplace? (Denial isn’t a river in Egypt by the way. That’s in up-state California I believe).
The more crowded and accessible the global marketplace becomes, the more challenging it can be to uphold the unique selling points (USPs) responsible for your initial success. Once the USP of any business has been ‘cloned’ enough times, it becomes the norm. And once something is normal it fails to stand out, resulting in boundaries being pushed further and further just in order to create any significant impact.
Whether knowingly or not, most businesses out there are spruiking the same messages over and over again and it’s because of this that consumers are disengaging and becoming harder to influence and connect with. In short, they’ve heard it all before. Hell, some of them feel like they’ve already been screwed over by someone just like you before. When this happens, no amount of well-intentioned lubrication on your part is going to slide that carefully worded marketing material into the front of their minds: you’ve got to unlock the chastity belt first before you begin the foreplay!
Simply put, it’s going to take more to capture the hearts and minds of your customers than ever before. If your business isn’t as unique as what it could or even should be, there are other ways around it. And one of them includes being more innovative in how you communicate your companies intelligence to the larger market.
Included in your Modern Guide to Marketing should be market penetration via as various means as possible, including but not limited to one of my personal favourties Youtube. Hell, it may even be your saviour in standing out from your competitors. I warn you however, it does take time, energy and effort, which means that’s why most of your competitors haven’t bothered with it yet or utilised it to its full potential.
Youtube – Is it Your Saviour?
Post up short succinct videos that educate your target market ways in which they can solve their problems. If you’re a consultant teach them via video how they can boost their profit margins and improve their marketing, if you’re selling a product educate them on how to use it (without directly selling it), if you’re selling your own virginity – well, I believe ebay can help with that one!
Be wary however, leave the self-promotion out or keep it to a bare minimum or they’ll click off and start watching some manic kid scream, “Leave Britney Alone!”
My Youtube videos (www.youtube.com/inbedwithben) have helped me convert many a client, from a $25 purchase of a book to speaking engagements worth thousands even through to personal branding packages worth well over $4,000 each. It works when done well.
It is worth investing the time in a comprehensive online campaign, including video communications to tickle all of the senses. Just ensure whoever the spokesperson is that you put in front of the camera doesn’t look like a dog’s breakfast. Youtube is a visual medium and it’s important to understand that 55% of all communication is in fact visual. Screw this up and you’re more likely to do more damage than good.
The great news with video is that you can leverage it via your various online mediums. Add links from your personal signature and your email campaigns, embed the videos on your website, add them to your blog, post them on your Facebook page / group and of course promote them via your Twitter account.
145,000 + Views and Counting
It isn’t important how many people see your videos, but who sees it. One of my viral videos posted on Youtube some years ago now has been viewed over 145,000 times, click here to see it http://bit.ly/c7E0RO . It did assist in converting some clients at its peak however there is nothing more powerful than having your prospects see it and potentially convert to clients because of it. Views can be a great ego boost but sometimes that’s all they are.
Make it your goal to innovatively educate your prospects on a weekly basis, either via video tutorials, tips on twitter and facebook or through regular newsletter distribution.
This will not only demonstrate your businesses intellectual ability it will help your prospects ‘see’ how they could potentially employ the services of your organisation.
You never know, it may just be the one thing that prevents you looking like a regurgitation of your competitors!?
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available exclusively through his website www.benangel.com.au For media, consulting and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
Keep Your Friends Close & Your Competitors Even Closer!
Oprah understand how to cause a stir to stand out. She's been doing it for years. If it's good enough to do in a multi-million dollar business then it's good enough to do it in yours.
One day you’re seemingly walking along then suddenly, SMACK! Something hits you in the back of the head. You turn with surprise to see that it’s not your partner but in fact it’s a competitor!
They’ve taken your market share and your A + clients. What do you do? Do you hit back, admit defeat or key their car?
I say, ‘bring it on’ and here’s why!
The Word that Makes Most Men Quiver in Their Boots “Commitment”
The amount it costs to convert a new client can literally run into the hundreds. You simply can’t afford to waste all the time and money spent on telephone calls, print materials, website maintenance/development, staff time, your time and advertising costs to go to waste. If you have to fight to keep them and they’re worth it, you should.
