6 Things to Do Today to Cultivate Your Brand

Author: Julian Leaver

In case you haven’t heard, you have 3 seconds (2.6 to be exact) to make a first impression. And as wedding professionals who are consistently connecting with potential couples, it’s important to make a first impression count. That’s why we turned to our friend Julian Leaver of Dapper Diplomat and Julian Leaver Events to give us a rundown of what it takes to truly elevate your personal and professional brand! Let’s get started!

How can you improve your personal brand, and by extension your business brand, today? There is a lot of talk surrounding personal brand, and while some of it centers on your actions, the majority centers on the outward symbols of status you convey. Who are you wearing, what are you doing, where are you going? We believe in the basics, in bringing the personal brand back to its actual center, the person. 

When people are talking about you, what do you want them to say?

1. Actions Match Words

Talk is cheap. We all have that friend who boasts and brags and then never follows through. We believe in under promising and over delivering. Make each word count and make each action intentional. If you can’t make it happen, communicate and explain, don’t blame and distract.

2. Follow Through on Promises

I promise to… When we hear the word promise we do one of two things. One, if it is someone we trust, we pay attention because we know that person chooses their words carefully and doesn’t make promises they can’t keep. Two, if the opposite is true, we immediately tune out and shut down. Why bother listening to someone who cries wolf? It’s easier to use the brain power to consider our next meal than listen to empty actions. So make sure to set realistic expectations. 

3. Watch Your Temper

Pause. Breathe. Think. Then speak. In taking five seconds to respond and allowing your brain’s synapses to travel from point to point and form a coherent and rational thought, you are already ahead of most people if you do this. Tempers are not attractive in those we do business with and tend to have colleagues and clients running for the door.

4. Please & Thank You Goes a Long Way 

Yes, we’re from the South where these three words still matter. But, despite our geographical upbringing, these simple words carry weight the world over. Basic manners are never out of style and taking the time to use the polite opening and closing will open doors you never even knew existed.

5. Practice Empathy

It’s time to connect your heart and your head. Just imagine an invisible line between them that attaches when you hear bad news, or have a client experiencing an issue, or a colleague who can’t quite get something right. We all want to be heard and understood. By tapping into this special talent, you open both sides of your brain to be able to understand and feel where another person is coming from and react appropriately.

6. Go Out of Your Way  

The most precious gift we have is the gift of time. You control it, you decide. Making time for colleagues or clients is the most important thing you can do in your day. Make sure you are keeping your eyes up, looking for the clues and showing up where you are needed. 

These six steps, while seemingly simple, will go a very long way with anyone you might be interacting, doing business, or conversing with and will enhance your personal, and by extension, your business brand immediately.

Julian Leaver, Dapper Diplomat and Julian Leaver Events

Dallas, TX