Learn how to to Build a Personal Brand, Network a Live Event, Hunt for Prospects, Write Proposals, and Close the Sale. This lecture was presented to students at the University of Toronto's 3rd Year 'New Venture Planning and Creation' course, courtesy Professor Chris Bovaird. The presentation was delivered by Dev Basu, CEO of Powered by Search, a Toronto based Search Engine Optimization, Paid Search, Social Media Marketing agency.

1. Personal Branding 101
Why You > Your Degree.
@devbasu www.devbasu.com
future of the newspaper industry series
Dev Basu

2. This lecture is for you
if you want
• To Be Your Own Boss
• Learn How to Network
• Build Your Own Personal Brand
• First Mover Advantages
• And More $$$$. Period.

3. Hey Its Me – Dev!
Employee -> Entrepreneur
CEO @
Professional Speaker
Full Time Student and Your Hommie.
I Love:
Internet Marketing Building and Growing a
Business. From the Ground Up.
Networking, Prospecting and Closing.
Helping Other People. Everyday.

4. Clients I’ve Worked With Via Personal Branding

5. Build Your Brand
+
Networking
+
The Sales
How Do I Process
Market Myself ?

6. Who Was
Time
Magazine’s
Person of the
Year in 2006?

7. Personal Branding

8. From Who Am I to Here’s Who I AM
• Discover Your Passions
Discovery • Create Your Brand
• Communicate Your Brand
Marketing • Market it All Day. Every Day.
• Listen For Feed Back
Maintenance • Maintain Your Brand
Branding Process

9. Figuring Out What You’re Good At
o Writing
o Speaking
o Thinking
o Collaborating
o Working Alone
o Working in a Team Environment
o Being Creative
o Being Analytical
Find Your Passion

10. Branding on the Cheap
o Buy out www.YourName.com - $9.99
o Create a Free Blog with a Portfolio = Free
o Get Free Business Cards – devbasu.com/bizcards
o Get Your Facebook URL – Facebook./Yourname
o Get Your Twitter URL – Twitter.com/Yourname
o Practice Your Elevator Pitch
o Write An About Me Page
o Create a Portfolio of Your Volunteer or Paid Work.
o Create a 1 Minute Video Resume.
Create Your Brand

11. How to Become an Expert
X 10,000 Hours = Expert Status
Marketing Le Brand

12. Google Knows All
Brand Monitoring

13. How to Network @ a Live Event

14. How to Work a Crowd... Or Be A
o “Never Doubt the Day You Considered
Transitioning from Fitting in To Standing Out”
– Drake, Hip Hop Artist.
o Know Your Audience
o Pick the Right Targets
o Pick A Circle, Any Circle, Listen to the Conversation.
o Jump in with an Insightful Comment.
o Make Eye Contact.
o Never Be Afraid to Shake Hands.
o Everyone Else is Feeling Just as Awkward as You Are.
o Chickening Out Defeats Your Purpose in Attending the Event.
Smooth Criminal

15. But What If I’m Scared of Public Speaking?
o “I have a problem. I’m an introvert. I’m not
shy. I’m not afraid of being in public. But I
am horrible at chit-chat and gossip.”
For the Introvert...

16. Networking En Masse
o Get A Profile
o Populate It
o Add Contacts
o Request New Ones
o Join Groups
o Ask for
Recommendations
Web 2.0 Networking

17. Finding Work As a Freelance media is a great tool
Customer Service. social
to connect with customers and find out what’s
Consultant bothering them!
Proposals, Pitches, and Prospecting

18. Step 1: Prospecting
o Who is a Prospect? An Individual who has the
$$$ + Need + Decision Making Power to Pay
You!
o Online Job Boards – Odesk.com, Craigslist, Guru.com,
o Find them All by Googling „Monster List of Freelance Job Sites‟.
o Ask Your Family First, Friends Second, Acquaintances Third.
o Partner with Graduate Students – Like Me, Jet Cooper, Etc.
o Offer to Work for Free = Low Expectations
Finding Work

19. Step 2: The Sales Pitch
o The Overtones
o The Undertones
o The AfterTaste
o Focus on Benefits NOT Features
o Talk on Your Prospects Level – It‟s Web Design..Not CMS Based
Web Development on an Opensource PHP Platform.
o Listen 2X as Much As You Talk.
o Name Drop. A Little.
o Practice Framing + Repetition. Eg: “So What You‟re Saying is…”
o Set Clear Action Items and Followup Dates
Pitching

20. Step 3: Proposal Writing
o Short
o Succinct
o Benefits Driven…
o Exec Summary -> Company Intro-> Problem Defn. -> Solution
o Phrasing Matters -> It‟s an Investment, Not a Cost.
o Call Your Prospect to Go Over Your Proposal
o Leave Full Contact Info on Your Proposal.
o Follow Up – Always. Tada!
Pitching

21. Step 4: Closing the Sale
o A Close is Can be a YES or a NO. The Goal is to Eliminate the
Maybe.
o Ask the Right Questions
o LEAD the Prospect by Eliminating Subliminal Objections
o Ask Questions They Can‟t Help But Agree With.
o The Cost vs Value Proposition.
o Creative Pricing Techniques.
o What Price is it?? How Much do You Charge? …. Just Say Mr.
Prospect if You Aren‟t Satisfied with Our Solution, It‟s No Cost at
All.
Secrets of Closing

22. The most important part of social media is the social part. It’s all about the people
People Shop Similarities
But Buy The
Differences.

23. Thank you
Reach Me At – dev@devbasu.com