As if you didn’t already know, a committed relationship with ongoing clients can be your saviour. Now it is easier to achieve than ever before due to the application of social media.
Start by utilising Facebook groups in which your consumers can engage with your company on an emotional level. Do this sooner rather than later. Consumers tend to spend more with individuals they have an affinity for. Provide an emotional connection with them as much as possible. This includes establishing rapport online in which they feel free to express their opinions openly and honestly about matters within your industry. Get the inside information and utilise it in your marketing campaigns to position yourself against your competitors.
But, whatever you do, get online. It doesn’t take an expert to see that some socialites on Facebook have more friends than you have clients on your database. We are all competing for attention. Instigate these connections online and become a key influencer in trends. Establish a committed relationship with your clients and they’ll never leave you.
Hit Back With Personality
Personal branding has been around for years however it is only recently that it is truly coming to the forefront of marketing. As companies slowly start to increase their marketing budgets after a downturn in the economy the one element of your business that no one else can regurgitate and that doesn’t cost a fortune is the brand value of the personalities within it.
Personal branding is self expression amplified to influence and command attention. Encourage these personalities to come out within your business to better connect with your market. Become the “It” girl or guy that people go to for information because you’re liked, easy to be around, look the part and are consistently interested in other people.
Your competitors can’t compete with you or your staff’s unique personalities. In many industries it is the winning edge needed to win over new clients and reinforce existing relationships. Don’t let it sit in your arsenal of weaponry you’ve got to use it. Your staff’s brand value is enormous when competing for new clients.
Spark a Controversial Conversation and Drive Clients to Your Door
Oprah, Richard Branson and Bill Gates didn’t become millionaires by keeping their mouths shut. Each of them have caused substantial controversy over their lifetimes of which has added to their success. When going head to head with your competitors it is certainly not the time to fade into the background.
One way to stand out is to become a commentator within your industry. Have an opinion and find platforms in which you can express it. Target key topics close to your consumer’s hearts that causes them great pain and discomfort and find out why on a deeper emotional level.
Bridge the gap from how they are feeling to being accepted in what they’re feeling. You’ll not only have them rushing to your door because you provide a safe environment for open discussion, you’ll also have the attention of the media if you play your cards right. This also presents an added advantage of providing the impetus for viral conversations to begin.
Blogging is a fantastic platform to begin with. Do it on a regular basis and continually contribute to the conversations on other sites. Be seen on and offline and be sure to stand for something. Assess your industry and its view points and slowly begin to push buttons, observe the reactions and then push a little more. Thought provoking conversations draw your consumer’s attention (and instigates change within an individual / society) and then once you’ve got it make sure you back it up with depth of knowledge.
How to Unlearn the Art of Fitting In – It’s Costing you Thousands!
Since a young age we’ve been groomed to fit in of which is unfortunate as I’m not sure if you know this but it is indeed your job to stick out like a sore somewhat seductive thumb. If you’re not advertising to stand out you need to improve your marketing campaigns. It is commonplace in business to look at what your competitors are doing and do your own carefully crafted version of them. Excuse me while I vomit at the thought. There is nothing unique about reflecting the messages within your industry.
The only businesses that spark trends and subsequently benefit from them are the ones that are willing to take risks. Yes you may be criticised and yes others may wonder what the hell you are doing but then again look at how they ridiculed Donald Trump in his early days. Zig while others zag and you will uncover a following of profitable clients.
A Beer and a Bag of Crisps – Why the Relationship Will Never Go Out of Fashion
The one thing that will never go out of fashion is that of the relationship. It is what binds us together or that keeps us apart. Your relationships with your clients are paramount when you’re fighting for market share. Touch base with each of them at a minimum of every three months, any longer and they’re not your client. Look at your “A class” clients and take them out to lunch to say thank you.
One of my best clients and I catch up regularly for beer and a bag of crisps (it must be the farm boy in me).You can’t buy long term relationships such as these you must earn them through time and respect. Take the time and be rewarded financially and emotionally.
Can You Bring It?!
