Take Your Business To The Next Level By Building It Into A Brand

/in /by

Take Your Business To The Next Level By Building It Into A BrandPhoto courtesy of The Blue Diamond Gallery

You may have your own business, but do you have a brand?

Branding is an important step forward for businesses. A strong brand name can make you stand out. Building a brand is important to develop a reputation. It can also help you branch out to other business endeavours.

For example, think of some of the brands you know. Levis are known for producing high-quality jeans and other casual wear. Virgin are known for their worldwide operations in a number of industries, from travel to banking.

Here are some of the most important steps to building your business into a brand.

Register Your Brand

Before doing anything else, you will want to decide on a brand name and legally protect it. This involves registering your brand name as a trademark. The two most important aspects to registering your brand name as a trademark are making sure it is available and recognizable.

You don’t want to build your business up under one name just to find out it is already taken by another business. Before building your brand up, check your brand name is available and sets you apart from other companies.

Also make it recognizable. A punchy name that people will remember is more appropriate. Nike may not have had the same success if they called themselves ‘Athletic Gear For You’.

Next, Secure Your Trademark by registering your brand name. Be sure to check your brand name availability and protect your trademark.

Use Clever Marketing

Now you have your brand name, you need to market it. Using ad campaigns can get your name out there, let customers know what you offer and start to build a reputation for yourself.

The most widely known companies use advertising just to push their brand name, as they are already known for their products. For example, think of how prominent the Coca-Cola Christmas Adverts are.

Television advertising isn’t the only way to go. Many companies now turn to internet marketing to get their name out there. Try getting your brand name onto blogs related to your field. Even just getting on social media can be a good way to create a following around your brand.

Marketing is the best way to build a buzz around your brand, so make sure to use it.

Keep Customers Happy

Customers associate brand names with the quality of products and services they provide. Therefore, it is important to make sure your brand name has a positive connotation for customers.

Make sure you practise good customer service. If a customer has a complaint, do what you can to resolve the issue in a way that will make them appreciate your brand. Sometimes refunds and free goodies can pay off, as bad customer reviews can hurt your brand image.

You should also find ways to interact with customers. Social media brings you closer to customers, and can also allow you to respond to queries. You can also post competitions and offers to get customers excited and draw more in.

Overall, you want a strong, recognizable brand name that is known for quality products and good customer service. Make use of these tips and start building your brand.

Writing a Great Headline for Your Advertisement!

/in , /by

There is no denying the fact that the success of an advertisement lies mostly in the headline. The headline should grab the reader by the collar and make him want to read the rest of the advertisement. The headline should be simply catchy and various key points should be embedded when deciding on the headline for the ad.

The headline should catch attention of the eye at the first glance. Words in headlines should act as tags for the advertisement. It should say it all about the content that follows. If a company is selling reasonably priced furniture, the headline of their advertisement should be “Durable Furniture for Less Price”. This headline will attract the right customers who are on a look out for durable furniture as well as low cost furniture. If the customers to be reached belong to a category that are interested in decorating their house with beautiful furniture and aren’t concerned about the price to get the right look, then the headline can be something like this: “Change How Your House Looks by Our Oriental Furniture”. Anything other than the prospects should not be included in the headline. If both men and women can use a product, both of them should be referred to in the title, missing out even one of the category is like losing a huge number of potential customers.

The title should be an instant product seller. According to a research, five times more readers read just the headline when compared to those who read the complete advertisement. So the investment is of no use, if the title isn’t good enough to sell the product. There can be a possibility that the content of the ad isn’t strong enough. All the harm can be undone by having a powerful headline.

The headline should be centered on the product and not the company that is selling the product. The customer’s interest should be reflected and he should feel that he is directly addressed. Start with “you” and not “we”. So if the client specified mentioning the company’s name, don’t start the sentence with it. For example, instead of writing “Tylenol – Solution for a Severe Cold”, write “Got a Severe Cold? Try Tylenol”. Never forget to mention the name of the product in the headline. The product name should be of top priority.

A snapshot of the benefits of the product should be given in the headline. This is an important quality of a well-phrased headline. The customers look out for advantages when he thinks of buying a product. Keywords like whiter teeth, nutritious cereals, or miraculous growth should be incorporated in the title.

If including all these factors have made the headline long, remember to write the product advantages in bold. If a visual is placed in the advertisement, it will be a good complement. As a picture can speak a thousand words. But care should be taken that the headline should say some part of the story and the visual should say the rest. Don’t repeat the headline or the picture.

Too much cleverness should not be applied to design a headline. There are nearly five hundred advertisements in a local newspaper on weekends. A regular reader reads the headings of all of them. He will be able to classify between a false heading and a genuine heading. No false promises or information should be included in the headline. Excessively smart headlines are good for award competitions, but don’t really work with the savvy customers.

