Start "Branding" You
Start "Branding" You
Branding is a primary way to attract business. It is an expression of your identity through various strategies you use to create the perception that your services are the only solution to someone's problems. If you're in a practice or a business-even if you're just in the job market occasionally-you need to know something about branding.
It's not simply about showing how you're different from your competitors. It's about having your clients or prospects believe that what you offer is exactly the solution they need.
If I meet someone at a party or gathering, tell him during our conversation that I'm a great coach for anyone who sells a service, and ask him if he would like to work with me, I'm engaging in direct marketing.
If he comes across the room at that party and says to me, "I hear that you're a great coach for anyone who sells a service, and I'd like to work with you," I've successfully branded my business.
To brand yourself and your work, you need to take three preliminary steps:
1. Select a Target Market. Who do you most want to work with or for? As a professional, a consultant, or a service business owner, you will have more success if you become an expert in the needs of one particular narrow target market-teenagers, "Boomers," families, entrepreneurs, landscaping contractors, retirees, ADD adults, etc. It's aiming a high-powered rifle to bring down one prized wild turkey after another, rather than shooting up hundreds of pounds of buckshot in the hope of hitting something.
2. Identify one to three "core needs." What are their biggest problems or needs? Obviously, you want to talk about the needs that you have solutions for. Your typical client may need dental work, but if you have a house cleaning service, this isn't a core need you can use.
3. Design your unique solutions. Why will people or businesses in your target market buy the services they need from you and not your competitors? Clients like "packages." If the solutions you provide are not unique, start thinking about ways to package them to make them unique. If you're just another white crayon in a box of white crayons, there's no good reason to use your services. Be the red crayon in the box.
In 1994, in The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote: "If you can, be first. If you can't be first, create a new category in which you can be first." FedEx is the one to use "when it absolutely, positively has to be there over night." When are you the one to use?
Start Branding You - To learn more about this author, visit Sandy Schussel's Website.
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"Can you hear me now?"
Branding is a primary way to attract business. It is an expression of your identity through various strategies you use to create the perception that your services are the only solution to someone's problems. If you're in a practice or a business-even if you're just in the job market occasionally-you need to know something about branding.
It's not simply about showing how you're different from your competitors. It's about having your clients or prospects believe that what you offer is exactly the solution they need.
If I meet someone at a party or gathering, tell him during our conversation that I'm a great coach for anyone who sells a service, and ask him if he would like to work with me, I'm engaging in direct marketing.
If he comes across the room at that party and says to me, "I hear that you're a great coach for anyone who sells a service, and I'd like to work with you," I've successfully branded my business.
To brand yourself and your work, you need to take three preliminary steps:
1. Select a Target Market. Who do you most want to work with or for? As a professional, a consultant, or a service business owner, you will have more success if you become an expert in the needs of one particular narrow target market-teenagers, "Boomers," families, entrepreneurs, landscaping contractors, retirees, ADD adults, etc. It's aiming a high-powered rifle to bring down one prized wild turkey after another, rather than shooting up hundreds of pounds of buckshot in the hope of hitting something.
2. Identify one to three "core needs." What are their biggest problems or needs? Obviously, you want to talk about the needs that you have solutions for. Your typical client may need dental work, but if you have a house cleaning service, this isn't a core need you can use.
3. Design your unique solutions. Why will people or businesses in your target market buy the services they need from you and not your competitors? Clients like "packages." If the solutions you provide are not unique, start thinking about ways to package them to make them unique. If you're just another white crayon in a box of white crayons, there's no good reason to use your services. Be the red crayon in the box.
In 1994, in The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Al Ries and Jack Trout wrote: "If you can, be first. If you can't be first, create a new category in which you can be first." FedEx is the one to use "when it absolutely, positively has to be there over night." When are you the one to use?
Start Branding You - To learn more about this author, visit Sandy Schussel's Website.
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Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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