Career power with the 4 P’s of marketing

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(Published on page J4 of the Job Market-Working People section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, October 28, 2007, Sunday)

By Roel Andag

Contributor

MARKETING INTRODUCES a brand to the consciousness of the target market. Astute marketing makes people buy the brand. Genius marketing makes the brand leap from commonplace to iconic – needed and coveted. Marketing follows the Four P’s: product, place, price and promotion. Apply the Four P’s of marketing to your career life to stay competitive and desired. Make Brand You a winning brand with the Four P’s.

Product. It all begins with an excellent product – Brand You. The demands of a globalized workplace continually elevate basic requirements. What is basic today is passé tomorrow. It was in the dreamy past when a college education was enough to land a cushy job. Today, graduate studies seem mandatory. Exceed the basic standards of your career category. Keep yourself informed and updated.

Focus is an important product ingredient. Which one, 10, 100 or 1,000 companies or individuals will derive value from your services? Have an intimate understanding of that market – its needs, preferences and mindset. Attempting to impress everyone will result in pleasing no one, not even yourself.

Perception is another key element. Brand You should captivate the imagination of the target market. How do you perceive yourself? How would you want your target market to perceive you? Appeal to the taste of your market. Refine and innovate accordingly if necessary. A successful brand communicates and establishes an emotional connection with its consumers. What one word best describes you? Try leader, decisive, sharp, witty, inspiring, principled, or other powerful words to determine your brand attribute.

But is the product useful? Identify or develop your unique selling proposition or USP. Are you a super salesperson? An expert in a yet untapped field? A dazzling communicator? An incomparable leader? Fantastically creative? A publicity genius? Your USP is the differentiator that will enable you to stand apart. Avoid being a me-too product that merely duplicates others. Do not be a Swiss knife either – multitasking but lacking focus. Make sure that Brand You performs and delivers on its promise.

Packaging is equally important. Thirteen judgments are made within the first 30 seconds of your appearance. See to it that you are decent and presentable at all times. Influence perception by presenting substance with style. That includes communicating with impact.

Place. Are you well-positioned in the mind of your target market? The challenge is to plant the Brand You flag in consciousness prime spot. You need to be in a position of leadership to do this. In this context, it is your ability to lead yourself.

Do you envision a pride of place? Do you honestly believe that you will belong to the top 10 percent of people in your career category in due time? Benchmark yourself according to the standards of individuals and companies you admire. Study their strategies before they became successful and how they now sustain that success.

Are you at the right place at the right time? Be an opportunity spotter and creator, and leverage every break. Be where the action is. Showing up does half of the job.

Price. This can be your desired compensation – your market value – given your qualifications and potential. Obsessing on the money, however, will be futile if the product is not buyable, let alone sellable. Brand You must be truly unique and indispensable. Price is more of how you value yourself. Multiply your self-worth by investing in authentic self-improvement – continuously enhance your knowledge, skills, attitude and behavior. Price includes the risks or bargains you are willing to offer and take in furthering your career.

Ultimately, the market will not mind lavishing on a prime brand.

Promotion. Sizzle or fizzle. An excellent product, Brand You should be easy to promote. Be visible to your target market. Network strategically: approach industry stalwarts with the intention of building mutually beneficial relationships. How? You can volunteer for a project, provide intelligent information such as analysis of industry trends, broker business links, present opportunities, or submit a proposal.

Beware of shameless promotion, hard sell and parasitic networking. Ubiquity does not necessarily translate to desirability. With its substance, Brand You will not require big bang promotion or deceptive spin. The key is for Brand You to be valuable. Favorable word of mouth will follow thereafter.

Use the Four P’s in building Brand You. Devise a marketing plan that will propel your career. With patient, determined and sustained work, Brand You will reach a tipping point that will trigger success. Properly managed, Brand You will have no expiration date.