Came across this terrific 3min video called Smile and Move. It's a great little motivator to start your day!

I also like the messages around contribution, value, consideration, relationships and giving. All of these character-based traits are fundamental in leaving legacies, creating a compelling reputation and getting people to choose you first. Take a look.

If you want people to think, feel, do and say particular things when they come into contact with you or your name, you have to inspire them to do so. You've got to be just a little better and different to what they're already seeing. If you want people to...

• Pay a premium for your product or service.
• Buy from you instead of you selling to them.
• Take a look at your network marketing opportunity.
• Promote you instead of your colleague.
• Hire you instead of your rival.
• Award your pitch the business rather than your competition....

... then you've got to give them good reasons for doing so. When you smile more, give more, share more, know more, engage more and think more, the role of overwhelming 'go to' status and ultimate number one is yours to lose!

I'm a member of TED, where I watch at least one great video a week to inspire and educate me to raise my game constantly.

As an authority on business reputations, I'm always hungry to learn what makes some people successful (and usually well-reputed) and others fail. This video by Richard St John lasts 3 mins and 30 secs. It shows that many of the things that lead to success also lead to a great reputation. Watch it now.

If you're going to make an impact, leave a legacy, create a disruption, become a leader worth following or be so irresistible that people always come to you when they need what you do, you need to watch this!

Now what are you doing that will lead to success, whatever success looks like for you?

When you achieve success, people take notice. You begin to impact lives. Success is rarely an isolated event. And your reputation acquires an aura, a compelling attraction that makes you irresistible. When you're successful, you increase the likelihood that:

1. You'll create more wealth.
2. You'll attract more opportunities.
3. You'll get more interesting work.
4. You'll make more interesting connections.
5. You'll have more choices.
6. You'll be more influential.

All of these are the pay-offs for a reputation as the number one choice and trusted voice for what you do. Now isn't that interesting?

Strive for success, and it's likely your reputation will take care of itself.

You're well into the festive season. but does it seem like the party atmosphere has not yet hit? After Part 1 of this three part series, we're moving onto a few social tips for Christmas and the New Year Celebrations. Reputations can be made or mangled in this celebratory time. With an array of regular business-related events plus Christmas parties, festive 'mixers' and social gatherings, your good name is on the line. Coming up are my Eight Top Tips to help you use the social side of business to enhance the business side of your reputation, including how to socialise, how to be seen with the right people and what not to do when you're networking!

Some people call it the festive season; others, the silly season. Whatever you name it, you're coming into the busiest networking time of the year. On top of the regular business-related events comes an avalanche of Christmas party invitations, festive 'mixers' and social gatherings. Your reputation is at stake, as well as your business prospects for the start of the New Year. Here are some of my best tips for making the most of the busy season with better networking, enhanced profiling and powerful reputation building...

If somebody googled you, what would they find? Do you have an online presence, and indeed, do you want one? How open are you to the power of the internet to build your connections, your profile and your business?

Whether you call it virtual networking, online networking, social networking or e-networking, this relatively new phenomenon is here to stay!

Everyday, thousands of people join hundreds of online networking forums, communities, sites, clubs and virtual worlds. And here's why...

The US Presidential Election is upon us, and it's creating global interest on a number of levels. For a start, we'll either get the first African-American President or the first female Vice-President. Second, with the current financial crisis, it's fascinating how the candidates are raising and spending money. You have four seeds to sow in building your reputation - your time, your influence, your talent and your money. Let's take a look at how the money works in building your personal brand...

As we nose-dive into a real recession, almost everything gets squeezed. Yet, as I tell my clients, there are many things you can do in a downturn to take advantage of more thinking, developing and repositioning time. Here are 7 things you can do when times are hard and quiet.  Follow these 7 personal reputation building skills and you'll not only steal some market share from your competitors, you'll come out of the bad times stronger, leaner, quicker and better...

Ready for a couple of interesting statistics?

Around 50% of marriages fail.

Around 80% of businesses fail.

