Far too often I hear clients (and prospects) tell us: “If I didn’t have to spend so much time explaining what we do, we could spend more time finding solutions and increase our sales”
We often ask, Do your customers know who you really are and what you fully offer? Do they know what your company stands for? How would you describe your brand? After a long pause, we hear the following: Brand? I like our logo, I don’t want to change it.
Brands are not tangible, such as a logo or a tagline; they are emotional connections created in the hearts and minds of consumers. A clearly defined brand helps a business communicate what it offers to the marketplace in a clear, concise and easy to understand manner.
Good branding means defining the way the product or service of a business resonates in the marketplace. A brand is a promise that any business, small or large, uses as their internal compass to position and importantly differentiate themselves in the marketplace.
Bottom Line: The more effective the branding, the easier it is to sell a product/service or to obtain new clients.
Effective branding should convey the relevant information to clients/customers and prospects without long explanations or extensive research.
How many times have you seen a really impressive and well-designed web site or print material but struggled to understand what the business offers, what it does or why you would want to work with the company? These are the results of poor branding. It creates confusion in the marketplace and makes the selling process that much more difficult (and costly.) Businesses that struggle with poor branding typically have a perception issue in the marketplace. These organizations should look inward to understand the branding they have created. I suspect that these businesses would struggle with describing what they offer in a single sentence.
In closing, put yourself in the shoes of your customers. They are the reason your business exists. They determine if your brand (product or service) has value by their decision to choose you over the competition. Learn how they perceive your offering and find a way to align what you offer with your customer’s needs and expectations.