Nadine Haughton
Contributor

It is no coincidence that you select the brand of toothpaste you do, or spend thousand of dollars each year on a particular line of beauty products. Marketers have spent millions of dollars building brand images to convince you that their product or service is superior, reliable and delivers the best value for money. When you select from their offerings, you have bought into the image. Yes, you have been convinced and the cash register rings.

What about you though, are you marketable? As a brand can you gain acceptance; what will it take to fine tune your package, highlight your assets and communicate your selling points to your employers, clients, peers and contemporaries. Can the marketing template of brand acceptance be transferred to the individual to create "Brand You" and if it can, what are the fundamentals of this process. How can you make your cash register ring (whether it is with profit or visibility)?

Research
Research of self is possible. Discard the idea that what you think you see in yourself and try to project, is what others see in you. Put into objective perspective, the reality that exists. Plot your findings on a grid. Place them in the categories strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges. At a later date we will evaluate these findings, looking at ways to update them in order to compete. Bear in mind that it is often necessary to redesign to shape perception.

Skills
Evaluate your skills pool. Take some time to look at what you believe are your skills in the categories personal, technical and functional.

• Personal - relates to creativity, level of self discipline and the ability to grasp new concepts easily.


• Technical - relates directly to industry relevant competencies. This area becomes extremely important when addressing ways to update for increased marketability.


• Functional - communication and planning.

There are no limits here, write down the thoughts as they come to mind. Do this over a number of days. Get input from family members, friends, supervisors, if necessary. Your last job evaluation should offer some insight. Take an open minded approach, be honest, and you may surprise yourself.

Next: Evaluation of skills.

Nadine Haughton is Marketing Director at The Brand Warriors, She can be contacted at brandwarriors@gmail.com