Customer Reviews

The Personal Branding Phenomenon

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I had high hopes for this book, having recently attended a seminar put on by Peter Montoya's agency - but at best it is a blatant sales pitch for Mr. Montoya's advertising agency. After looking at the glowing reviews listed here, I was at first surprised to see a review from a "Topher" - the speaker at the seminar I attended was named "Topher". A coincidence? Possibly. Until you notice that almost all of the reviews come from Southern California - the very location of Mr. Montoya's agency. Amazon.com readers might be better served if some one other than Mr. Montoya's "friends" actually wrote some reviews.

The Personal Branding Phenomenon by advertising professional and trainer Peter Montoya is a solid guide to using the process of "Personal Branding" to advance oneself and one's career by enhancing a personal ability to influence others. Personal Branding involves taking control of how an individual is perceived, including the perception of the personal values, abilities, and personality traits that other people associate with the individual in question. The Personal Branding Phenomenon presents Eight Unbreakable Laws behind great Personal Brands, such as The Law of Specialization - that a great Personal Brand focuses on one area of achievement, and trying to be a jack of all trades makes other people think that you are a master of none. The Personal Branding phenomenon is very highly recommended reading for anyone seeking to improve their skills and abilities to affect others and to enhance the emotional, financial, and social qualities of their personal and professional life.

Having been a broker and worked in the securities industry for more than a decade, I have a fairly sound perspective on selling intangibles. In so many cases, the first sale is yourself.

Montoya provides a practical and motivating roadmap to establishing a credible and attrractive brand that can provide the basis for a secondary sale of virtually anything - from stocks to services to widgets. Anyone who knocks on doors, cold calls or represents a product will find value in reading and heeding the Personal Branding Phenomenom -- from the entry level salesman to the executive looking to jumpstart a career.

Not being one trained in marketing, I hoped Peter Montoya's book would guide me in developing a marketing strategy for my small business. It did much more than that. I now see how every area of my life influences my personal brand whether I am aware of the principles and insights in Peter's book or not. It has inspired me to take action.

I expected a serious book such as this to be work to read but it entertained me throughout. I particularly enjoyed the insight into why the personal brand of a person like Martha Stewart is vulnerable to revelations inconsistent with their image.

Any person or small group of people in business for themselves should apply the basic principals that this gentleman, Peter Montoya, suggests. Simply think of any celebrity or success, and their "brand" labels them immediately. Included in examples given in the book are Michael Jordan, Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey, but also consider Jim Carey, he stuck with his outlandish antics through the years and marketed those antics - look where he is. Consider Thomas Kinkade, he stuck to painting light, look what he's known for - "The Painter of Light". A last example is Weird Al Yanchovic - enough said in the name.

This book is easy to read and easy to apply with an advertising company available to help put its applications into the life and future of your self and your business.

"The Personal Branding Phenomenon" by Peter Montoya is another winner as a business reference book. I read this immediately after reading "The Brand Called You." For anyone who cannot answer the question of do you know where or what your brand is? - then this is a book for you. If you want an insightful look at the power of personal branding, then read this book.
Reviewed by: J. Glenn Ebersole, Jr., Founder & Chief Executive, J. G. EBERSOLE ASSOCIATES and THE RENAISSANCE GROUP (tm), Lancaster, PA. and Author of "Glenn's Guiding Lines - Thoughts From Your Strategic Thinking Coach" newsletter www.renaissanceman4u.com

I'm going to insist that every one of my employees read The Personal Branding Phenomenon and apply the techniques. If they do, we'll supercharge our company with brand-minded leaders.

Peter really gets to the point of self-differentiation with his newest book. Personal branding is a topic the author knows well and shares with the reader the essential how to's. The topic is timely as well as easy to follow. This is a MUST HAVE book on how to MARKET. It should be the only book you read on Marketing.

Every recession creates new interest in personal branding. Here we are again in early 2009 and more and more people are taking an interest in crafting their personal brands because they are out of work or are about to enter the job market.

Peter Montoya did an excellent job in this book describing how to create a personal brand and he offers the 8 Laws of Personal Branding that are essential and timeless. This book, perhaps moreso than others on the topic, treats personal branding as an ongoing, essential part of one's professional development or professional persona than simply an exercise in job searching. Lots of examples, lots of rationale.

This book provides you with all the fundamentals and will stand the test of time on the subject. I've incorporated many of these ideas into my own professional development efforts and am glad I did.

--Review by the author of the e-book, "How to Build and Manage Your Brand (in sickness and in health)."

This book is a MUST HAVE for all future successful people. This book is phenomenonal. It is a quick read. I've read it 3 times since buying it. This book is especially important in today's environment, where an individual needs to differeniate themselves and stand out from the crowd (such as job interviews or getting venture capital funding). The eight principles are powerful and important.