The Benefit of Branding: ncrease your sales and promote your
product by building a solid brand
Without a doubt you'll agree that the key to successful selling
is promotion. You need to get your name and your product out
there. You want the press, your colleagues and your prospective
clients to know exactly what you can do for them. To do this,
you must build your brand.
Your brand is more than just your product name, your catchy tag
line or your well-designed web site. It's also your credibility
in the marketplace. Your brand is, simply, the way your
customers perceive you and your product.
Stefanie Hartman, a marketing strategist who helps high-profile
clients build a solid brand identity for themselves, explains
branding this way. "When it comes to branding you have two
choices: brand yourself or brand your value. It's true that
people don't buy products; people by people, and so it may seem
like branding yourself is the obvious choice. However, that can
backfire."
When you brand yourself, you become the main attraction. You are
the face of your business - the only face - and clients will not
settle for a stand in. This means that when your business
becomes successful, you won't be able to take time off. You'll
have to be everything to everyone, all the time. However when
you choose to brand your value - that is, the information or the
product that you're offering - your schedule opens right up. You
still get the recognition as an expert, but the product you're
selling becomes the main attraction. People will want the
product first; you become secondary. A successful branding
strategy is one that allows you to stay in the background. If
you've worked hard to build your brand and your product is
selling well, don't make the mistake of thinking that you're
finished. A successful sales person is always looking for ways
to increase sales. Never think that you're at the top.
"If your marketing person tells you that all you need to do is
get your book to number one and you'll be all set, you should
run or stop paying them," says Hartman. "Here's why. A book is a
lead generator. It will make you money, earn you recognition and
credibility, get you new customers and get you press. But it's
not your main moneymaker."
To make more money you need to increase sales. Develop a CD-Rom
or DVD seminar series, give lectures or write ebooks or reports
that compliment your primary product. By selling these other
items, you not only increase sales, you solidify your brand.
Branding is something that never ends; you're never finished
building it. You always have more to gain, new clients to reach,
new goals to reach. Your brand will get you there.
The secret to becoming financially successful in today's
marketing is to brand your value, position yourself as an
expert, and exploit that expertise. Believe in what you're
selling and offer your customers an outstanding value. "The
important thing to remember," says Hartman, " is that you don't
have to sell out to sell. You can build your brand and establish
yourself in the marketplace and still be an ethical person."