The headline should give out a positive feeling to the reader. Negativity should be totally excluded as it not only creates a negative impression but the mind will also be not receptive friendly. It sometimes confuses the mind and it interprets a negative meaning of the message being delivered. Confidence should be reflected in the headline. Don’t include any doubtful words like “if” and “but”. Conditional phrases are a strict no. The sentence should be in present tense, instead of past or future.

About the Author

John MontanaJohn Montana has been a successful salesman since 1990. He currently lives with his wife and travels between Chicago and Los Angeles. He created his site – ABMSNOW to offer tips and ideas on how to become better at selling… no matter what your product is.

Purpose Point of View

/in /by

No matter which way you turn, the focus on ‘purpose’ is everywhere. Whether it’s Mark Zuckerberg joining Bill Gates and Warren Buffet in a Giving Pledge, the six biggest global communications firms putting differences aside in a U.N. Common Ground Initiative pledging to eliminate poverty worldwide, to the rise of socially conscious companies embedding sustainability in all processes, purpose has broken the sound barrier among the business and popular media, forward-thinking magazines and business school curricula.

However, to mistakenly think purpose is something pursued only by socially conscious individuals and organizations or ‘in addition to our day job’ is to miss the point entirely. Purpose is that simple, yet powerful, human impulse to improve the lives of others or make a difference in the world. Purpose catalyzes behaviors from simple acts of service to a focus on professional excellence. It drives large efforts from spearheading a movement to bringing a game-changing product or technology to market. It animates us as people and fuels organizational innovation, value creation, and growth. Whether or not they understand the forces driving it, the smartest organizations are putting purpose at the top of their agendas—and those that ignore it, do so at their peril.

Most of us find our foundation for purpose, meaning and place in the world in our families, places of worship and institutions of higher learning. But these early roots of purpose are naturally challenged as we enter the workforce, where we spend the vast majority of our waking hours as adults. As technology rapidly brings us into the broader world – and the world into our living rooms – for many it brings with it a sense of loss of control and a corresponding disruption in our sense of identity and place. People yearn for some semblance of order to be restored and a greater connection to how they fit in this new world. The growing unease from this constant disruption is fueling a strong need for purpose, meaning and connectedness at all levels—individually, socially and in the workplace.

In fact, a recent Korn Ferry global survey of 1,000 executives finds that when it comes to what matters most, purpose trumps money. Only 3 percent of respondents said their personal principal driver at work was pay/financial rewards, while 73 percent cited that their primary driver was work that has purpose and meaning.

At its core, capitalism has never been a mechanism solely for the production of profit. Aside from hedge funds, risk arbitrage, FX traders and other derivatives solely established to make money on the margins, no company that sells a product or a service of any sort was founded strictly to turn a profit. People start companies with an idea, a discovery, a notion or some other impetus to bring some thing or service to the market place. And those people figured they could also make money doing it. Purpose is integral to corporate DNA and is ‘woven into the fabric of capitalism.’ (Huffington, Davos, January 2016).

However that’s not to say purpose can’t drive profit. In that same executive survey, more than two-thirds of respondents (70 percent) agreed to a great extent that there is a long-term financial benefit to companies that make strong commitments to purpose-driven leadership.

The key to long-term success is to stay focused on purpose and what really matters. Companies that begin with good stewardship must continue to stay true to their mission, vision and values as they grow, mature and reinvent themselves. Much like your current image when compared to a childhood photo, companies bear a resemblance to their former, nascent selves. It’s when organizations lose their connection to this original intent and customer focus that they lose their way. They cast about searching for a toehold by rebranding or restructuring with no meaningful understanding of how and why they exist. A collective amnesia about why they exist and whom they serve sets in and confounds the focus of the business.

In the end, establishing a line of sight into organizational purpose is a leader’s job – not just once as part of a visioning exercise – but rather continually incorporating purpose into every moment and process of leadership. To optimally engage business performance, personal, team and organizational purpose must be aligned.

About the Author

Janet FeldmanJanet Feldman is a Managing Principal for Korn Ferry Leadership and Talent Consulting, based in the Firm’s Minneapolis office.

As an executive coach, former licensed psychologist and certified public accountant, Ms. Feldman brings over three decades of experience advising C-suite and other senior executives. Her broad business knowledge and acumen bring insight and clarity to complex leadership issues.

Leadership Lessons from the United States Naval Academy – Staying Informed of Current Events

/in , /by

StrategyDriven Leadership Lessons from the United States Naval Academy ArticleOrganizations operate within the context of their environment; the military being no different than civilian businesses. During their plebe (freshman) year at the United States Naval Academy, midshipmen are required to read two news and one sports page article each day in order to remain up-to-date on those current events impacting our nation and its military. Plebes are tested on their news selections and overall knowledge by upper classmen to ensure they are both conversant and understand the importance of the newsworthy events. Thus, plebes have impressed upon them the value of remaining aware of current events.

Hi there! Gain access to this article with a FREE StrategyDriven Insights Library – Sample Subscription. It’s FREE Forever with No Credit Card Required.