The one simple answer for competing successfully with your competitors is to be daring enough to stand out amongst an industry of lookalikes. Keep your eye on them and observe their challenges and successes, however never try to imitate them. Look like everyone else and no one will notice you. It’s time to make some noise. It isn’t a matter of wanting to do it. It is out of necessity for longevity for your business.
Do you really have what it takes to compete successfully amongst the competition? Keep your friends close and your competitors even closer and you may experience more success than you can ever imagine.
From the Bed of Ben
P.S. The thing about keying their car, that's inappropriate!
A sledge hammer will work better. You can get more swing up with it!
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available exclusively through his website www.benangel.com.au For media and speaking enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
Necessity or Vanity, Why What You Wear Could Be Costing You New Clients
Paris Hilton, vain or genius? Her name and looks have become her credit card and she's taken them all the way to the bank. How are you utilising your looks in your business?!
Recently I’ve been preoccupied with a profound question: how important is image in business? Is it about being vain or is it a sincere concern for coming across as professional and put together to attract the ‘right’ type of client?
The latter according to Ben Angel author of Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business – The Ultimate Guide to Attracting & Seducing More Customers.
“Visual representation in business is more important than most realise - especially when it is attached to an individual. Our clothes indicate to others; our status, how seriously we take ourselves, how seriously we take our business, how seriously we take the other people we are meeting with and whether or not we are the sort of individual others want to be associated with as a customer or colleague.” Angel Says.
Ben’s controversial new book has dedicated a full chapter to; professional presentation, the meaning of colours, cuts and styles to be worn for various industries and what it really means to hold a professional image. He’s also got a cheeky tip aimed at men who haven’t seen their proverbial for years due to weight gain!
Angel’s Joan Rivers styled book is a humorous slap in the face for most professionals who have let their looks slip. He commands the most from his readers and challenges them to try harder when it comes to professional appearance and being groomed well enough to attract their core market.
“You are the product and your clothes are the wrapping that represents your personal brand. Get this wrong and you’re sending prospective customers the message that you don’t take yourself or them seriously enough. One of the simplest and most common mistakes men make when dressing is associated with their shoes and not keeping them clean. Most women won’t date men with dirty shoes let alone purchase from them. The logic is that if they can’t keep their shoes clean then what else can’t they do? The devil is in the detail and its costing businesses thousands of unrealised income because they’re missing the finer distinctions that make the difference between a mediocre business and a great one.” Ben says.
As we all know colours have been utilised for years in marketing however little attention has been paid to the colours we wear around our clients and colleagues. According to Angel’s book: red commands attention, encourages brain wave activity and makes a bold statement, purple is historically related to royalty, mystery and conversely sexual frustration and charcoal grey makes the statement of success, seriousness and of a well-informed individual.
Ben’s message is clear, “Pay more attention to the details especially when networking with key influencers and clients. A recent client of mine struggled for more than six months to attract clients to his consulting business. A week after his makeover, he signed six clients and was booked for his first ever paid speaking engagement. The results are instant. Don’t hesitate - it is out of necessity not vanity.”
After reading Ben’s book I’ll not only be going for my eyebrow wax but to also purchase a new tailored charcoal suit. Let’s hope the boss notices!
Why You Can't Get a Promotion! Could You Be Killing Your Career?
Here's Johnny! Are you killing your own career through your own actions?
Everyday thousands of employee’s are asking themselves the question: Why can’t I get a promotion? Well according to Ben Angel author of the new controversial book Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business, the answer is simple, “It’s what you wear and the personal brand that you’ve created that may be killing your career.”
Ben’s new book aimed at business and marketing professionals has a message that resonates from top management through to lower ranks where personal branding is the hot topic of the moment and needs to be well considered.
“Whether or not individuals are employed or run their own business they have their own personal brand and that personal brand dictates their business and career success and must be protected, managed and created consciously just as a Hollywood star would develop theirs.” Angel Says.
Ben’s definition of personal branding is: “Self expression amplified to influence and command attention. It is about authentically communicating who you are, your message, your skill-set and your intentions clearly through what you wear, how you behave, and who you associate with on and offline. Fail to find the right combination for your personal brand and it could kill your career prospects. Wearing sloppy and dated clothes may indicate to others that you lack structural skills and that you are out of touch with what’s going on around you. That in itself is incredibly dangerous to your career progression.”
