1. Do you have unique expertise now? Package it into marketable products and/or services. . .

2. Are you without unique expertise? Find a cutting-edge 21st century niche in which you can make yourself world expert. (See 6, below.) Buy all books on your chosen niche. Subscribe to journals, newsletters, magazines addressing your specialty. Identify and join associations in that field. Attend their meetings and conferences. Become a sponge, an information vacuum cleaner. Buy educational cassettes. Take copious notes. Organize your research. Then synthesize your own new understandings. These are your original findings. Now, prepare your first off-the-shelf products and/or services.

3. Create a unique, benefit-laced name for your operating entity. Ideally, make name one that implies benefits and promises. For example, when I created my entity, I named it Personal Achievement Institute. Conceive exciting prose that tells prospects "What's in this for me." Provide solid reasons why anyone should listen to you. Brainstorm. Let your intuition help you identify those reasons.

What about your product and/or service? Let me give you as an example, name I created for what I primarily market: I call it Speaking Success System. Notice implication of a benefit and a promise.

Here's one more example; When I conceived a unique e-zine for speakers and aspiring speakers, I named it Speaking Biz Success Letter. Engage these principles to create your own unique names.

Within most corporate environments there is a focus on achieving tangible results. Internal activities that support achievement of results, but do not produce results directly, are often overlooked and undervalued. The HR function can often be caught in this situation. How do you ensure other managers appreciate your contribution?

From a marketing perspective it is important to accept adage "perception IS reality". The issue of perception is always relative, and customer is always right (because it is their perception that matters).

Customer groups for a human resources manager may be as varied as trainees, executives, board members, employee representatives and general staff. It is important to recognise different needs of each customer group and manage their expectations and perceptions.

It is a fact of corporate life that 'getting numbers' is important. Managers accept this and often judge corporate activities by how they contribute towards achieving business objectives.

How many HR practitioners can identify "real business problems" that are being targeted by their activities. Are these problems important to senior management? Can you quantify results? HR services will be more highly valued when they can clearly demonstrate a meaningful contribution towards 'getting numbers'.

In a former role I was fortunate to have an experienced staff trainer reporting to me. Let's call her Sue. One day Sue approached me with concerns about perception other managers held about value she was providing to organisation. Sue had trained hundreds of company personnel and customer's retail staff but still could not articulate how her activities related to achieving companies objectives. This doubt had started to affect her own perception of her services and adversely impact her self-esteem.