My Utile Center

Today’s competitive marketplace for consulting services is no longer responsive to the marketing strategies that worked in the past. The services you provide should speak volumes about your consulting business. Think about what happens when you hear phrases such as “the ultimate driving machine,” “don’t leave home without it,” and “just do it.” Chances are good that you can immediately associate them with BMW, American Express, and Nike. These companies have mastered “brand brilliance.” Brand your consulting brilliance because the future of your business depends on it.

There’s an old adage, “Perception is reality.” Simply stated, the perception of a brand lies in its ability to influence a client’s behavior. When you have successfully branded your business, in the client’s eye there is no service in the marketplace quite like your service.

All consulting businesses should have a distinct, sustainable, and competitive advantage to differentiate their services from the competition. I call this process of identifying your advantage “Brand Your Consulting Brilliance.”

Here are six simple steps to brand and differentiate your
services in the new economy.

1. Think client focus first.
The client’s reality: Consulting businesses exist to serve clients. Develop a client visitation calendar and schedule in-person visits. Look the client in the eye and say, “I am here to serve you.” Follow up and follow through on all client-related matters in a timely manner.

Create a client questionnaire so clients can rate the performance of your services. You want them to tell you how you’re doing and what you can do to serve them better. It’s also a way to discover what challenges they are currently facing. Be relentless in your client retention efforts.

2. Discover a distinct advantage that will set you apart from competitors.
Start by articulating your “unique marketing proposition,” a statement of all of the qualities and characteristics that set your services apart in the marketplace. Analyze your services: What skills and services do we provide that are distinctive, measurable, and add value? Which of our past successes can we leverage in the marketplace? And don’t forget to ask colleagues what they see as your competitive strengths.

Communicate these messages reinforcing your unique marketing proposition anytime you have an opportunity to write or speak about your consulting firm and what you have to offer to prospective clients.

3. Generate publicity.
What others say about your brand is much more powerful and credible than what you can say about it yourself. When it comes to branding your consulting brilliance, favorable publicity in the media or word of mouth is far superior to advertising. So how do you generate the publicity “buzz”? Create a buzz about your brand by being visible: speaking at seminars, publishing a newsletter on your website, participating as a host or guest on television or radio talk shows, writing a column in a reputable trade journal, and networking.

4. Promote a powerful perception of quality in the client’s
mind.
What is quality if not a perception that resides in the mind of the client? You build quality intangibles around trust, reliability, excellent people, and innovative client services. Show clients that you can interpret and process their information to convert it to results oriented solutions. What you say is important, but what you do is even more important for reinforcing their perception of your brand quality.

Keep the lines of communication open. The goal of branding your consulting brilliance is to convince the client that your brand is worth their trust and worth a premium price.

5. Establish your credentials as an industry leader in the field.
Clients like to know they are doing business with an industry leader. Make clients aware of your consulting acumen, presence, and commitment. Know your clients’ businesses inside out - what they do, why they do it, how they do it. Tout your firm’s successful track record of accomplishment in working with companies like theirs.

Build and sustain credibility with clients by strengthening your client relationships, developing a client retention strategy, demonstrating that you value your new clients, and going the extra mile for them.

6. Practice consistency in building your consulting brilliance.
Stay focused on implementing the branding of your consulting brilliance. Keep abreast of marketing trends in your profession and position yourself as a recognized expert. Make the most of your unique marketing proposition. Accelerate and elevate the perceived value of your brand in the marketplace.

In short, to brand your consulting brilliance, know what you have to offer, know how to differentiate it, and know how to market it.

Robert Moment is a best-selling author, business coach,
strategist and the founder of The Moment Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping small businesses win federal contracts. He just released his new book, It Only Takes a Moment to Score, and recently unveiled Sell Integrity, a small business tool that helps you successfully sell your business idea. Learn more at:
http://www.sellintegrity.com
or email: Robert@sellintegrity.com.