Angel’s Joan Rivers styled book is a humorous slap in the face for most professionals who have let their looks and brands slip. He commands the most from his readers and challenges them to try harder when it comes to professional appearance and being groomed well enough to attract a job promotion, clients or even a partner.
“With the advent of social media we have seen personal branding evolve and develop significantly. Your Facebook, Myspace, Youtube and Twitter accounts are all communicating to others the type of individual you are, who you are associated with and whether or not you make a good partner, employee or client. Understand that your next boss could be online and complaining about your work day could kill any future career prospects. Everyone is now their own publicist and we must manage our brands on and offline to achieve the type of success we’re seeking.” Angel says.
Ben’s tips for personal branding online are simple. “Tweeting while angry is like driving when drunk. You’re going to wake-up with a hangover and possibly in the unemployment queue.” Angel Says.
While this book isn’t for the fainthearted it is certainly an appropriate wake-up call for those serious about progressing their career, even if it is all about Sleeping Your Way to The Top by utilising seductive methods like, visual, energetic and verbal engagement. It's not a read that I'll be forgetting anytime soon.
Ben’s book “Sleeping Your Way to The Top in Business” is available exclusively through his website www.benangel.com.au For media enquiries contact Ben directly at ben@benangel.com.au
Storytelling is a highly effective way to drawing customers into your organisation, but how do you apply it in your business?
Spend a day reading a variety of newspapers. Check out a few online social communities. Listen to the radio. Watch some Reality TV. What do you find? Probably that everything you’re immersed in is geared around the idea that people are drawn to stories.
Billion dollar industries such as music, print and the web rely on storytelling to keep audiences engaged and the profits rolling in. Music is an especially powerful way of connecting people through the stories within the songs and the universal themes of love and loss explored. Even that crazy-arse frog song by Axel F breathed enough personal branding into that damn frog to get it to number one in the music charts and on ringtones the world over! Even his little penis flapping in the breeze on his imaginary motorcycle didn’t stop him from breaking into the charts. See guy’s, size really doesn’t matter!
Popular STORIES that can be leveraged in the world of BUSINESS include;
Human interest: in which the founder of a business (potentially YOU) shares how they overcame seemingly impossible challenges and trauma in order to reach the very pinnacle of success
Innovation: the tale of an exciting and original new product that addresses specific customer concerns and solves their problems to improve the quality of their lives like never before (like the wider introduction of the washing machine in the 1900’s)
Love Affair: a product, service or concept that delivers such emotional impact that the people who adopt it fall head over heels and shout how much they love it from the rooftops! Think about the common cry from ex-PC users the world over who have migrated to Apple: “Once you go Mac you never go back!”
If you’re English or Australian, what I’m about to suggest here might feel particularly confronting to you. This is because the way you have been raised to do business may well place more value on cultivating a convincing ‘poker face’ rather than embracing a ‘warts and all’ approach.
Rather than give in to the fear that most business people experience when it comes to sharing snippets of their personal life with an audience, I suggest you consider being far more open about your failures as well as your success. It might feel scary to be so honest about your fallibility but I believe it’s far more likely to draw your audience in on a deep emotional level. By contrast, the ‘poker face’ business approach keeps your audience at arm’s length, making it harder for them to see themselves in you, relate to you or engage with you and your business.
As we’ve already seen, modern generations are seeking the reassurance of connection. They want to know all about their social and professional role models (the good, the bad and the ugly) because by accepting the light and shade in others they are able to forgive and accept it in themselves. It normalises not only the emotions and secret desires that your clients are experiencing, but also demonstrates quite powerfully to them that anyone can be successful…not just the ‘perfect’ human beings who have never put a foot wrong or made a mistake.
If YOU (with all your talents, strengths, weaknesses, successes and failure) are willing to become the poster child for your chosen industry, you attract a huge influx of new and loyal customers who connect with you on a deeper emotional level. This is because YOU are the catalyst that helps them feel normal and acceptable, both to themselves and society at large. Be willing to integrate your personal story into the history of your business and you will have a very powerful formula for seducing and converting new target markets.
