Does your company have brand equity? If so, people place more trust in your quality and a higher value on your offerings than on a no-name competitor's. If so, cachet of your brand envelops any new venture you launch right from start.

The general public believes "Made in Vermont" means "Made by humans, not faceless corporations." In contrast, according to brand experts, "Made in Connecticut" or "Made in Michigan" add no extra monetary worth to a product or service. If a state can be more than a state, you can stand for something too -- do you?

In building and guarding a brand, think first about what values you would like to stand for. Volvo has linked itself to safety, BMW to driving experience, Mercedes to luxury, Saturn to no-haggle buying. Marlboro stands for rugged individualism, Hallmark for warm and thoughtful relationships, Steinway for performance-level quality.

Recently a room full of consultants agreed that you had to meet with potential clients at least twice -- better, three times -- before winning business. "Then how do you get business outside area?" someone asked. The consensus: Forget it.

Yet I've been hired by companies in Australia and elsewhere without even phone calls, much less a face-to-face. Like nearly all my most congenial clients, they weren't choosing candidates to compare with one another. They weren't shopping, weren't engaged in a systematic search. If hunting, they stopped when they found me. Or they hadn't thought of spending money on their problem until my reputation gave them idea.

Publishing books, as I've done, is just one way to establish a reputation that pre-sells prospects on what you can do for them. For image consultant Mary Lou Andre of Needham, Massachusetts, a reputation-building tool has been her Web site. In addition to descriptions of her services, her site at http://www.dressingwell.com chronicles media publicity she's received and highlights her approach to fashion through profiles of prominent individuals and corporations that she's helped.