Pressure washing companies often miss what we call ’super niche’ markets, those industries which very much need pressure washing services and are willing to pay top dollar for them. One such industry is the signage business. For a pressure washing company with no relatives or friends in that industry it is hard to break in and get work there, however if you con-brand with an existing company you may find yourself with more work than you can handle and able to bill at very high rates

Having been in the pressure washing industry some 25 plus years, we had always found that hooking up with a local sign company gave us instant credibility in the region and an expanded customer base of new clientele. Must of the new clientele once there cleaning signs had much more to wash also. For instance one time we went to clean a large sign for a sign company at a Lumber Company. Once there the owner was pleased and read the side of the work truck which we had also traded out in services for washing the sign company’s service trucks. The Lumber Company owner had us busy for two-days washing and waxing all his delivery trucks, forklifts, concrete and common area.

Below please find a letter that you can use and modify to fit your own business. Use this technique to alert local sign companies of your ability and willingness to work with them. Think about this and as always; Wash On !

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Dear Signage Contractor,

We know you have a tough job maintaining signs for clients. Our pressure washing company’s industrial division specializes in cleaning signs. We would like to help you and make some money. We’re looking for a win/win situation. We work in two ways:

You give us a list of clients (contact names) of your customers who might be interested in monthly sign washing. In return we will wash your work trucks for free every other week. (Yes, tire dressing too!)

You set up accounts for maintenance of signs, do all the billing and we do the actual sign cleaning while you work on mechanical and emergency calls. We bill you monthly for our washing.

No matter which way you choose, if we work with you, we will only work exclusively with you in your area. No other signage companies. We will also contact many store owners directly to clean their signs. If these stores need new signs or mechanical repairs of old signs, we will refer this work to you.

Sounds good? We thought you would like it. There is a bonus. We already have accounts to clean wheel chairs at hospitals, real estate agents cars, truck fleets, shopping carts at COSTCO, concrete for local property managers, etc. In other words, we know everyone. By giving you leads for new possible clients we can help you. Information sharing, networking, strategic partnerships, whatever you want to call it, it works! We are in it to win it! If you want to join (company name here) “110% Team” call us. If not the dust is free and we’ll even give you a paper plate. (No plastic fork. You can make a taco.)

If you don’t do this, one of your competitors will. That I can personally guarantee.

Thank you in advance,

Name
Owner/Operator

“Lance Winslow” - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

Companies have been branding their collateral materials such as letterhead, envelopes, business cards, etc. for years. In fact, we often identify a company by its familiar logo or special color scheme. Branding works!! At the same time, many companies send customers and vendors large files, proposals and presentations on CD-Rs. Since CD-Rs have become the “new and more efficient” way of exchanging important information, it would seem that more companies would find it valuable to brand their CD-Rs also.

Most CD-Rs purchased by businesses come from retail office supply stores. These generic CDs usually have the logo of the retail store or disc manufacturer printed on the label. So why promote the store that sells the media? Companies are missing an excellent opportunity to brand themselves in this manner!

Another positive to branding with this type of media is in the perceived value of the media itself. People tend to keep CD-Rs because they are perceived as something of value.

To make sure that you don’t miss this important branding opportunity, here is the solution! Find a CD duplication vendor who will provide your company with branded media. Yes, you too can brand your company by arranging to have your logo screen printed on each piece of blank media you purchase (ours is pictured above). Also, the quality of the media will be much higher than the media you purchased at the retail office supply store.

When artwork for your company logo is created for CD-Rs, enough room should be left on the disc to write specifics about the disc’s contents, such as version number, serial number, a date, a person’s name, etc. A process called Perfect Printing is an option for customizing this information after your company logo has been screen printed on each blank disc. The combination of your screen printed logo and the Perfect Printing of specific content will give your media a more professional look. Furthermore, anyone looking at your discs will see your company name over and over again.

So, what are you waiting for? Start branding your media today!!!

To find out more information visit on how to brand your CD-Rs visit www.spinergymedia.com.

Article by:
Adam Platzer
Spinergy
CD Replication, CD Duplication, DVD Replication, DVD Duplication, CD Screen Printing
Phone: 800-333-1428
http://www.spinergymedia.com

I was reading my auto club magazine a few minutes ago and I happened upon an article that really should be of news to no one.

