Finding your Brand

What does your brand say about you?

Most likely, you don't have one. Oh sure, you think that you do. All businesses think they have a brand. They'll toss out "buzz words" like...

My brand says that I have great service, quality products, good prices...yada...yada...yada!

I'm so bored that I can't even pretend to write more of that BS!

Imagine what your customers think about it. They hear the same crap from everyone.
[Note: If you can replace your businesses name with another businesses name in your little statement and it makes sense then your brand identity is worthless]

A real brand is easily, quickly identifiable to consumers that this is all about your business. They can't confuse your brand with any other brands!

It resonates the very essences of your core business...it reflects the very nature of your customers. Your customers know it. Love it. And want to be associated with it.

No one will ever confuse a Starbucks with a Dunkin Donuts! Harley and Honda don't ever get confused. Apple and Microsoft can't be interchanged [Even if Bill Gates would like to]

Do people ever confuse your store with some other place like it?

If they do...you don't have a brand...You have a problem!

Trust can kill a sale, but it can't make it!

"Lead generation takes place when a person's need and your brand message intersect in an environment of trust." - Joe Abraham of BOSI via Twitter.

This tweet started an interesting email discussion between Joe and myself and to make a long email trail short...here is the core of the discussion.

There are many, many elements of lead generation/sales for businesses, but there are four key elements to the process:

1) Customer Need

2) Business Solution

3) Business Message/Offer

4) Environment of Trust

Joe's belief was that the "environment of trust" was the key element to the transaction to acquire a lead. That if a prospect believed that his information could be trusted with the business, then they would reach out and share his contact info with them and become an actual lead.

I confess that at first, I was not swayed by his "tweet". In hindsight, I think he is right, but that he also didn't explain the full transaction. (I guess that is the danger of forcing us to be insightful in 140 characters or less. :-)

I believe that all 4 steps of lead generation must be taken and in order for a lead to be fully developed. There must be a need, there must be a solution and then the business must deliver a message and offer that entices the prospect to act, but finally, there must be an environment of trust that exists between prospect and business.

All four elements are critical in the lead generation game. You can't skip any of them!

• The prospect MUST have a Need!
• Your business MUST have a REAL SOLUTION!
• Your business MUST have a relevant, authentic message with an enticing offer!
• You must build trust with your prospect! (side note: I think delivering an authentic message will help build this environment of trust.)

Without trust, the prospect will not act! So, I guess Joe was right, but my argument remains....

Which leads back to the headline of this post, lack of trust can kill a sale, but it can't make a sale on it's own!