What’s the difference between your brand and your reputation?

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I was once told by a law firm partner, “I don’t believe in brands – that’s just a marketing gimmick.” This person drives a BMW and loves to mention the pedigree of his Italian shoes. BMW was just voted one the most admired brands IN THE WORLD. The shoes? Well, that’s another story.

Simply stated, your brand is what you say about yourself. Your reputation is what others say about you. Professional firms need to pay close attention to both. Read more →

Why schedule your social media activity?

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I have a confession to make: I haven’t paid much attention to my social media profiles or blog lately.  I wanted to…. I really did. But with a few large, time-sensitive projects underway and a 10-day break in Hawaii, my profile-building efforts quietly fell to the bottom of my priority list.

And yet. When I stepped away from the cacophony of “influencer” updates, tweets, group discussions and recommended expert reading, I noticed a pattern. The posts I appreciated most were: Read more →

Why clients fail to manage expectations

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You’ve probably read articles and attended seminars on how to manage the expectations of your corporate clients. You know enough to keep them happy by having honest, up-front conversations about what to expect from you.

After all, it’s what you would do if you were in their shoes. Read more →

Reputation and risk: a fine balance

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As Warren Buffet said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” Professionals must constantly balance the need to capitalize on their reputation with public expectations of responsibility. Here are some observations on how to get it right. Read more →

Five ways to spruce up your LinkedIn profile

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Thinking about revamping your LinkedIn profile? If it’s been a while since you last logged in, here’s a quick primer on getting re-acquainted with “the world’s largest professional network” (or, more importantly, your own network). Read more →