Sign-up now for your FREE StrategyDriven Insights Library – Sample Subscription

In addition to receiving access to Leadership Lessons from the United States Naval Academy – Staying Informed of Current Events, you’ll help advance your career and business programs through anytime, anywhere access to:

  • A sampling of dozens of Premium how-to documents across 7 business functions and 28 associated programs
  • 2,500+ Expert Contributor management and leadership articles
  • Expert advice provided via StrategyDriven’s Advisors Corner

Best of all, it’s FREE Forever with No Credit Card Required.

Access the Article Now!

Return to the Leadership Lessons from the United States Naval Academy Forum

About the Author

is a StrategyDriven Principal and Class of 1992 graduate from the United States Naval Academy. For over twenty years, he has served as trusted advisor to executives and managers at dozens of Fortune 500 and smaller companies in the areas of management effectiveness, organizational development, and process improvement. To read Nathan’s complete biography, click here.

The proposal and the sale are miles apart

/in /by

“Sounds good, send me a proposal.” How many times have you heard that? Too many. So you run back to your office, put together a proposal, send it to the prospect, and start the follow-up process (and the prayer vigil).

Or do you?

REALITY: The sale should be solidified BEFORE the proposal is written. Your proposal should be the essence of what has been decided by you and your prospect. It should solidify the sale.

How many proposals do you win – how many did you lose? If you lose way more proposals than you win, it’s much more than just the proposal. It’s the proposal process.

Count the wins. Count the losses. That’s the scorecard baby. Your scorecard. Ouch.

AND when you win proposals, how profitable are they? Are you telling your boss, “Hey let’s go in real low on this one so we can get the business, and then six months from now, boy we can really lose some money.” Ouch.

REALITY: Once you lower the price, customers expect a low price all the time.

Proposals are there because buyers think they’ll get the lowest price or the best deal by pitting one company against the other. Your job is to make yourself a winner BEFORE the proposal happens by creating conditions or terms that preclude others from either bidding or winning.

The first thing you need to do is determine if it’s a price proposal or a value proposal. If they’re going to take the lowest price only, you’re going to lose, even if you win. Because the lowest price is the lowest profit. It may even be no profit.

So the challenge is, can you create a profitability formula or a productivity formula, measured against what you do, that sets a standard for the proposal. A formula that your competition must meet or exceed regardless of initial price.

You need to convince your buyer that there’s a long term cost, not simply a short term price.

Are they are buying your price only — taking the lowest bid? If so, they only need a one sentence proposal, and you don’t need me.

Try this: – Don’t do it… at first. When someone asks me for a proposal the first thing I say to them is no. That always shocks people. And besides, proposals are a pain in the butt.

I ask the person if they were taking notes. They say, “Yes.” I say, “Well, let me just sign the notes.” I continue by saying all we really need to do is pick a date to begin. And 30% of the time the prospect will say, “You’re right.”

The other 70% of the time the prospect will insist on a proposal. But I’ve just won 30% of the business without submitting a paper. And there’s a reason for this. I have sales balls and you may not.

The reason proposals are there is to lower risk to the buyer, and potentially to lower the cost. But in the final analysis many proposals can be eliminated if your prospect feels that your price is fair, and that their risk is low.

If the risk is low and the reward is high then the answer is always obvious.

Before the decision is made, it’s important to your customer that they know what your product or service will be like AFTER it’s been delivered. This will take away all risks and all fear. And it may also take away the price-only-decision process.

The key words are: value messages on video testimonials.

Customers only buy for an hour or two, but they may use for years. So you say to your customer, “Mr. Jones, I’d like to add a clause to the proposal that insists on proof of salespeople’s claims. And so I am asking you to require five testimonials in video form so that you’ll know any claim a salesperson makes has been validated by a customer, and it’s not just a sales pitch or a proposal.”

The video testimonial is a powerful piece of support. And depending upon the quality can be the difference between sale and no sale.

2.5 thoughts on testimonials:

1. Testimonials reduce the risk of purchase.
2. Testimonials are the only proof you’ve got.
2.5 Testimonials MUST be included in every proposal.

Winning proposals are solidified by dynamic sales presentations. Proposals should be the solidifying factor, not the sales pitch. The proposal should document what has been said and agreed. The proposal should confirm the sale and all the claims you made about it. Does yours?

Your proposal process is not a regurgitation of your price list. It is not a document to see how much of your profit you can give away. It is not something you prepare to beat the competition.

Your proposal is the gateway earned business. It solidifies a value-driven sales presentation that begins or extends a relationship where everyone profits. The minute you low ball a price, you’ve gone from a relationship sale to transactional sale and the next person who low balls your price will beat you. And beat themselves.

Don’t just win the proposal.

Win the value. Win the profit. And win the relationship.

Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer.

About the Author

Jeffrey GitomerJeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or email him personally at [email protected].