Marketing Talks: "Meet the Speakers" with Petra Wüst

The next marketing talk from MK and Advertising Week will take place on June 25 at Kosmos Zurich (all details you can find here). We present the four top-class speakers in individual portraits - this week it's the turn of Petra Wüst, self-branding expert and bestselling author.

Important professional milestones and trivia: Petra Wüst has been working intensively in the field of self-branding and self-marketing for over 15 years and has published several books on the subject with Orell Füssli (see below). Her big dream, however, is to write a crime novel. Her idol for this: Agatha Christie.

To be found on the net: Best about your own Homepage.

Important publications: "Profile makes a career. With self-branding to professional success"; "Shy was yesterday: The key to more charisma, self-confidence and joie de vivre"; "Be bold, wild and wonderful: 12 courageous steps for women who want more". All are published by Orell Füssli.

MK: Petra Wüst, we are now going to ask you five "either/or" questions. Please answer them as briefly and concisely as possible. Are you...

...consensus fan or agent provocateur? 

Petra Wüst: I'm more the consensus type. I'm provocative and biting when it comes to gender issues, equality and sexism. I'm provocative and supportive with my clients when I want to get them out of their shell and make them think.

...creative or analytical? 

Both! I love analysis and am extremely structured. I then let off steam creatively within this structure.

...country lover or city romantic?  

I am a city dweller through and through. That's why I've lived in the old town for over 20 years, formerly in Winterthur, now in Basel.

...tough in tone but gentle in substance - or gentle in tone but tough in substance?

The second. "Hard on the matter and soft on the relationship" is an inner attitude that I find very helpful, for example when it comes to asserting myself or saying "No!

...career planner or content with (professional) coincidences?  

I think about where I want to go in the long term and plan the big steps. After that, I also like to let myself be guided by unplanned opportunities on the way to my goals.

What do you associate with the term "authenticity"?  

Authenticity is very important for a successful brand. Because people only buy what is genuine. Fake doesn't stand a chance. What's more, we humans have a need to present ourselves as we perceive ourselves - and to be seen and accepted by others in the same way. And that only works if we are authentic. Branding is not a concert of wishes. My brand is based on what I have and not on what I would like to be. So it's not about inventing or copying something, but about finding my own. My core.

What role does authenticity play in your daily work? 

I deal with very different people every day in my workshops and coaching sessions. I can only get them excited about the topic of self-branding if I live it myself. That is the best compliment for me: when my audience says that I live what I teach.  

How much honesty can a (personal) brand take - and where should you rather rely on standardized formulas?  

That depends on how much headwind you can tolerate. If you sharpen your profile, you have rough edges - and you can also get a bit offended. If we want to be seen, we have to live with the fact that not everyone likes us. Because if you want to be everything for everyone, you're not right for anyone. Realizing and living this can be painful at times. However, it is essential for a strong ego brand and the desired professional success. However, honesty ends where I harm myself.

The golden rule of self-marketing is: don't put yourself down. Don't talk badly about yourself and your performance if you don't have to. This means, of course, addressing serious mistakes and trying to improve. But weaknesses that hardly anyone would notice unless you explicitly point them out are okay to keep quiet about.  

If you are now interested in our event, you can find here the Xing login tool. There you will also find the other speakers of the evening - so it's worth a click!