Occasionally I find articles, research or resources that I feel are worth sharing.  Today I would like to share one of those resources with you.

Our “Personal Brand” is critical because it defines who we are in life and in business.  It is what attracts people to us (and away from us) and plays a major role in relationships.  Since one of my key business beliefs is that long-term success requires long-term relationships, mastering your “Personal Brand” should always be part of your personal development and education plan. 

One of my closest business associates, Todd Smith, wrote a blog this morning on this topic.  The foundation of the blog was a research study done including 134,000 people to determine the factors that really matter in building a “Personal Brand”: 

http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2010/11/30/10-verbal-communication-skills-worth-mastering/

After reviewing the material, here are a few key questions to consider asking yourself about your own “Personal Brand”:

1. Would you be in a relationship with you?  If branding is the path to finding relationships, then you need to make sure you are doing what is necessary to not only attract relationships but to turn them into long-term relationships.

2. Are your strategies for “Personal Branding” following what the research shows as effective ways to brand your name? 

3. What strategies can you put in place to improve your “Personal Brand?”

4. Who else in your group can you share this information with so they can learn how to improve on branding?  It is my opinion that “Personal Branding” is a fundamental part of all business.  Since team building is at the core of your success, it may be valuable to share this information with your team.

Lastly, if you believe in the value of “Personal Development” I highly recommend you sign up as a subscriber to Todd’s website, www.littlethingsmatter.com.  It is a website I view daily and is one of the best I have found when it comes to simplifying what it takes to both succeed and be happy.  Todd is a guy who has had massive business success and is actually someone I model in life not because of that success, but because of what I see him doing outside of business, especially with this family and charity affiliations. 

It’s always good to keep in mind that whether in business, relationships, or life in general … the little things DO matter.

I wrote an article recently that was published in Direct Selling News.  The article addresses how the field of neuroscience teaches us that stories play a major role in the world of business, especially the direct selling industry.   Stories are one of the most powerful communication tools.  Click on the link below to learn more on this subject.

http://www.directsellingnews.com/index.php/entries_archive_display/the_neuroscience_behind_stories