The Brand or You

If you are going to promote relationships, make sure you understand it is the brand that you are pushing and not you personally, you are only the vehicle. (Unless it is you that is the brand). A brand gives people something to connect with when you attend a networking event. When someone says they work for Clorox, then you immediately know what they produce and sell. On the other hand, when you say you work for Vervial Group, they will likely shake their heads and wonder who you are and what you provide until they have a chance to talk to you. Branding is a type of symbolism that allows your audience to equate to something with either your name or your logo.

When you are selling products and services, then the most important part of the sales and the business relationship is the brand. You are selling the brand and you are simply there to support and represent that brand. Having a brand gives you an edge when creating and implementing a marketing and PR program. The reason is that it does not take as long to tell the customers what you are offering they read between the lines and simply look at the offering. The customer is not concerned about how long this company has been in business or the reliability, they have seen and heard about you. Have you ever gone into a store such as Wal Mart and picked up a product that has a stamp on it which says 'As seen on TV'? They are showing you that this is the brand you have seen, therefore it must be good.

People who want to have a reason to contact you will often do so through your brand identity. If someone wants good coffee, they have many choices of which place to go for a good cup. Peet's and Starbuck's offer you a reason to go through their branding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Bette Daoust, Ph.D. -

Bette Daoust, Ph.D. is a speaker, author (over 170 books, articles, and publications), and consultant. She has provided marketing, sales, business development and training expertise for companies such as Peet's Coffee & Tea, Varian Medical Systems, Accenture, Avaya, Cisco Systems to name a few. Dr. Daoust has also done extensive work with small businesses in developing their marketing, training, and operational plans. You may contact Dr. Daoust at BizMechanix.com. You may also view her latest publications at BlueprintBooks.com. Dr. Daoust also writes for the National Networker theNationalNetworker.com.

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