Auto manufacturers are engaging in “platform sharing,” it says. This is when the same basic skeleton of a Ford Explorer can be found in its sister model, the Mercury Mountaineer.

It goes on to say that the Volkswagen Toureg and Porsche Cayenne share some components, and you can save $9,000 by purchasing the former.

Baloney!

The actual cost of driving consists of several factors, not the least of which is DEPRECIATION. Models differ dramatically in what they fetch as used cars two, three, four and more years down the line.

Right now, for example, I understand Toureg is losing value at a fast clip, while Cayenne is maintaining it. For this reason, leasing a Porsche may be as cheap, or even cheaper than leasing the VW.

That article goes on to concede that the Cayenne has at least a few differences, including leather upholstery, a “somewhat different engine” and a “unique all-wheel drive system.”

Guess what? That little perk, the driving system, may have saved my life last year as lesser cars were careening off the icy Interstate 80 at Donner Pass. My Cayenne struggled, but it corrected my scary drift in plenty of time to enable me to stay on track.

Oh, there was a box that suddenly fell from a truck in front of me on the Santa Monica Freeway. I was able to steer around it, at 65 miles per hour, the while staying in my lane.

With a lesser car, I, along with my two passengers, would have been rolled over ground beef.

This year, Porsche earned top honors for quality in a JD Power survey. Undoubtedly, that distinction, along with better repair histories, will also buoy the used-car values of its models.

I have nothing against VW, having owned three of them over the years, but I can tell you, Porsches are different, and they’re worth the premium you might pay.

Then again, you might NOT pay any premium, and I think that’s called having your cake and eating it, too!

About once a month a few of us at the office get together during lunch for what has become known as a SWAP meeting. We share thoughts, stories and sometimes play Pictionary. It’s a great way to relieve stress and learn interesting tidbits about the people we work with.

One afternoon our conversation turned, as all conversations eventually do, to the topic of The Lord of the Rings. Our discussion about differences between the book and the movie evolved into a discussion about the characters in the movie which made up the Fellowship of the Ring. The interesting thing to note was the difference in the levels of awareness of these characters by various people. We were struck by the similarities in how people remember these movie characters and how people remember certain brands.

The highest level of character awareness can be called ‘the geek level’. These are people who know the character’s full names as well as additional details about them. For example, knowing that Legolas, Sindarin elf of the woodland realm, is a great archer is comparable to those people who know the brand name, logo and jingle, all unaided. The next level, still pretty high on the scale, can identify the characters by name and race: Aragorn the human, Gimli the dwarf and Legolas the elf. These are the people who know the brand name and correctly match it to the product still without a helping hand. Then there are the people who know the characters by the actors who play them. These people may know the parent company of the brand or the name of the product, but don’t know the advertising or what the product actually does.

After that, the characters become a bit more fuzzy. They may be identified by type of being (the dwarf, the elf, the hobbit, etc.) or even worse “the hot guy from The Pirates of the Caribbean movie.” That’s when you know your brand may be in trouble. These people may only be aware of your brand when prompted, and may not be at all aware of the advertising or maybe incorrectly identify the brand that is being advertised.

There are varying levels of brand awareness. While we’d all like our brands to be known on the geek level, realistically they may only be known by association with another brand.

Scott White is President of Brand Identity Guru a leading Corporate Branding and Branding Research firm in Boston, MA.

Brand Identity Guru specializes in creating corporate and product brands that increase sales, market share, customer loyalty, and brand valuation.

This Article may be freely copied as long as it is not modified and this resource box accompanies the article, together with working hyperlinks.

Over the course of his 15-year branding career, Scott White has worked in a wide variety of industries: high-tech, manufacturing, computer hardware and software, telecommunications, banking, restaurants, fashion, healthcare, Internet, retail, and service businesses, as well as numerous non-profit organizations.

Brand Identity Guru clients include: Sun Life Financial, Coca Cola, HP, Sun, Nordstrom, American Federal Mortgage, Franklin Sports and many others, including numerous emerging growth companies.

