Have you signed up for ASSAP 2008 yet? Remember, the first 100 to register will receive this free book from Brenda Bence, and there aren't many left! Register soon and we'll reserve this book just for you!

With the theme 'Forward Moving', ASSAP 2008 has some fabulous speakers whose presentations you will find enriching, entertaining and energising! After ASSAP 2008, you will be ready to rev up your engines and move forward confidently into a future packed with potential!

Topics at ASSAP 2008 include confident interpersonal skills, cross-cultural effectiveness, building relationships, developing your creativity, crafting your personal brand at work, communicating clearly, using NLP to achieve your goals, as well as personal effectiveness.

It's set to be the event of the year for PAs, secretaries, executive assistants, admin managers, co-ordinators, supervisors, all admin, clerical and support staff - and that means YOU! You can't afford NOT to attend ASSAP 2008.

Check out the brand new ASSAP 2008 website and register now!

Workshop A at ASSAP 2008 is Brenda Bence's MASTERING THE BRAND CALLED YOU^TM. This unique one-day workshop reveals how you can craft and communicate your personal brand at work for greater career success.

This photograph was taken in Bangkok recently when I attended the launch of Brenda's new book, so I took the opportunity to ask her a few questions about personal branding.

"Do we really need a personal brand?"

Not only do you need a personal brand, but you already have a personal brand. The way others perceive, think, and feel about you is your personal brand - whether you like it or not. Does this knowledge excite you, or make you a bit nervous?

If you're not completely in charge of your personal brand, it may be running amuck, creating an image that isn't what you want it to be. That's why the answer is to this question above is: "Yes, absolutely, you need a personal brand!"

"So how do I create my own personal brand?"

Your personal brand must be one that YOU^TM define and that YOU^TM control. When your boss, colleagues, or best customer needs the best person for the job, YOU^TM will be the first person who comes to mind. That's what personal branding can do for you, and it translates into you earning more, doing more, and being more at work.

So, grab the reins of your personal brand before it runs off without you, and get started building YOU^TM.

"Is Personal Branding all about self-promotion?"

No, this couldn't be further from the truth! True personal branding is not superficial. It's more about understanding who you - and, therefore, YOU^TM - are. That's right - the trademarked you. This is how YOU^TM are like shampoo. But just like in corporate branding, no matter how much money a company spends on marketing its brands, product brands aren't all about promotion either.

Neither corporate branding nor personal branding is about creating a façade. Any company that produces a product that doesn't deliver on its promises has developed a very short-lived product in the marketplace.

Just as corporate branding is about zeroing in on the product's benefits for its customers, personal branding is about zeroing in on your greatest talents, strengths, and character traits. When someone needs the perfect person for the job, they'll know immediately that you're the person to call upon. Why? Because you have learned how to successfully define and communicate your personal brand. Just like we all know Volvo is about safety, and Starbucks is about a rewarding coffee experience, so everyone will know exactly who YOU^TM are and what YOU^TM have to offer.

Self-promotion is part of the process of personal branding, but only a part. Indeed, promoting your personal brand may not be what you think! Communicating your personal brand to the people who most affect your career is essential, but it can also be subtle. You don't have to boast about what you can offer or send self-congratulatory emails.

In fact, no one has to know you're creating your personal brand at all. They'll simply become more aware of the contribution you can make in the workplace. Your value will increase without anyone necessarily becoming aware that you have consciously and deliberately worked toward making that happen.

"How can I create a great personal brand?"

How? By following the three key steps every successful corporate brand must follow:
1) Define it, using the six elements of a personal brand definition,
2) Communicate it, by putting into action the five activities you do every day that most clearly communicate your personal brand, and
3) Avoid damaging it, by being aware of what I call "Personal Brand Busters^TM."
By doing so, you won't be marketing yourself in an obvious or intrusive way. You'll simply become more as you make sure define and communicate your personal brand in an unobtrusive way. Your boss, colleagues and customers will begin to notice YOU^TM more and more, and will begin to count on you to deliver in the areas that you have defined for your personal brand.

"What does this mean for me?"

It means that you can apply the How YOU^TM are like Shampoo system to create a personal brand that is absolutely right for who you truly are, without feeling like you're promoting yourself 24/7. You can stand out at work without the discomfort of bragging or constantly blowing your own horn. True personal branding allows you to increase your profile and become known in a natural way for what you do best.

Now, that doesn't feel like self-promotion, does it?

Find out more about Brenda's one-day workshop 'Mastering the Brand Called YOU^TM. How you can craft and communicate your personal brand at work for greater career success.'

Brenda Bence is founder and President of BDA International, Ltd, a firm which helps companies and individuals build growth-oriented corporate and personal brands. She is author if the book How YOU^TM are like Shampoo: The breakthrough Personal Branding System based on proven big-brand marketing methods to help you earn more, do more, and be more at work. For more information, visit www .HowYOUAreLikeShampoo.com or www.BrendaBence.com