Why Strategy Matters in Your Business or Your Job Hunt

Answer These Questions, and Decide as you Move Forward

by Patty DeDominic, Coach to High Achievers in Finance, Business and Philanthropy.

 I just finished up a Master Mind call with the Maui team lead by David Finkel.  His firm is one of my favorite clients as  I love to watch David teach and am honored to be a colleague.    My role with the Maui team is to Coach entrepreneurs with growing companies.    We work on personal use of time, strategic priorities, human resource issues and other important business strategies and opportunities which inevitably arise in growing enterprises.   

It's really fun to work with business owners who seek to build scale-able companies.  Because I admire people who are willing to risk their money and their pride to become more successful, serve clients with passion and  build job creating enterprises it rarely seems like work.      As a coach to business owners and senior people, it's as if we are the Coach's Coach!

Today David did a deep dive on some key strategies in the building blocks of business.  Systems for success as I love to call them.       

  Overview of the 5 Strategic Marketing Decisions

1.      Choice of target market.

2.      Choice of product or service to focus on selling.

3.      Choice of business model.

4.      Choice of pricing.

5.      Choice of positioning and branding.

Job Hunter or CEO.... look at the similarities

Each of these decisions has an impact on your time, energy and how you will need to position yourself and your company.     Think about it, the above decisions are useful for job hunter too.      

It you haven't thought of yourself as an enterprise, consider doing so.    Consider who is your ideal target market (insert employer or industry?     If you are a job candidate, it is local or national business?  Large or small employer?    In a growing industry, filled with lots of demand for your continued growth or is it in a declining industry which will call on your resourcefulness and implementing tried and true strategies of the past?  

Choice of Pricing is important too for job hunters, are you the low price model or the guy with deep expertise and premium price?    Your communications and methods of connecting with potential employers will depend on your answers to the above.  

Branding is also important for job hunters and when you are clearer on items 1-4 above you will be able to get a better picture of the brand called YOU, Inc. 

Would you like to get a complimentary copy of our latest 176-page bestseller,       

Build a Business, Not a Job? 

 Just go to www.MauiMastermind.com/custom/freebook

to get your free copy today!

Good luck as you are preparing your business or your career for growth.   As always, you are free to take advantage of our expertise for a free 25 minute consultation at any time.   Feel free to click the link above for your free (no obligation) copy of the book or call me 805 453-7490  

Patty DeDominic      

Job Seekers Advice: Learn From Small Business Brand Building Tactics by Patty DeDominic

Job Seekers
Learn From  Business
Brand Building  Tactics

Patty DeDominic
Coach to High Achieving Professionals
Santa Barbara, California


Go WITH the flow and let things work for and with your job hunting efforts!




Eager to market your professional skills and stand out from the rest?

By now, you probably have a professionally written resume and you made sure you have included plenty of key words so the search engines and night crawling robots can easily find you.    Still want to set yourself apart from the newly six million unemployed in the USA?     Try taking a page from the Small Business Bible, specifically  Branding Secrets for small business.     These are tailor made for you too, the extraordinary job seeker.

USAToday Small Business Columnist, Steven D. Strauss wrote the  Small Business Bible a few years ago and he's devoted quite a few pages to Branding 101.  There are 3 Key Tips he gives small business owners which I feel will take you a long way to standing out in the crowd.   They are common sense, but believe me, they are NOT common practice!

1. Do What You Do Best Again and Again
2. Offer Superior Customer Service
3.  Be a Mench

Since our goal here is to help you market  "You, Inc"  it is  helpful to apply successful small business branding techniques and tactics to your job search.

 Let me elaborate on each point as Steven D. Strauss laid it out. My comments for job seekers in red.

1.  Do What You Do Best Again and Again
A brand is a promise that essentially boils down to:  "If you buy this products, you know what you will be getting because our copany stands for  X, Y or Z" that is, Volvos are safe.  Nordstrom's offers great customer service, that sort of thing.    This kid of branding takes time and derives fro a company doing what it does best and then making sure that everything else they do supports that value proposition.    Consistency is key.  On Your resume or portfolio, be sure to  include samples and specific examples of work you love to do and that YOU are good at.    Go back to past employers and colleagues at those work places or educational institutions and renew your network.  It could help you a lot to do a little fond recollection with former class or work mates.   Yes, you will want to appear flexible and eager to learn and do new activities in your profession, but you also want to leverage your finest achievements and your best skills.    You only need ONE great referral or job offer to really make your day!



2.  Offer Superior Customer Service
This is a theme that is duscussed in detail in his book... but suffice it to say that all your hard work creating that cool brand will be a waste of time and money if it isn't reinforced by happy customers.   Customers should find it easy to work with you or buy from you.     Happy customers refer business to you too.  How does this translate to job hunters?   Thank your references, your referral sources and anyone who took the time to give you some advice or a leg up along the way.     Be sincere, yet generous in your gratitude.    Take time to plan your calls and meetings.   Don't just ask for referrals, informational interviews or meetings.... ASK WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THEM?   Executive recruiters remember people who send thanks and gave feedback after the interviews and they LOVE former candidates who refer business or even just leads to them too.    Ask for feedback and give it too.    When you do go for that interview or  for meetings be sure to dress for the part.  A good rule of thumb on your attire is to dress like the person who might be doing the hiring or supervision for your position.   



3. Be a Mench
Mench is a Yiddish word that basically means " a good person."  If your business practices mench ethicds, your brand grows.   While good looks may get you a date, being a mench witll get you a mate.   So too, your business.   Flash may bring people in the door once, but caring for them, and your employees, and your vendors, gets more people to stick with you for the long haul.   Do more than asked of you.  Do things when not asked.  help out in the community.   That really builds your brand.

The bottom line is that you want to constantly reinforce the image you are creating with actions.  Remember, the two keys to establishing a strong brand are developing a specific identity, and then communicating that identity consistently.   Do that and your brand has begun.

Mr. Strauss wrote these tips for small business owners but I know the time has come for all "intrapreneurs" and future high performers need to think of their income generation potential just like a small business.  Building your brand is a good habit to get into and could pay big dividends to those who have set their sights high for 2010.    Patty De

Write to me at patty@dedominic.com     or leave comments on these articles please!