The go to resource to reach THE RIGHT people without having to sell.

You are here: Home / Archives for Coaching

Coaching

3 Business Relationship Building “Must Do” Activities to Increase Your Brand’s Recognition

Andrea Patrick, Blog, Personal Branding

Okay… so….When does advocating for yourself and your idea of value, cross the line into negativity and criticism?  REALLY… I’m asking.. For me… I believe in being authentic and a self-advocate but, is it naive to think doing so won’t step on toes?  Sometimes, I’m learning, the dialogue between two people may be interpreted totally differently and misconstrued into something negative (no matter how innocent you may mean it to be).  So… if I’ve been the cause of any hurt feelings because of this phenomenon… I sincerely apologize.
Why am I bringing this up? Well, the business relationship is a very important aspect to my business strategy and I believe, it should be to yours as well.  Listen to this podcast and hear how my guest and I define BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP for a better understanding of my perspective and why I think it’s so important to brand growth. You’ll see it’s an effective tool you could be using to increase YOUR brand’s recognition.
What I want to do with this blog post is share my two cents on 3  BUSINESS RELATIONSHIP BUILDING “MUST DO’s” to increase your Brand’s Recognition.
#1 – The Business Relationship Requires You to Be honest.  I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but it’s because everything starts with YOU!  You have to be honest with yourself about who you are, what you want, your expectations and your value.  Of course you need to be honest with those you are doing business, but it’s only truly possible to be honest with others if you’re honest with yourself first.  The way to do this is to know your strengths, your weaknesses, your pain points, your non-negotiables, and your (for lack of better terminology) love language.  You have to be honest about what motivates you and what intimidates you.  You have to be honest about your fears and from where those fears come.  This is important because inevitably you’ll need to put it in check or keep it at bay because it will repeatedly rear it’s ugly head.  Part of honesty means knowing the root of it and how to fight against it.
#2 – The Business Relationship Requires You to Be Prepared.  In knowing what you want, you are in a better position to create, what I like to call, CIRCUMSTANCES FOR OPTIMAL SUCCESS.  Preparation means doing your homework on the events you attend.  If you’re interested in meeting new people for the sake of developing new business relationships, you should not only know the type of people with whom you’d like to meet, but also where you can find them, the types of events they attend, and what they need. Preparation means working on what you bring to the table so you’re confident in your value and can add it to the conversations going on around you.  A lost opportunity to share my value and do this was recently brought to my attention, and when it was I realized I had devalued myself by not sharing and contributing my expertise to the conversation. Had I prepared for the event in advance, I would have recognized my opportunity instead of feeling like I couldn’t participate and that the content didn’t relate to me.  When building authentic business relationships, it’s important to check yourself before you inadvertently offend someone because of you weren’t prepared to contribute to the content instead of leaving voicing your opinions.
#3 – The Business Relationship Requires You to Be Realistic.  Listen, I don’t want you to get the idea that building authentic business relationships is going to be all flowers and gumdrops.  The truth is, people disappoint and feelings get hurt (as unintentional as it may be).  Just like any relationship you’re forming, it’s important to manage expectations.  You should manage your expectations, what you expect of others, and what you expect to get from the relationship, in general.  The reality is, when two people/companies come together, each is bringing their own baggage/hangups.  Expecting someone to “just get you” is unrealistic.  Expecting your opinion to be the only one that matters, also unrealistic and can be….scratch that… will be a source of contention in the relationship.  Sacrifice and compromise ARE realistic, and should be used when building an authentic business relationship.
In the end, these 3 business relationship building “Must Do” activities increase your brand’s recognition because the relationships you forge with other business owners yields an amazing return by being the source of other, equally beneficial resources. They yield fruit by providing assistance in areas you lack knowledge, and in the actual development of friendships with people who are familiar with this journey called entrepreneurship.
Now I want to hear from you.  How are you using your business relationships to increase your brand recognition?

