Brenda’s Blog
Explore Brenda’s latest thinking on leadership, coaching, and branding. Each post offers practical insights and immediately usable tools to help you succeed — both as a leader and in life.
HOW YOU™ ARE LIKE SHAMPOO FOR JOB SEEKERS IS AN AWARD-WINNING FINALIST IN THE FOREWORD REVIEWS’ BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Brenda Bence’s book on how to find a job using personal branding – How YOU™ are like Shampoo for Job Seekers – is an award-winning finalist in the Career category of the FOREWORD REVIEWS’ 2009 BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARDS.
How Well Do You Know Your Customer?
In his 1985 book, Ogilvy on Advertising, David Ogilvy famously said, “The consumer is not a moron; she is your wife.” Of course, he’d have a hard time getting away with that kind of comment today, but his point is still a valid one.
The truth is: Too many businesses think of their target market as one large, pulsing mass. But your target market is actually made up of individuals just like you, your wife, your husband, your mother, your father, or your children. Your customers are people with hopes, dreams, frustrations, families to feed, bills to pay, and vacations to plan. The most successful brands recognize this and look at their target market as a “Target of One.” So, how well do you know your target market … your Target of One?
Challenge #12: “It’s lonely at the top – who can I turn to for an objective perspective?”
It’s just the sheer nature of the beast. At your level, everyone you turn to for advice has a hidden agenda. No matter how hard they may try, their perspectives cannot help but be “biased.” This includes your spouse, your children, your boss, your Board of Directors, your subordinates, and your peers. So, where can you go for an impartial viewpoint? Who can you turn to for a truly objective discussion?
How to Tackle Social Media: Get Back to the Basics
The excitement of so-called “new media” is keeping marketers and branders up at night. As they explore this new, uncharted territory, marketers all across the globe are asking themselves questions they never would have conceived of just ten years ago. “What’s our Facebook strategy for driving consumer loyalty?” “Who should be managing our brand’s Twitter […]
Challenge #11: “I get no ‘real’ holiday time because I’m always in contact with the office.”
These are common scenarios in these days of inexpensive and easy connections via e-mail, mobile phone, and video conferencing. But, this often means your holiday becomes more of a temporary office set up in a faraway location rather than real time off.
How to Build Your College Graduate Personal Brand: Your Work Isn’t Over Even After an Interview
If you walk out of an interview, breathe a sigh of relief, and think, “That’s it — I’ve done all I can, and it’s out of my hands now,” think again! I interviewed some of the country’s top college recruiters, who shared dozens of tips you can do after your interview to give yourself an edge when trying to land a great job. Here are just a handful:
How to Build a Strong College Graduate Personal Brand: Recruiters’ Tips for What You Should Do During Your Interviews
So, you’ve defined your college graduate personal brand, and you’ve done the work to prepare for your interviews. Now, it’s the moment of truth. What can you do to make sure you put your best personal brand forward and ace the interview? I interviewed many of the country’s top college recruiters, and here are just a few of the tips they have for students to follow during job interviews:
Your College Graduate Personal Brand: The Most Important Things Recruiters Say You Should Do Before Your Interviews
As a college grad, defining and communicating a personal brand is the best way to stand out from the crowd and make sure potential employers know exactly what you have to offer. But, did you know that your personal brand is communicated not only during the interview, but before the interview, too?
Attention College Grads! How to Use a Post-Interview Thank You Note to Land the Job You Want
Statistics show that, on average, only about 10% of college grads write a thank you after an interview. So, should you? Absolutely! It’s a great way to distinguish yourself from the sea of other candidates, and it will help your individual personal brand stay memorable. In fact, if you’re in the “maybe” pile when you leave the interview, a well thought-out thank you could easily move you to the “yes” pile.
Smarter Marketing without Breaking the Bank Part 3
In the third of this three-part article, we will discuss the last two resources that will make successful marketing possible for your business, no matter the size of your budget.
Nice news to share!
Nice news to share! Dr. Mark Goulston, who authors a regular column for The Los Angeles Times, did a full write-up on my second book, “How YOU™ Are Like Shampoo for Job Seekers.”
Smarter Marketing without Breaking the Bank Part 2
In the second of a three-part article, we will discuss the next two resources that will make successful marketing possible for your business, whatever your budget may be.
Smarter Marketing without Breaking the Bank Part 1
Why do 90% of businesses fail when times are tough? It’s the same reason that any business can fail when times are good: faulty marketing.
Faulty marketing (or no marketing at all) means no customers. And that means no sales, no profits, and no business … fast. Marketing to build a powerful brand is all about identifying the needs of a target market and taking action to satisfy those needs better than the competition. So, embracing a customer-led mindset throughout the company is critical to success. Every decision on all aspects of your business – from product design and pricing to supply chain and distribution channels – must revolve around customers and their needs.
Sharing a special day . . .
I have some exciting news to share! I submitted a quote, and it got selected to be featured in the Woman’s Advantage 2010 Shared Wisdom Calendar. Today – January 15, 2010 – is the day that “my” quote will appear on the page-a-day calendar. The reason I wanted to share this news in particular is […]
The Executive Coach: Your Company’s Partner in Leadership Development
What would you say is the most critical success factor for business growth in your company? If you’re like 91% of the respondents in a recent study of CEOs in North America, Europe, and Asia, you would say “developing leaders.” In this article, we’ll explore why leadership development has become more vital to business success than ever, and why companies are now overwhelmingly choosing a previously-untapped resource – Executive Coaching – as a key part of the solution.
