Lightly edited notes from SOBcon09 – presentation by The Image Studios by founder, Kali Evans-Raoul.
The importance of presence – so clients can be seen, heard and understood. Using yourself to grow your business.
Performance – 10%
Image – 60%
Exposure – 30%
Performance only gets you into the game, the speed of information transfer is what impacts image dramatically.
80% of our success is attributable to presence and exposure
Customers buy: The messenger, the message and lastly, the product
Who are YOU? What is your message?
Determine your style baseline by listing three attributes that capture your brand
Liz’s: authentic, creative, irresistible, intuitive, loving [connected]
Kali’s[Liz’s stylist] happy, successful, supportive, creative and well-groomed
If you have core brand attributes, do you have different ones for personal and professional?
If the personal and company attributes don’t line up, then the business needs to change.
Living the Brand is Challenging for Bloggers
- high-performance/task oriented
- insulated from live mainstream interactions
- difficulty delegating
You lose track that you’re in a public stream on twitter, it’s not just one person. Better to be hated than loved for who you are not. Tragedy is when who you are goes unnoticed. Unless you are a spy it does you no good to work in a room and not be noticed. Do you look, sound and behave in a manner that matches your attributes in real life that matches your screen persona?
Should the attributes be who you are are who you want to be? Bloggers are in transition – disconnect between what the goal is and what might be true today.
Should you seek to be, what you want the organization to become. Until you articulate what those parts are, it’s hard to know what direction to go in.
Be very aware of “mission drift” online beyond your core attributes.
Components of Presence: look, sound and behave like who you want to be
Visual: wardrobe and personal grooming
Vocal: voice and speech
Behavioral: body language, eye contact, etiquette
Spatial: office, car, home
Marianne Williamson – it’s lightness that we’re scared of. Be aware of when you’re blocking yourself.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Tips
- Get feedback on your handshake – too many pumps, too firm, too soft?
- Business card etiquette – only give your card after being asked, if you want to stay in touch ask for their card
- Send personal notes
- Etiquette book or eLearning course
- Retain an etiquette/protocol coach
- Edit your smartphone signatures – “sent from my handheld – please forgive errors”
- Get feedback and know the brand
- Love your outbound voicemail greetings
- Grammar articulates intelligence and exposure
- Maintain consistent pitch
- Have an enrolling 10 second elevator pitch, not 30 seconds
Visual image has Greatest Impact: your words, your voice, your visual clues
Tips
- hand mirrors and full length mirrors – check your back first 80% of people see you from behind
- current hairstyle that fits lifestyle
- make-up applied daily
- look at your teeth
- retain wardrobe support
- alter 70-80% of your wardrobe
- create a wardrobe catalog
- get a steamer
Disorder at home undermines you personally.
Disorder at the office undermines you professionally.
Until you’ve found who you repel, you’re not quite squared with your message.
What changes will you make to make sure your business is seen, heard, and understood faster and better than before?
