But we do, right? And not only books, we judge all sorts of things. And people. And guess what, people make judgments about each of us every single day. So,
– If you were a book … what would people say about you?
– When they read the title, is it worthy of reading the inside cover?
– Does the inside cover entice the reader to know more, to want to buy and read the entire book?
– If the book is read, is it everything they hoped for … and more?
You know where I’m going with this, right? Branding. Authentic branding. An authentic personal brand always precedes you. All day, every day who you are perceived to be is being judged by the people with whom you interact. Is that perception accurate? Is it compelling? Is it non-existent, because that, too, is judge-worthy.
Why is a strong, personal brand important?
Let’s go back to the book analogy. Once the worthiness of the book title is judged, there’s one of two actions. Reject it or read more.
So it is with your brand. It is what your brand inspires someone to do that matters. And that perception is typically established within the first few seconds of your encounter.
What if that first perception is wrong?
The title of the book may be appealing. The inside cover may be intriguing. The book itself, though, is a colossal disappointment.
Have you ever met an incredibly polished and professional executive at a networking meeting who turns out to not be who you thought he was in the initial conversation? In fact, far beneath what you initially thought?
Authenticity matters. Why? Because once that mask is removed, the word is out and spreads quickly. Just like a bad public book review, it’s difficult to rebound once an initial bad/poor/wrong judgment has been made.
You are being judged … and it’s by your cover (brand). The question is, what’s the verdict of those who are doing the judging?
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