Nadine Haughton
Contributor

It would be easy to jump at the landslide victory of President Elect Obama and proclaim that his win is the perfect example of how to market oneself. Unfortunately, very few of us have the kind of public relations machinery or power house assistants to outmanoeuvre the competition. What we can take from this is reinforcement of what has been said before: its all in the planning. Evidently, he had charted a course for his future long back.

What makes you different from the pack?
You will recognise that in addition to your industry specific qualifications (which for our purposes we will assume you have already attained), you also possess some unique characteristics.

These are your special talents, the things that always bring you praise. Embrace them as things you can bring to the table that no one else can. This should give you an immediate boost in self esteem. In an instant you would have recognised that you are more talented than you thought. Avoid the urge to shy away from "bigging up" this talent. Talk about it and showcase it as often as you can.

Become Visible

• Get out there. It is time to get involved. Become a member of a professional organisation, club, gym or group but be selective. Be wary of organisations where stalwarts and lifetime members always get featured while the real workers remain just that "workers". Play your part, but get your just reward.


• Don't be shy. Speak up and get noticed. Force people to look at you. They will remember the last time they say you.


• Introduce yourself constantly, and let people know what you do and how to get in touch with you. Create an interesting contact card (pen, sticker, magnet etc.). Name, email and cell contact are important. Ensure that the design represents you, be original.


• Make contact - Find reasons to contact people. Think of a question they needed an answer to, a price they queried, a service they enquired about. Remind them of who you are and where you met. Leave an impression.

Keep a Journal
Record ideas and interesting leads or make notation of personal goals and achievements. Review periodically and use as a tool to constantly upgrade. This could also be an important tool for job evaluations or for resume creation.

Always Deliver
Ensure that persons can depend on you. We all get caught up in the day to day race of fitting 27 hours of work or activities into a 24 hr day. Set aside a designated hour each day to return calls, respond to emails or check your voicemail.

Get into the habit of telling people that you will call them at that specific time. Make a list and work with it. People will see you as reliable and organised.

Look the Part
Believe it or not, image "is" everything. Remember when shopping a few solid but conservative pieces are better.

Must have qualification
Whether your need is to be marketable for a job or for movement up the social or political ladder, there are some areas that every successful CEO, entrepreneur, marketing manager, web designer or personal assistant must master in order to survive:

• Emotional Intelligence


• Public Speaking


• Project Management


• Boosting Your Memory

Research via newspapers, Internet or associations can offer leads to what is currently available.

Next: Emotional Intelligence

Nadine Haughton is the marketing director, The Brand Warriors. She can be contacted at brandwarriors@gmail.com