Congratulations! You took the brave step and leaped into the world of free agents. After years and years of experience in the corporate world, you decided it was time for you to call your own shots.

That's good...but why are you not experiencing the same success. Sure, working on your own and having to market yourself is hard...but you did so successfully as a corporate executive, so what is really wrong now?

When you switch your professional hat from internal executive to independent industry consultant, the branding principles that worked for you in corporate America are the same branding principles you have to leverage in your new career.

Some of the biggest mistakes new consultants and soloprenuers make happens in the area of branding and marketing themselves.

While your focus will be on getting new clients and not just landing a job, in order to make an impact on prospective clients, you should keep these three strategies in mind:

CREDIBILITY: You must have and build credibility in specific areas to be seen as a specialist and not a "jack-of-all-trades"; you have to be credible, believable and trustworthy to convert prospects to clients.

•Do you have documented success and quantifiable achievements to support your claim in a specific area of expertise, knowledge or skill?

•Are there others who can vouch for you or sing your praises in the form of testimonials, references or endorsements?


EXPOSURE: You have to be visible to hundreds or even thousands of prospects through online and offline communication channels to create a follow and turn audiences into fans.

•Are you the best kept secret in your industry or field? When was the last time you walked into an event and needed little introduction?

•Do you take advantage of speaking opportunities at conferences, association meetings, summits, or webinars?

•Have you written articles, white papers, ebooks or any industry publication that demonstrate your thought leadership and expertise?


CONNECTIONS: You have to network and keep networking with industry leaders, known associates and valuable contacts to build your pipeline and shorten the sales process.

•How well do you know influential leaders in your local community, field and industry?

•Are you active on LinkedIn groups or online forums including alumni, affinity or social networking groups?

Where do you need to need to start making changes in your branding strategies so that you can leverage your skills, enhance your credibility and start gaining more clients?