Mar·ket·ing
(noun)

[mahr-ki-ting]
  1. the act of buying or selling in a market.
  2. the total of activities involved in the transfer of goods from the producer or seller to the consumer or buyer, including advertising, shipping, storing, and selling.

So, I looked at a few definitions of “marketing” while pondering this post, and I do have a “quibble” with the one noted above. I believe it should include the word “services” in there too. Another definition I found stated marketing was “the act of grocery shopping.” I can assure you, by THAT definition, I am indeed ALWAYS marketing.

Two Sides To Every Story

Yin Yang - Symbol

But I should start at the beginning. You have heard it before, but lately it has occurred to me to that there really are two sides to every story, and usually people only listen to one side before making up their minds or forming an opinion (a dim view of the world, but still, I’ve witnessed this first hand a lot lately.) I also believe that there are two sides to people – the inside and the outside. Once again, the human race instinctively (and subconsciously) forms opinions based on one side – the outside. (You can read more about this at the NIH website and at SelfGrowth.com).

So, most of us acknowledge this unfortunate “perception/judgement” thing to some degree. When we get up in the morning, shower, and dress to go to work, we dress appropriately for our job and work environment. Whether it’s a uniform or suit you put on, we realize it’s a “persona” that we are “wearing” (no matter how reluctantly we may wear it…) Even when we aren’t working, and dress casually, we are “broadcasting” a persona. I find that one of the real joys of life however is exploring the differences and surprises that lurk on the “inside” of people, in contrast to the “outside.”  A trip to my son’s high school and speaking with any of the teenage students is a great experience and example of the surprises that people hold.

Marketing

So how does this pertain to marketing? I would argue that similar to a previous blog post I wrote about networking, the opportunity to “strengthen the brand of you” is ever-present. People will form impressions and judgements about your outside and your inside millions of times a day. Do you speak to strangers politely? Are you courteous when you meet other professionals? Do you lose patience easily with your co-workers? Do you want to be known as someone who says one thing and does another? Are you a considerate listener who weighs in with an intelligent contribution? We are, it seems, always on.

starch

I learned this lesson harshly when I was working as the “relief” front desk clerk at a resort in the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. I worked a different shift every day – six days a week. So that meant that one night a week, my last shift before my day off, I was working “the graveyard shift” all alone. At the same time, the resort management began a “feedback” program. So, as you may have guessed, there was a guest I checked in at 3 a.m. one evening who filled out one of those “tell us what you think” cards. And his point was valid. He wrote that he and his party had “arrived very late after a long flight, and we didn’t get so much as a smile from Pam when she checked us in. It would have been nice to be greeted with some warmth at that hour after a difficult trip.” Ugh. I was that person. The grumpy night clerk.  That’s not what I want to be a part of my brand. But things you say, how you say them, well – they stick to the brand that is you.

That’s not to say that we don’t have bad days or encounter rough times – we absolutely do. But if it’s just an average day – it serves as a reminder that yes, we are always marketing – if nothing else, ourselves. And, if we are on the job or off it- our personal brand reflects on our employer/business organization as well. With that, I add one more definition:

brand
(noun)[brand]

  1. kind, grade, or make, as indicated by a stamp, trademark, or the like: the best brand of coffee.
  2. a mark made by burning or otherwise, to indicate kind, grade, make, ownership, etc.
  3. a mark formerly put upon criminals with a hot iron.
  4. any mark of disgrace; stigma.
  5. branding iron.
  6. to label or mark with or as if with a brand.
  7. to mark with disgrace or infamy; stigmatize.
  8. to impress indelibly: The plane crash was branded on her mind.
  9. to give a brand name to: branded merchandise.
  10. to promote as a brand name.