Oh yeah, the whole thing about size not mattering – are you kidding me! Of course it matters!
Lady Gaga SELLS the kind of PORN that turns her clients ON
Lady Gaga knows how to sell the porn that her fans love, do you?
Attracting new clients to your business can be as simple as finding out what turns them on.
For the moment, we’re going to leave the anal probing for E.T. to phone home about… Today I’m talking about how to uncover the secret desires of your audience in order to really tickle their fancy and best excite and seduce them into becoming your clients.
Take singer-songwriter Lady GaGa who has carved out a successful career writing hits for the likes of Britney Spears and the Pussy Cat Dolls before exploding onto the music scene with her own debut album, The Fame (2007).
Lady G’s most impressive talent isn’t actually in her acclaimed songwriting ability, her deep throat (I’m talking about the singing, people!) or even her alleged pole-dancing abilities…but rather in her acute understanding of the secret desires of her target market. The Fame tapped into this perfectly by being an album all about (in her own words), “how anyone can feel famous”.
The bold, uncompromising lyrics of tracks such as Beautiful Dirty Rich created an instant sensation and got the media all excited, touting her as the new “material girl” taking over the mantle from Madonna.
What has this got to do with your business?
Take a look at your existing client base. Can you imagine the myriad of secret insatiable desires in their lives? You may say there’s no way you can know, but let me ask your subconscious this question: If you did know what they were, what would they be?
Take yourself on a mental flight of fancy and see what you can discover… Are there any secret desires seething along under the surface that you could use as themes in your marketing and communications campaigns?
What do you imagine your customers want to achieve?
What do their patterns of behaviour and buying habits reveal to you about the things that turn them on?
There are more of us harbouring secret desires like these underneath conservative corporate suits than you may have ever realised before…aspirations such as:
· Being rich
· Being famous
· Being acknowledged
· Being thanked
· Being accepted
· Being happy
· Being sexy
· Being thin
· Being buff
· Being conversed
Take some time out to really think up a whole host of creative ways to transform your business offerings into the porn of your key clients. What can you do to make your goods and services so addictive that they just can’t get enough? Offer them rare diamond insights and gold nuggets of information that your competitors aren’t communicating effectively enough. Zoom in on that quality content which can substantially impact their lives.
What you’re selling doesn’t have to be new (objects of desire have been around for as long as the people who create and covet them have) but it does need to take a fresh approach, be a new spin or a new angle…something shinier and more exciting than the way what you’re selling has ever been presented before.
Create new and exciting ways to present fresh themes and perspectives your clients can’t get from anybody else. Once you nail this, it’s like you’re serving up a platter of their favourite porn on a regular basis and they will know exactly who to come to every time they feel the urge (YOU!).
Does Your Time Management Suck? Try These Tips on for Size...
Does your time management suck? Try these tips on for size...
If your time management sucks draw closer boys and girls and read closely...
The best way to manage your time is to structure your tasks out day by day for the week in advance so you understand exactly what you have to do moment by moment.
To ensure you’re on track during the week, go to the local electronics store and purchase yourself a chef’s timer. Get into the habit of timing each of your tasks and start to observe all of the external distractions that occur. You may find that each day you will need to schedule thirty minutes to a full hour to deal with things that just come up during the day.
Only focus on one task at a time. Multi tasking is great, however there is nothing like concentrated time and effort on a particular task to get it done on budget and on time.
It takes sheer self discipline to do this and keep it up day after day. After one month of doing this regularly you will find that your productivity has gone through the roof and you’ve increased your output dramatically.
Now get back to work and stop reading blogs!!!! Ok, mine is fine!
Not only write one, but get it accepted into the media!
We'll, to help, this week I've created a basic free press release template you can download straight away to assist. This press release template has assisted me in appearing in the following media;
The Herald Sun
The Leader Newspapers
The Age
A Current Affair
The Producer
The Sydney Daily Telegraph
To download your Free Press Release Template, simply complete your details below...
