Unless you have lived in New York City, you probably think I'm joking when I say there are places where people pay $30 for a salad. But there are. And really, they aren't that much better than a $10 salad, but people are willing to pay for certain qualities that they deem valuable.
Your personal brand is a huge factor in your professional success. And like a salad, there are personal brands that people and companies are willing to pay $10 for, and then there are the $30 varieties. Wouldn't you want people to think you were worth paying the extra money for? The followings tips offer some quick advice about how you can be a $30 salad.
A $30 salad has to look amazing.
If you have the money to pay $30 dollars for a salad, you probably are worried about more than how it tastes. You want a $30 salad to not only taste good, but look exquisite. Spend some time on your personal branding presentation to make sure people can tell you are worth $30 by just looking at your brand.
The "right" people have to be eating the $30 salad.
That price tag pays for more than just a culinary status; it pays for a social status as well. People pay to be around the "right" people. Connections are one of the most important aspects of your personal brand, and if people know you attract the "right" people, they are much more likely to pay the higher price.
A $30 dollar salad has to look delicious on paper.
When you are looking at a menu and read the description of the $30 dollar salad it doesn't say "lettuce, cheese, and nuts". It says "fresh hand-picked iceberg lettuce, aged goat cheese, and slightly toasted pine nuts". It's not an exaggeration, it's just a better, more specific description. When people see your personal brand on paper, make sure they understand not only what your brand is, but why it is special.
A $30 salad has to live up to the hype.
You can get the right people to eat it, and make it look beautiful, but in the end, if a $30 salad isn't better than a $10 salad, people won't be willing to pay for it after the hype wears off. Your personal brand has to be a $30 dollar salad that is something special before, during, and after someone buys it.