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The Power of Being Different

Lesson 8: Writing your Declaration of Personal Independence.

Tom Peters writes in The Brand You 50 (1999), " How do you--probably still on a big company payroll--take your f-i-r-s-t steps toward Psychological Independence? Write your own [...] Declaration of Personal Independence (DPI)". (p. 16)

Peters gives a few ideas on how to write the DPI by suggesting to consider the following contents:

¯     Who are you

¯     What is your product?

¯     How is it special?

¯     How is it different from others? similar offerings?

¯     How can I demonstrate its trustworthiness?

¯     How can I demonstrate I'm "with it"?/contemporary?

¯     How can I demonstrate "cool"? (p. 66)

Peters calls for you to work on your skills. Seriously! Every skill you need to reach your goal, to live your mission statement, to make your vision statement real, should be mastered.

He prepares us that "the harder you work at this" the bigger the payoff. In the world of branding, there are layers, upon layers upon layers of meaning to get translated into the Lasting Value Proposition.

According to Peters, here is what the essentials are in your Lasting Value Proposition:

It combines for the likes of us:

(1)   A growing skill base (the stuff you know);

(2)   A proven track record (project implementation that sticks);

(3)   Managed word-of-mouth reputation (client testimony, seminars conducted at local trade shows, your web Site);

(4)   Dressing for Success (how do you and your calling card look?);

(5)   Speaking skills (join Toastmasters--today); and

(6)   The illusive but all-important issue of character (in the end you are "selling" the Essence-of-You). (1999, p. 66)

As you may have recognized, the mission statement, the vision statement, as well as the strengths you've formulated in previous lessons, are invaluable here.

 

 

 

Almost there! Here's: Lesson 9