Self-Doubt, from Childhood to Adulthood with Reea Rodney_BTBTV

Andrea Patrick, Be the Brand TV, Blog, Personal Branding

I’ve been coaching about it for years and Reea comes along and makes a case for living your value, loving yourself enough to be yourself and leading with intention and purpose.  Listen as she shares her experience with empowering children to find their confidence and overcome self-doubt.
The parallels between adult self-doubt and the self-doubt of children is uncanny when you look at them. I believe the tools Reea uses with children are definitely applicable to adults.  Find answers you’ve been looking for – not only your kiddos, but yourself.

3 Thoughts that Help Me Overcome Self-Doubt

Andrea Patrick, Blog, Personal Branding

The KEY to overcoming self-doubt is to have faith in yourself and your value.  The key to having faith in yourself and your value is to know yourself intimately and have confidence in what you know.  In doing so, you create a foundation to which you can always return in times of self-doubt. Believe me when I tell you, I’ve had my share of self-doubt and I’m here to let you in on a little secret…. It doesn’t stop, you just learn how to overcome it when it creeps up in your spirit.  I have plenty of experience with that so here are 3 very important thoughts I’ve found to help me overcome the doubt when it rears its ugly head:

THOUGHT #1: You’re Unique

In times of self-doubt, I remind myself that God made me special (thanks Veggie Tales!).  I’m unlike anyone else on this planet so my weaknesses, strengths, and quirks are what make me who I am.  I attract those I was intended to attract and it’s my responsibility to discover and fulfill my purpose. When I find myself having doubts about my path, I start

reflecting on the good I’ve done, the people I’ve helped, and how much more I’d like to do.

When you start feeling doubt creep up in your life, ask yourself this question:

  • How can I use my strengths to help someone else?

THOUGHT #2: You’re Prepared

Sometimes the only thing you know for sure is what you know for sure.  When I work with my clients, I try to help them identify the things they know for sure.  Your knowledge prepares you. Knowledge of yourself, knowledge of your area of expertise, your knowledge of the answers to frequently asked questions… it’s what prepares you for those times in your business when you doubt your abilities.  I’m not easily intimidated and I don’t often fear speaking to groups, but there have been times (especially when it’s a step up in my business) that I feel a little inferior to those I will be around. In times like these, I remind myself of MY unique perspective of the topic I cover.  I know my information comes from personal experience (unique to me), research (preparation), and passion (all mine). Taking a minute to remember these things calms me and allows me to overcome the self-doubt.

When you start feeling doubt in situations like this, ask yourself these questions:

  • What have I done to prepare for this moment?
  • How do I relate personally to the data I’m sharing?

THOUGHT #3: You’re Intentional

I hate it when wires get crossed and it’s hard to read the intentions of others.  It happens a lot with emails and texts. It’s one reason I would much rather a phone or video chat opposed to either of the aforementioned.  So much gets lost in translation when you aren’t sure of intentions, that’s why when I doubt a situation, I focus on my own intent and ask questions.  Understanding my value, what I bring to the table, affords me the opportunity to determine my reactions. I realize I can only control me and my own intentions.  When I have done my due diligence, I make better decisions and I’m more intentional in my dealings. Though it’s impossible to plan for EVERY scenario, it is possible to know myself well enough to manage my behavior regardless of the situation in which I find myself.

When you doubt the intentions of others, ask yourself these questions:

  • Why are you in this situation?
  • What were your intentions upon arriving?
  • How will you manage your reactions?

You see, self-doubt is just a part of life. You aren’t supposed to outrun it, avoid it, or ignore it… it’s a faith builder.  It’s a YOU builder.  When self-doubt comes your way, remember these three thoughts and ask yourself the questions I provided in this blog.  You’ll be surprised by how fast you’re self-doubt triggers the confidence and faith inside.

Become a VIP Member and we’ll continue overcoming self-doubt together with even more amazing content.  Use the form below this blog post to join. It’s totally free and I promise I don’t spam…

If anything in this blog posts resonates with you, leave a comment below.  I’d love to hear how you’ve overcome your own bouts with self-doubt. Your sharing will help others overcome their own.

