U R a Brand! How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Finalist for Career Book of the Year. -- ForeWord, June 2007

If you're seeking new ways to get ahead in a very competitive business world, this book can teach you how to brand yourself as a success. -- Innovation, August-September 2008

If you're seeking new ways to get ahead in a very competitive business world, this book can tell you how to get yourself branded. -- getAbstract, September 2007

Loaded with advice and tools. To learn how to deploy the strategies, you need to read the book. -- ExecuNet, August 14, 2006

Winner of the Ben Franklin Award for Best Career Book. -- Publishers Marketing Association, June 2007

Book Description

If you're seeking new ways to get ahead in a very competitive business world, this book can teach you how to brand yourself as a success.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Davies-Black Publishing; 1 edition (April 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0891062130
• ISBN-13: 978-0891062134
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #102,118 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Many books in this category, this is one of the better, May 30, 2006

By	Tom Carpenter "- www.sysedco.com" (Marysville, OH) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I have been a BIG believer in the personal brand for years. Books like Be Your Own Brand and Book Yourself Solid, I feel, do a better job than this one. However, there are many great ideas in this book and it should not be overlooked. Every author brings his or her own perspective and ideas and there are definitely a number worth noting in this resource.

Here are the ideas I particularly found useful, and you will want to read the book to understand them fully:

-Using testimonials in your resume. I never thought I'd see this one, but it's a great idea. Place quotes in your resume from your references. After all, they've agreed to be a reference, right?

-Use the principles of visual identity. To have a whole chapter on creating a look for your personal brand seemed - at first - to be overkill, but the more I thought of it, the more I realized that the most successfull people in history seem to look very similar in all their photos. This gives you immediate recognition - particularly if you can develop a brand look that is unique but not downright silly.

-Harness the power of signature words and phrases. This is an amazing concept that is little known and used. I've been teaching seminars and training classes for nine years and, in that time, I've seen the power of signature phrases unfold. The concept is to come up with a unique combination of words you can use in just about every setting of five minutes conversation or more. This allow you to use the phrase frequently and be branded by it.

These are just a few of the good ideas. If you've read Be Your Own Brand and Book Yourself Solid, I'd read this book next. If you haven't read the other two, buy them and read them, then read this book. I'm not sure, but I think you get a discount here at Amazon when you get all three. Anyway, brand yourself and find success...

Tom Carpenter, Author: Wireless# Certification Official Study Guide, CWSP Certification Official Study Guide, and Foundations of Effectiveness

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Self Brand = Higher Perceived Value, December 17, 2007

By	Larina Kase "New York Times Bestselling Autho... (Based in Philadelphia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I read this book on a Sunday (it takes a lot for me to dedicate my whole Sunday to a book, so that give you an idea what I think of the quality).

The most important message that I took away is, whatever you do, when you have a brand, you'll have more value.

If you have a job, having a brand for yourself will increase the perception of your value in the eyes of key stakeholders (your boss, your customers, your team-members, etc.). This means that YOU control how they see you, and you can position yourself for what you want- a raise, a promotion, greater respect, increased responsibility, new customers, whatever.

If you own a business, having a brand for yourself will increase the fees that you can command. Everyone wants to hire or buy from the best, and your brand will show how you are just that. You become memorable (because brands are memorable) which means that your marketing process becomes much easier.

With a brand your clarity and confidence greatly increase. You know what your value is and can therefore articulate it to others.

The takeaway message that Catherine Kaputa says is essentially: If you don't brand yourself, someone else will, and it probably won't be the brand you want.

Don't let that happen. Read this book.

Larina Kase, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Confident Speaker

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth your money and time, September 29, 2007

By	Jaewoo Kim (Santa Monica, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

If you are looking for a book to enhance your career, this book should be in your list. It says, flatly, that being good and skilled in your job is insufficient in getting head. It is actually more important to be perceived and noticed as a person of excellence.

It should be noted that the author already assumes you have some marketable skills. Without it, you don't have anything to build a brand around. "If you don't stand for something relevant to the marketplace, you have no value", states the author.

Influencing how others perceive you and your ideas starts with a building a brand. One must brainstorm one's strengths and how one's strengths align with the market (or employer) values. Then one should focus on one's strengths and highlight its relevance in the marketplace in a emotionally connecting way.

Branding is executed primarily through visual (good attire, personal appearance, body language) and verbal (communication through effective rhetoric and tone). The book also highlights the paramount importance of gettting noticed by the right people. If you are not invited to the right meetings, author notes, you are dead in the water (of real career progression).

Overall, I felt this book contained as much good career advice as any I have read. I highly recommend it.