Greetings! 

As many of you remember my Mother passed on this day one year ago. It seems hard to believe I am marking such an anniversary so quickly. This year has been one of the most difficult for me to endure while it has also been a year of personal growth. Each day it seems something happens to remind me of how much I am the image of my Mother. We need not look far from the tree to find where much of our personality, image, and behaviors originated. I for one am very thankful.
 

The holidays are over and we now face returning to the work world. We also face a new year of opportunity to create the image and brand that you desire. For many of us it is time to lose the holiday weight from those cookies and other delicious goodies, begin an exercise program, clean up the house or office. While all of those resolutions are great, I would challenge you to focus on your image and brand…building and enhancing.
 

Start by objectively analyzing your behaviors and actions, the way you present yourself to others, the way you communicate, the way you dress, and the way you network. What can you do more effectively? And maybe you will add to the mix to eat healthier or to begin a walking program which will be a bonus!
 

As you remember from my blog last year shortly after Mother’s passing that her image and brand was so vivid in the minds of others that she had touched. Likewise, it is what and how we will be remembered. And so I look forward to a New Year bringing you techniques, resources, and strategies to help you build and enhance your image and brand.  
Here is my wish for each of you in the New Year….
 

I wish you Health…
So you may enjoy each day in comfort.

I wish you the Love of friends and family…
And Peace within your heart.

I wish you the Beauty of nature…
That you may enjoy the work of God.

I wish you Wisdom to choose priorities…
For those things that really matter in life.

I wish you Generousity so you may share…
All good things that come to you. I wish you Happiness and Joy…
And Blessings for the New Year.

Greetings! 

Our current economic times have changed the way companies are conducting their marketing strategies. Traditional media has been reduced and digital and social marketing has been increased. I believe that while traditional forms of marketing may return, they will not return to the levels in the past because the new default marketing mix (digital and social marketing) will continue to increase. What is your opinion?
Here are four reasons why I make the statements.

Check out the updates on the NC mountain home, click on the link below and the title is Rainbow and More.
http://nydabittmannneville.com/northcarolina_mtn_home.htm

Greetings! 

In a recent study 95% of companies’ time is being spent on defensive measures such as cost cutting and a mere 5% on offensive actions like finding new customers or expanding into a new marketing niche, marketing, training and motivating staff.

Since downsizing has left companies with fewer personnel doing more, having to stay closer to the office rather than out prospecting. Marketing and training has probably been put on hold or eliminated totally. On one hand dollars are being saved but on the other hand you are losing awareness and presence in the marketplace and employees are not being challenged and developed. If it continues, by the time the markets start a turn around, you will be spending more to play catch up.

We need to use our time brainstorming about how we can find new customers and expand existing relationships. Invite and involve employees from different areas of the company to identify opportunities and develop strategies. Challenge the group to identify 3-5 ideas and then develop several ways each of the ideas may be accomplished. This activity does several things. One it makes employees feel their ideas are valued; two it promotes synergy among different departments; and three they may come up with some great ideas!
 

Employees that have been retained with the company are the A and B levels. I doubt if many businesses kept the C level or below par players. The employees need to be motivated, challenged, and developed and it is a great time to ensure the desired culture is illustrated and demonstrated. Take time to increase the quality of customer service, practice effective networking, enhance communications and augment business development. Remember employees are your marketeers. They are the ones that interact with your clients and send the messages of who and what the company is all about. Now is the time to spend time and dollars –this is an investment that will have a high ROI.
Invest more than 5% of your efforts in these areas and you will be out in front of the competition.
 

Until next month,
 

Nyda
 

View my on-air show The Magnolia at www.TheMagnolia.TV, YouTube.com/TheMagnoliaTV, or http://www.nydabittmannneville.com/themagnoliatv.cfm
 

UPDATED 10.28.09 View the building of the North Carolina mountain house.Click on the link below and check out the recent postings.  The title is Rainbow and More! The article in the local newspaper is there now. http://nydabittmannneville.com/northcarolina_mtn_home.htm

The doctor will be in shortly to examine your eyes. While we are waiting, let’s check out your personal eye chart.  The top letter on the chart is an E. There are actually five “E’s” that the doctor has asked us to review. They are Endurance, Energy, Engagement, Enthusiasm and Excellence. 

Let’s begin with Endurance. These economic times have tested and strained your vision have they not? No matter if you are employed or in transition one thing is for certain, you need to endure. Endurance exercises include any activity that increases heart rate and respiratory rate. This includes walking, jogging, running, biking, rope jumping, and many others. Over time these activities improve the health of the lungs, heart, and blood vessels. Most importantly however, endurance exercises can also delay or prevent many diseases including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. Let’s add this to the prescription to enhance our vision and performance.
 

The second “E” is Energy. What is your energy level? Do you get up each morning eager to start the day or dread getting out of bed? To improve the position on your eye chart, let’s practice these ten techniques.

Greetings! 

Consumers are bombarded with so many pieces of information being marketed from businesses, all vying for their attention. Buy my product or service is being yelled in so many different ways and different venues.

How can your company stand out? Your business logo and its design and color are critical.

Recently published consumer research survey results indicated your logo is the way to grab attention. Why, because consumers do not have time to read a lot of information to find out about you, your company, your product or service. Your goal is to make a convincing impression thus eliminating decision making—when the need is for your product or service, you want your company to immediately enter the minds of the consumers, and then they buy.

