So it's Friday evening. You're at a shindig that a couple of coworkers are throwing and you're mixing and mingling your way through the crowd, quietly sizing up who it is you have to kill to get a martini.

Clusters of people form around the ebb and flow of conversations. There's a fella with a raised voice, jumping about in an excited way. People swing over to see what the excitement is, and slowly edge away when they realize there is no excitement, the man's just annoying. A woman in a sleek and revealing dress has drawn an audience, but you can see from the leer in their eyes, not one of them is actually listening to her words. An argument has started over by one of the booths. Seems this guy thinks his way is the only way and he'll interrupt, shoot down or just plain slap around anyone who tells him different.

A dry martini has made its way into your hand and so you worm your way into one of the larger circles. There's an active conversation going on. People are talking. People are listening. It's late in the night before you realize how much time has flitted by and you withdraw from the circle with great reluctance. You exchange numbers with everyone and agree that, yes, we simply must do this again.

The market is the party.
Your brand is the conversation.

Be honest with yourself - are you the life of the party, or are you just a boor. Is anyone thinking 'we must do this again?' If not - can you expect to be in business much longer?