If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll have noticed I changed things up recently when it comes to the look of this blog. Take a look up and you’ll see I feature a bow tie. Why do I have a bow tie? Well, It helps me stand out from the competition and it’s very memorable.

I recently moved into a more competitive position where I’d be coming face-to-face with numerous business owners. The thing is, business owners are berated on a daily basis by people trying to get their attention. I am one of those people, so I had to stand out. Funny enough, throwing on a bow tie and positioning myself as ‘The Guy with the Bow Tie’ has worked. When I call – business owners instantly know who I am. When I send an email -business owners instantly know who I am. At the end of the day it’s not who you know, but who knows you.

I would like to take credit for being the first consultant to wear a bow tie. Unfortunately, I can’t. The idea came from Keith Ferrazzi (check out his website here). When he was a young marketer, working his way up through the ranks, he decided to strap on a bow tie. He then became known for this trait. As a result, he’s grown his own business along with countless others (although he has recently taken off the bow tie).

For me – I wanted to test to see if this bow tie thing would work. It sounded different and special enough for me to give it a shot and I’m glad I did. I took education (from Keith) and turned it into action. After all, education without action is merely entertainment. How many times have you said, “I should do that.” Then you don’t take action and all is forgotten. Trust your gut, if you think you should do it. Take action and do it. At least that way you’ll know whether or not a bow tie (or whatever it is) will work. If it does, great! If not, at least you know and you can stop humming and hawing over it.

I decided to take my personal brand up a notch by adding a bow tie. After all, no one can promote yourself like yourself and in this competitive marketplace YOU need to stand out. Those who stand out and differentiate have a better shot at winning the rat race. Whether it’s a bow tie, a quote in your email signature or a funky car, you need to be known for something. Don’t forget about your personal brand. Your brand is what pays the bills and sometimes we forget that. My best asset is me and if you haven’t already done so, now is the perfect time to check on your personal brand. See where you stand. Do you stand out? Do people remember you?

If you want to kick start your personal brand I suggest you check out Steve Jones’ latest book  Start You Up: Rock Star Secrets to Unleash Your Personal Brand and Set Your Career on Fire. I took a few of the points and translated it into ‘The Guy with the Bow Tie.’ Who knows what it can do for you.

Jordan