Smartlife

Several months ago, Smartlife published a series of posts on personal branding. During that time, I was approached by a local professional who expressed interest in acquiring the services of a personal branding consultant, but needed some help in articulating what he needed. So I volunteered to produce a Statement of Work for him. Here’s how I did it:

1. I had him fill out the Career Vault. (I can’t believe no one’s offered me a billion to turn that into an app yet.)

Comparing personal branding consultants can be a complicated procedure. Some offer what amount to the same services under different titles. Others have different credentials for the same services. A matrix offers a method of comparison that makes it a little easier to see how different consultants stack up. In this Excel-based matrix, personal branding consultants are listed across the top, while lists of services and certifications are on the side. As a starting point, I used the consultants from “50 Personal Branding Consultants Worth Working With.”

Creating a personal brand is rapidly becoming a necessity: both employers and customers are choosing whom they work with on the basis of a person’s personal brand just as much as their other qualifications. But developing your personal brand might not be as simple as you might hope: it’s not just a matter of buying a domain name and putting together a business card. Developing and managing your personal brand requires a unique combination of skill, knowledge, discipline, self-perspective….