3 Tips to Master Brand Preparation

Andrea Patrick, Blog

We agonize over some of the simplest things in our business… why do you think that is?  We have incredible fear of failure and if I may be so blunt…there is often EXTREME GUILT!  To address some of these issues, I’m offering some of my tips to master brand preparation.  “Victory is the the child of preparation and determination”; it’s a quote I found that really speaks to the importance of being prepared.

Think about it, when DO you find yourself most afraid? If you’re like me…it’s when a customer seems unhappy or a deal seems to be going south.

TIP #1 is MASTER THE ART OF CUSTOMER SERVICE:  The idea here is to recognize CUSTOMER SERVICE is directly linked to the way your brand is perceived. The preparation required for a positive perception, is in the development of policies and procedures that reflect your brands culture.  Customer want to know you have THEIR best interest at heart and are sincerely vested in solving their problems.

TIP #2 is MAINTAIN BRAND CONSISTENCY:  Consistency MENTALLY creates trust, but it requires you to tap into your value in an honest way.  The preparation required for this tip is in the work it takes to ensure your brand communication (both verbal and non-verbal) speaks AND relates to your customers issues.  It’s important for your brand messaging to attract the “know, like, trust” relationships from those you’re targeting.

TIP #3 is MANAGE YOUR GOALS & ANALYTICS:  If there’s one thing I know for sure… it’s that you must have goals, they must be quantifiable, and you must manage them through analytics.  The preparation required to manage these areas is in creating S.M.A.R.T. Goals and testing, testing, testing.  There is no magic bullet to getting the success formula right the first time.  Doing business is called a “numbers game” for a reason.  Determining the right Marketing Mix formula can only be done by testing different strategies and learning from the analytics gathered in the wake.

Your success is in your preparation and your preparation comes from knowing your value and having the confidence to make decisions based on it. The rapport you build with your customer is the result of being prepared with a brand identity that represents your values, a brand message to which your customers can relate, and the ability to share it authentically.  This brings me back to the quote I mentioned at the beginning of this post, “Victory is the the child of preparation and determination”.  Have your VICTORY! Be prepared!

I know it can be difficult to get it all done.  This is especially difficult if, like me, you’re a one person show.  That’s all the more reason to think about your preparation.  If you liked this blog post please share your comments below and become a VIP Member.

As a VIP, you’ll have access to the materials created to go along with the content created in my blogs, podcasts (P. B. & Style), and Youtube Channel, Be the Brand TV.  I don’t share those downloadable documents anywhere else, and they’re absolutely FREE to my VIP members.  You’ll receive discounts on my services, workshops, and upcoming conferences and it only takes a second to join. Just complete the form below and you’re IN!!

How to Persevere and Build and Authentic Brand_BTBTV

Andrea Patrick, Be the Brand TV, Blog, Personal Branding

 

In this episode of Be the Brand TV, today you’ll learn The P.E.A.R.L.S of Perseverance. There are lessons waiting for us in every experience. I know my own experiences make me uniquely qualified to share these P.E.A.R.L.S  with you and I have the professional and personal results know they’ll help you persevere as you continue on your leadership journey.

Be sure to give it a thumbs up, leave a comment answering the question I ask at the end (I’d love to hear how you persevere in your business/life), and then… as always SHARE & SUBSCRIBE!

How to Go from Startup to Expert in Your Niche

Andrea Patrick, Be the Brand TV, Personal Branding

I’ve coached many small business owners and they all wanted to become and expert in their industry.  The truth is, there are no shortcuts.  There is no magic wand to wave that gets you there faster.  In this episode of Be the Brand TV, I’m giving away some of my secrets to going from startup to expert in your niche.  If I had to pick a theme for this episode, it would be ACCOUNTABILITY.  The sheer will it takes to stay the course on this leadership journey means we shouldn’t allow anyone else to take the driver’s seat as we head towards our success.

Watch and share your thoughts in the comment section below.  I want to know your secrets to being an expert in your niche.  I also want to hear about any struggles you may be having to reach your expert status.

Once your done, be sure to like this post, share it with friends, and subscribe to my Youtube channel.  As a special thank you, you can grab my special gift by clicking the link below!