One of the big responsibilities of being a business owner is that you’re always representing your brand; that means you’re never off duty. You’re always ‘on’. Everywhere you go that you might meet people who will know your business, you’re on show, representing your brand in all you do.

If that sounds like hard work, well, it is – and so it should be. Being a business owner isn’t just a full time job, it’s an identity, a lifestyle choice: it’s who you are. So wherever you go you must remember that you’re your own brand ambassador, and your behaviour will make an impression on the people you meet. Make sure it’s the right one.

In the last few weeks I’ve seen a number of people letting their brand down, with even the smallest things leaving a negative impression. They may seem insignificant but they will affect the way people feel about a brand, even if the behaviour you witnessed was nothing to do with the actual product or service they sell. It still shapes the impression you have of the brand in a way that will affect your choice of whether to buy or not.

Let me give you some examples.

At a networking event, during a presentation by a guest speaker, there was a lady sat behind me who ate noisily, burped loudly and talked constantly during the presentation, making negative comments and sarcastic remarks about the speaker. She also merrily filled up her own water bottle with bottled water provided by the venue, which may seem like a small misdemeanour but it’s still stealing. The impression I was left with was of someone rude and dishonest, and I won’t be doing business with her no matter how good she is at her job.

A consultant I once worked with regularly used to talk negatively about clients behind their backs, mocking them and referring to them as idiots when they’d left the room. I felt sure he must do the same about me as soon as I’d left as well. Unsurprisingly I didn’t work with him for long.

At a workshop I went to recently the presenter was brilliant and a clear expert in their field, but the slides and handouts hadn’t been proof read and were full of typos and mistakes. It didn’t detract all that much from the content, but it did leave many attendees commenting on how slapdash and unprofessional it seemed.

At another workshop I met a speaker whose appearance was less than professional. He was a lovely chap and knew his stuff, but he was dressed in ill-fitting clothes, which didn’t look terribly clean or well looked after. He looked like he hadn’t taken any care over how he looked, which gave the impression of someone who didn’t respect his audience.

At another event I met a rather overweight holistic therapist who tucked into the free Danish pastries during the ‘informal’ networking part of the event, and then in the ‘formal’ part told us all how she could help us create lives of health, wellbeing and even lose weight through her therapy. I’m not size-ist – her diet and weight are her own business – but like a hairdresser with a terrible haircut, she was an unconvincing advertisement for her own services.

The mistake that these people all made was in thinking they were ‘off duty’, and that what they were doing didn’t matter. As soon as they were ‘on stage’ or in front of prospective clients their behaviour changed to what they believed to be ‘appropriate’ or ‘professional’ but as soon as they felt that they were ‘off stage’, they let down their guard and ‘leaked’ their true personality. But of course, they weren’t off stage because all the other people there, myself included, were there to see them, and saw what they were really like.

Here’s the thing – you’re never off duty.

As long as you’re communicating with or in the presence of potential clients, you’re on stage, on duty, you’re representing your brand.

Whatever you do or say will be associated with your brand, and can undermine it, no matter how good you are at your job. You may be the best website designer or business consultant in the world but if you steal from events, eat like a pig and slag off your clients behind their backs, people will notice, and they simply won’t want to work with you.

So think about your brand, the brand personality that you aspire to have and to represent. How does that brand personality dress? How does it behave? What does it say to people? How does it treat people? What would it never do or say? What would you be horrified for people to think about you? What would you ideally want people to think or say about you when you’ve left the room? What would be the worst thing they could say about you? How can you make sure that never happens?

Now you need to make sure you live up to that brand personality in everything you say and do; that includes what you wear and how you look, how you speak, what you write and even how you answer the phone.

Remember, everything you do is part of your brand, so make sure it’s aligned behind a clear vision and consistently giving the right impression.

You don’t want to be the person who everyone’s talking about after the event, for all the wrong reasons. You want to be the one who makes a good impression, looks sharp, acts professionally and is courteous and generous to everyone.

If you want to be a successful brand ambassador, make sure your clothes fit and that you’ve brushed your hair; don’t pepper your speech with F-bombs; don’t stuff your face with Danish pastries and please, whatever you do, don’t steal the bottled water.

Want more help to get your brand on track so you’re confident you’re always making the right impression?
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