Now I’m not a marriage advisor, but I can tell you that pretty much all the business that fail, do so for one of two reasons:

1. Lack of marketing.
2. Lack of money.

And it stands to reason that if you don’t get the first one right, the second one is a dead cert! See, the world is full of technically-able people. There are great cake-makers, terrific life coaches, top accountants and lawyers, knowledgeable financial advisors and brilliant designers. However, if you can’t market yourself and what you do, you’ll always be scrambling with the crowd to get ahead.

Before every sale comes the marketing. Without it, you don’t get the people to sell to. You don’t create the opportunity to sell. You don’t source the prospects to sell to. Which, unless you are so good that people beat a path to your door, is a problem. You can’t get away from marketing. It’s the way you communicate to the world generally and to your target market in particular, the following three things:

1. You are open for business.
2. You are better than most at what you do.
3. People should choose you, above and beyond all of their other choices, when they need what you do.

It’s no good being the best kept secret in the world. And in today’s highly competitive world, it’s not good enough to be good enough! If you want to rise to the top of your field, and have all the benefits of wealth, status and opportunities that go with that, you need to be able to market yourself. When you get good at the marketing, the selling becomes a whole lot easier!

"The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose."

E. M. Gray

You can’t make partner in a law firm by simply being a good lawyer. You can’t rise to the top of your company be being simply efficient. You must be able so market yourself and your ideas. You must be able to communicate your vision and your opinions.

I see so many people who are so brilliant at their job, but struggle to make the impact they want to. When I work with people one to one on my personal coaching program, we focus on this self-marketing and reputation building so they get the opportunities they deserve. On purpose rather than by chance!

Make no mistake. When you get good at the marketing, the selling becomes a whole lot easier!

'You become effective when you become selective.'

Ever wondered why you don't get the results you want from your networking? Or why you don't get the referrals you want? It's because you get distracted! You live in a world of rapid change, overloaded demands and conflicting priorities. It's no wonder you don't build sufficient momentum in any one particular direction before being pulled away to another.

Just like the light from a torch shines everywhere but not very far, so your energies are dispersed very quickly when you spread yourself in too many directions. Contrast that to a laser beam that focuses a huge amount of energy in one particular direction. It can cut through steel!

Nothing is as potent as a focused life!

Prolific Christian author Bob Gass says that the men and women who make the biggest difference in life are the most focused:

Gass also quotes poet William Matthews:

If you know what you want, simply get moving on anything, however small, that will take you in that direction. Even better, get working on that task, that conversation or that event that will have the biggest impact on making your goal happen.

Trouble is, focus is difficult for most people. Even me. Which is why I practise it like a skill and work it like a muscle. Yes, I have off-days. But I know it's a discipline that I practise every day. Do you?

What many people don't realise about building relationships is that you've got to go out there and find them in the first place. New friends, customers and suppliers are not just going to land on your doorstep, unless your advertising and marketing is incredible. You need to be a little more proactive. Here are four of my best ideas to help you source and build the relationships you need for profit and success!

1. Take More Risks. Be brave. Take a chance! Approach a stranger. Who know what conversations lie on the other side of a courageous question? Who know what sales lie on the other side of a courageous close? Who knows what romance lies on the other side of a courageous approach?

"Nothing in life is worth having that doesn't lie on the other side of a risk"

Columbian proverb

2. Raise Your Profile. Get your name out there more. Let people know you're there. It doesn't serve your purpose to think small, and it doesn't help your cause to be the best kept secret in the world. Your strategy for survival is visibility, as on old mentor once taught me. Profile yourself with my three Ps - publish (books and articles), present (speaking, seminars) and party (networking).

3.  Keep In Touch. Stay connected after the initial connection. Many relationships are like the seed that falls on stony ground. They never take root, and never get the love, attention, water and nourishment they need to grow. Anyone can say hello once. It's finding reasons to stay in touch, finding ways to help and offer value, finding things in common that is the mark of a great relationship builder.

4.  Be A Connector. Be a conduit that people go through to get to others. Good mavens (as they are called) are good at joining the dots of people's careers, interests and desires. They make great introductions. If you can be a networking hub, people will come to you for advice on who to talk to for all kinds of things.

Get these right, and before too long, you'll be the talk of the town. Your business relationships will blossom and both your personal and company reputation will go sky high!