Your business logo or corporate concept should be able to grab attention with the design and color, say what you do, how you do it, both currently and in the future. Are the colors in the color palette of your logo or corporate concept targeted to your audience? Do they represent your industry? Is your tagline saying what you do and how you do it? Is your logo or corporate concept current, does it speak to the future, or is it outdated?

Your logo must look good in every medium. For example, an airline must ensure its logo looks good on a huge airplane, a ticket jacket, an employee uniform and its website…and the list goes on.

Think about your logo—does it meet these objectives? If so, that is great! If not, you may wish to step back and evaluate it.

There are several reasons to change, adjust or enhance your logo.
1. If the logo is out of date, your company will be perceived as such—and you do not want to appear to be your father’s Buick.
2. Your business model has changed.
3. A merger or acquisition has taken place.With the increased importance of grabbing attention in the marketplace and the short time in which to make a connection with your audience, make sure your logo can do the job.

Until next month,

Nyda

P. S. Check out the new format for the NC Mountain blog, I think you will really like it! I will be updating it again soon. At last….. http://www.nydabittmannneville.com/nc_test.htm
  

Join me as I blog and twit about my upcoming National Book Tour and Women’s Conference hosted by the Professional Woman Network. The tour begins in Louisville May 16^th, followed by Atlanta, DC, LA and Orlando. To find out details and register for this one-of-a-kind event, click on www.NydaBittmannNeville.com and you will see the tour.
 

In the playground that I refer to as the workplace, brand has always been influential, now it is more important than ever. In today’s economic environment, it takes more than just walking into the job search with an impressive resume’. It takes you standing out among the crowd. And it is a crowd today with most jobs having hundreds, if not thousands, of applications. So the question becomes, what is your brand and does it differentiate you in the marketplace?
 

Personal brand is about the person. The clearer you are about your destination, the easier it will be to communicate why others should pay attention. In addition to showcasing your own blend of expertise and experience, your personal brand should communicate the qualities and values you want to be know for—-being cutting-edge, innovative, honest, a team player.
 

You may be asking how do I describe my brand….how am I perceived by others? I suggest that you conduct an internal and external test. Write down how you would describe yourself based on qualities and values you possess. Then ask both personal and professional contacts if they see you as the type to thrive under high pressure situations, spark interest in others about your ideas, and serve as an effective manager/leader. Be prepared to accept the answers and do not get defensive and try to respond. Simply say thank you. Then analyze the comments you have received against your own description. Is there a correlation or a disconnect? Are there changes to be made to enhance your brand or is the perception of you by others what you want.
 

Today people are becoming more involved in social marketing and networking. Remember that every way you communicate, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others says a lot about you. Make sure that every “touch point” or point in which others see, hear, or interact with you, is supportive of the brand you desire. Everything must be consistent in order to create and develop a strong brand.
 

Effective personal branding serves as career protection in uncertain times. It is also a critical tool for reinventing yourself because you can leverage the reputation and skill set you already have to prove you have the ability to do the job you want.
 

So, how are you perceived?
 

Nyda
 

P. S. Check out the new format for the NC Mountain blog, I think you will really like it! I will be updating it again soon. We are getting close to the grand finale’. http://www.nydabittmannneville.com/nc_test.htm
 

Join me as I blog about my upcoming National Book Tour and Women’s Conference hosted by the Professional Woman Network. The tour begins in Louisville May 16^th, followed by Atlanta, DC, LA and Orlando. To find out details and register for this one-of-a-kind event, click on www.NydaBittmannNeville.com and you will see the tour.
 

Image and Brand analysis is on special….now is a great time to evaluate…please email or call me to set an appointment.

Greetings! 

How many of you enjoy a day at the beach? It is one of my favorite places to relax, rid myself of stress, reflect, and rejuvenate. Smelling the sea air, feeling the sand between my toes, enjoying the vitamin D from the sun, and watching the endless comings and goings of the waves. Ahhhhh yes! 

One way to think about change is that change is like waves on the beach. Just like change, waves are relentless and can be powerful, and there are only three things you can do with a wave: let it knock you down, survive it or ride it. 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these three ways to handle change. 

We let the waves of change knock us down when we take the dead roach approach to change - flat on our back, feet in the air and just out of control. What a visual! 

You can tell you are taking this approach when you say things such as: 

“I’m so stressed out!” 

“I can’t take this!” 

“This isn’t fair!” 

“Why does this always have to happen to me?” 

Doesn’t surviving change sound like a good thing to want to do? Though in a few cases it’s really the only thing you can do, it really isn’t the optimal approach to take. I don’t know about you, but merely surviving doesn’t sound like a very compelling way to live. 

If you’re thinking or saying these things, you’ve probably settled on merely surviving: 

“How can I get through this?” 

“What’s the worst that could happen here?” 

“I don’t know if I can take this.” 

“What can I do to get by?” 

The problem with taking a survival approach is that you just merely get by. When you’re ready to do more than just get by, it’s time to begin managing change. 

Riding the waves of change means seeing things from a different point of view, rather than looking out at the waves you are looking toward land from the sea. Think of riding the waves as the process of making change work for you. 

Here are some questions to ask to begin to learn how to thrive on change: 

How can I make this work for me? 

What’s good about this? 

What does this change allow me to do that I couldn’t do before? 

What positive things might this change force me to do? 

Change is inevitable. How we handle it is optional. Make the choice to ride the waves and you’re likely to create a compelling life for yourself.

How are you riding the waves?