By Jeff Beals
I once volunteered on the political campaign of a local businessman who was running for city council.
During the campaign, I attended a number of political events with him, but one candidates’ forum stood out in my mind. Candidates from each district gathered in a high school gym in front of an audience comprised of community activists, neighborhood leaders, local busy-bodies and a smattering of other interested persons. Each candidate had a couple minutes to tout his or her candidacy.
An odd-looking fellow – a long-shot, political newcomer who ended up losing in a landslide – had the most unique speech. He stood at the podium and said, “They tell me that political campaigning is all about name recognition. If that’s the case, my name is…” He proceeded to repeat his name over and over again in a melodic/rhythmic way. He would say a couple sentences of substance and then once again repeat his name over and over.
It was cute. People laughed. I’m not sure how seriously the audience took him, but he made an impression. I vividly remember that stump speech many years later.
While this nontraditional politician didn’t win (he had no money for commercials and yard signs), he was right about one thing – it’s all about name recognition.
At the very basic level, a politician running for office must focus first and foremost on establishing name recognition.
The same thing applies to any professional working in any field. If you are going to market yourself, and reach your goals, you must establish a recognized name among members of your personal target audience.
Jeff Beals is an award-winning author, who helps professionals do more business and have a greater impact on the world through effective sales, marketing and personal branding techniques. As a professional speaker, he delivers energetic and humorous keynote speeches and workshops to audiences worldwide. To discuss booking a presentation, go to JeffBeals.com or call (402) 637-9300.
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