I’m now into my third month at HTG, working as a Solutions Specialist for TBC Gold Coast. During my time here, I’ve come to learn so much about myself as well as the company. In particular, I’ve learned a lot about building personal brands and building rapport in the workplace.
Your personal brand is the means by which people remember you. All of us have our own personal brand and the means to harness this power to stand out and be unique. Here are my top tips on how to develop your brand in the office.
Figure Out Your Strengths
Personally, my strength is being able to talk to absolutely any customer. Regardless of whether they are older, younger, rude, friendly, or have significant or small problems, I always strive to leave my customers with a smile on their faces. You might share this trait, or maybe you have a short fuse. It’s up to you to figure out your strengths and play to them!
Be Friendly
Being friendly makes you approachable and more likely to leave great first impressions. What I find works best for me while working in customer service is treating customers as a friend. Doing so helps build rapport, as customers are sure to know I care about their needs and problems. With this simple tip alone, I have already accumulated returned customers.
Represent Yourself
I like to think of every single customer interaction as an opportunity to not only represent my company but also as an opportunity to represent myself. Taking pride in everything I do makes life more enjoyable and makes me more willing to go the extra mile for my customers. Doing so also makes customers feel like they can pass my name on to their family and friends, which helps build my network of customers.
Values
People connect and build bonds (a.k.a rapport) when they establish trust. These bonds and trust are formed when you discover you share one another’s values and priorities in life.
My own values mean a lot to me as my mother instilled them. She has always told me to treat others how you want them to treat you, and I think about that quote every single time I receive a customer complaint. I make sure to genuinely listen to them because I can understand why they would be mad.
Furthermore, a goal of mine is to set up an organisation that supports children who come from broken homes or are experiencing bullying. Doing so has always been something close to my heart. I believe working for HTG and being a part of a company with strong family values and learning further is pointing me in the right direction to achieve my goal!
Be sure to check out HTG’s current openings if you’re looking to grow within a company with excellent family values!
Annastasia Brown