BE the impression you want to see!

You know that “gut feeling” you get when you are meeting someone for the first time? THAT feeling is often the decision maker on where your relationship will go, be it a personal or professional one. Learn to trust the  judgement calls you make using your own instincts and make informed decisions from there.  The key, is to make sure you also register well in the check off’s on “gut feelings and good lasting impressions” for others too.

 

Until next time Go Getters!

 

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Endorse Others With Caution

Much like signing off on a check, endorsement of another speaks as much about you and your brand as it does about the benefactor of your endorsement. 

The old sayings, “birds of a feather stick together” and “Perception is everything” is  especially true when it comes to your brand.
You are judged by the company you keep, and referring or suggestions about the use of a product or service conveys that you share mindset, standards and more.  Choose  wisely before doing so to insure:
Your endorsee is professional, consistent, and is an enhancement to your brand with the relationship

Engage Opportunities not Opportunists

In your quest to reach your goals as an entrepreneur,or the everyday fly girl* or guy you will without a doubt meet people who you will engage with that will help to advance you directly or indirectly to the next level. Stay prepared, you never know when an opportunity might present itself, stay aware, an opportunist is waiting for an opportunity.  Know the differences:

SIMILARITIES:

The short list of how they can be confusing when you come upon them

• They both sound similar in theory, but they have different agendas and end results.
• They both look appealing, sound like a good idea, and show promises
• Both require your all in effort but aren’t geared towards any real benefit for you.

 

DIFFERENCES:

Opportunity Driven People (O.D.P.):

ODPS see the holes in your vision but also see the value and unrealized it’s greatness, they come to the meeting of the minds with their  own “hole fillers” and help to create a win-win situation for all parties concerned.  A person committed to an opportunity with you wants to see you do well because it impacts them too. They look to build relationships with you, and grow with you often times, even past the completion date of your joint venture

 

Driven Opportunist People (D.O.P. – Let’s just add an e & s and refer to them as DOPES):

True to the online definition, a D.O.P.E is a person (or group) who exploits circumstances to gain immediate advantage rather than being guided by consistent principles or plans. I often see people who in the infancy of their endeavors who struggle to “get put on” by those who have arrived <~ (My thoughts on those who have arrived in a later post) to be turned down, ignored, or put on the back burner.  When the shine on your star starts to glow a little brighter … low and behold .. you’ve got a host a people who now want to partner with you.  Even in an opportunistic situation, sometimes things can work out in your favor, more times than not they don’t.  Opportunist require a fast turnaround, are often doing you a favor, and tend to look out for the bottom line, their own.

We all get burned in our excitement to advance to the next level in our industry, but do yourself a favor and look at the facts before you leap with your heart in hand.  If you’re going to go all out with your efforts, make sure it’s beneficial to you by way of monetary, exposure, or experience exchange.

BE

• Great at what you do, it builds confidence and set’s you apart as an expert
• Confident … you put your own self on by Just showing up!
• Consistent & Visible, more people are paying attention than you realize
• Be known for having and maintaining high standards for your brand lowering them only get’s you level with the ground
• Believe in your Brand and its worth, if you don’t .. who will?

 

*All my old school people will get the fly girl reference. 

 

Until next time ..

Continue to Rock Your Greatness!

 

 

 

Loose Lips Sinks Your Brand

Brand Buster #207
One of the most damaging labels your brand can have is to be a gossip. Businesses, colleagues and potential clients need to be able to trust in your confidentiality.  Share necessary information on a pre-approved needs to know basis. 

Brands that AM: Stand & Deliver, LLC

In this business, dog eat dog, fast paced moving world of exposure and all things “right NOW” one of the things that we seem to forget is the need to really connect with others.  Making connections is what Carlos Davis owner and founder of Stand & Deliver, LLC is known for doing … well.

A man with his entrepreneurial hands in several successful projects, Carlos has made a name for himself and his partners by hosting a well attended and fast growing event entitled “Connecting the Dots.”

By his own words, Connecting the Dots was created from the many requests he received to take the connections that he made as the host of a popular radio show offline to more people.  His first event was well received, and the community wanted more.   Carlos will be the first to admit, the event has grown faster than he initially thought creating partnerships with venues like Label located here in Charlotte North Carolina.

Carlos is often asked why he doesn’t charge attendees for this event, and he is quick to share that his vision is to make sure everyone who needs to attend is afforded to opportunity to do so.  He believes we all need to be willing to serve others.  It’s not about developing a cash cow; it’s purely service to the community.

Because networking is so vital for people who are looking to connect and build relationships for both business and personal exposure, Connecting the Dots has become an incubator of sorts by pulling a diverse group of people with varying degrees of experience and opportunities into one location to truly engage.  It’s been one of the better consistent, professional events we’ve come across, and truly an organic way to introduce oneself, develop, and grow real relationships.

To make sure he continues to bring more value to the venues than what is expected for a free event, Carlos collaborates with businesses that are helpful for those looking for employment too.  The event partners with local businesses, Photographers for professional headshots, Start-ups for exposure, and national brands such as Yodle, State Farm, and Verizon, for direct conversations with potential employers.

To know Carlos is to know that he never leaves a conversation without asking how he can help you, so we had to make sure we beat him to the punch by asking how we (Me, You, and YOU too) could help with future events.   Here’s where you get to get involved:

• Find what you’re passionate about and serve the community in which you live
• Attend a Connecting the Dots event
• Invite other professionals
• Participate in vending opportunities that are available
• If you’re in the local area there’s still time to sign up for the next one held Thursday September 18, 2014
• If you’re not in the local area, get involved in an initiative that supports the community or start one yourself.  Carlos said it best, “My mentality is a service mentality, if we can do it here, you can do it.”

 

Carlos V. Davis is a professional speaker, professional networking coach, collaborator, and Chief Empowerment Officer of Stand & Deliver LLC. We take a unique approach to professional development by focusing on 4 pillars: speaking, fitness training, coaching, and event collaborations. Whether it’s an individual professional or a corporate entity, we are passionate and focused on serving professionals in taking their careers to higher heights.  Connect with Carlos:  Twitter,  Instagram, Facebook or contact him at 704-916-9643 or carlos@istandanddeliver.com

Until next time, 

Brand Responsibly 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brands that AM: Lose Those Poundz

We here at I AM la Brand Media have become what some might term stalkerish…. we’d however prefer to go with the words intense follower for lack of another way to describe our complete and utter fondness for our favorite new brand Lose Those Poundz.

Our initial contact was via twitter where they have a HUGE following.  We watched for a while, and made note of all of the great content provided about all things weight loss and healthy eating.  In the name of consistency, can we just be honest and say we’ve gone on to connect with this brand on Google plus, Pinterest, Instagram, and their website (still not admitting to stalking) .

We were excited to have the rare opportunity to chat with the owner of Lose Those Poundz who shared with our team that they don’t frequently do interviews.  Their preference is to keep a low personal profile to focus on the brand and it’s objective to help others lose weight and stay healthy through diet and exercise conditioning.

The motivation for Lose those Poundz was a seed nurtured early in childhood and matured by the parents of the founder whose mom was the example who lead by eating healthy and enjoying a very active lifestyle.  The motivation to share that engrained lifestyle started on twitter.  With inquiries, and lots of feedback the follow numbers increased quickly, and so did the demand for more information which required the implementation and launch of the website and blog.

Lose Those Poundz was started by targeting anyone who wanted simple instructions and motivation, however, as time has progressed, this brand has somehow carved a niche that seems to get the attention of more women followers even though men still frequent the various social media platforms.

The content providers are consistent in their message to others to start by envisioning themselves a certain way physically and consistently work (even when you don’t feel like it) toward obtaining it and maintaining it well into old age.  They know they are successful in their reach by the overwhelming number of success story reports received via email and comments on their timelines.

So, why are WE so taken with Lose Those Poundz and what makes them so different from some other brands in the same industry?

• The information provided is simple to follow, to understand, and accomplish.
• The photos are inspiring, funny, and sometimes even challenging.  They make us want to reach just outside out grasp to try a little harder for our individual goals.
• The level of engagement on all the sites is amazing.  Often times brands who have a large following and by the nature of the business they become too busy to engage.  Lose Those Poundz member(s) respond, engage, and offer feedback pretty quickly as it relates to their industry.
• The brand is consistent with information, updates, and ease of use on all platforms.
• Our favorite reason of all … they don’t try to pitch their followers.  We’ve yet to experience the need to buy, sign-up, or pressure associated with some other sites. Way to go, Lose Those Poundz, you are the example of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Sweeties) with great content.

Near the close of our interview we asked the one question everyone dives into; meal replacements, pills, gyms, infomercials, and all the other get thin quick plans wants to know … WHAT IS THE SECRET TO EFFECTIVELY LOSING AND KEEPING WEIGHT OFF?

Lose Those Poundz’ response was a shocker … you won’t believe it … wait.. for… it …. Ready?  “Consistent healthy eating habits and regular workouts”  yep, we have to do it the old fashion way, burn it and earn it!  Now that you’re in the know .. head over to Lose Those Poundz  site for more information and tell em I AM la Brand Media sent ya.

 

Enjoyed this post, be sure to like, share and comment. 

 

Until then,

Brand Responsibly