Conjure up in your mind broad rolling meadows with runs of cattle or stock of some type, all discriminate by virtue of a registered brand. That’s a most common and accepted understanding of branding.

You have just now used your mind to develop a picture that promises easy recall. You may not yet be aware but there’s always a new secret marketing aid being developed and made available … nearly every day of the week.

I’d be one of many that could point out who the target group is for all of these hidden treasures and industrious salespeople. But if you’re reading this, then take a bow and a large step forward! You are in fact the “demand” component of the supply that’s being generated.

Now what happens when you also join the ranks of the industrious? It doesn’t take a whole deal of thinking to recognize that you can easily get lost in the traffic, especially if you are starting up a business of your own. Being known as an absolute is a very real way of defeating some of that traffic; not the only way but a very effective one.

Your general copy writing and headline creation tactics certainly help the cause but in a saturated market environment you need to embrace every advantage.

Exactly what then, can you do, to be noticed? Question well asked and the answer ….. consider branding yourself.

The reason branding works is that it gives individuality to the value you provide to those that come to your site. If they don’t come to your site then its through your e-mails, e-zines, blogs and advertisements.

It makes folk recall your Site and perhaps even prompts them to bookmark. Do it right and they might even opt to scan for forthcoming product that carries your brand name.

You’ll be far more noticeable if you can create something that settles on someone’s mind. Catch the imagination of your readers, use unique or quirky themes and make that difference that magnetizes your audience.

By way of example, let me relate a branding experience using a quick story…. tangent if you will.

There’s a huge red rock located in the middle of Australia that was at one time known
as Ayers Rock. More recently it has adopted the term Uluru.

The rock and the country around it belong to a group of Aboriginal people called Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara.

So, the people also have been renamed and are now referred to as “Anangu” because it’s easier.

These people have a history rich in story and in this case they identify the various faces of the rock using that approach.

One saga goes something like this….. A long, long time ago, in the time of the Tjukurpa, which the Aborigines call the dreamtime, the animals gave shape to a rock.

There was a young woma python, or Kuniya, that was passing by and was surprised by a group of Liru, which are venomous snakes. Kuniya, not being from that area, was affronted by the Liru who threw spears at the python and killed him.

So hard did they throw their spears that the points made holes in the rock.

The Pythons ancestor, also a Kuniya, was so angered by this that he killed one of the Liru with a stick.

So, on the west face of the rock there are holes that are said to be from the points of the Lirus’ spears and on the south face of the rock, Kuniya the woma python can still be seen as a dark wavy line on Uluru.

Now the story in itself doesn’t mean a whole lot but if you are ever able to visit Uluru, you will happen to find a south and a west side of the rock that now has individuality because it’s been branded.

To any one else this is simply a rock but to you, you now know there exists Western and Southern rock walls that hold special understandings. These are unique and remembered even if not in the original light.

Get yourself branded and stand out from the rocks that exist in your niche marketplace.

Start with your ads, an article or two and build from that into your website. Regardless of what appearance might do to enhance any efforts, it’s generally how you stick in a customer’s mind that produces results.

Dave Jones, is a business promoter hoping to encourage new starters into improving their financial futures http://www.work-at-home-create-opportunities.com is his latest project to help other people make a full-time living doing part-time work from home. For more info, you can visit or contact Dave at livesupport@work-from-home-affiliate-options.com

A logo is essentially a visual brand identity of a company. The origins of logos can be traced to the 19th century, when industries added a symbol to represent their companies and to help customers easily identify their products. The trend caught on, and today corporations, services, products, agencies, universities, and colleges all have a specially designed identifying emblem or logo.

The idea probably stemmed from royal courts and the nobility, who for centuries had specific coats of arms emblazoned across everything they owned, from saddles to stables, to farms, castles, manors, furniture, jewelry, and dinnerware.

Since the logo represents a distinct identity, it must have the essential elements of: simplicity, proportionality, flexible color palette, easily legible fonts, and uniqueness. A logo must be designed so that it not just represents the company, but sets it apart. Originality and distinctiveness are the keys to a successful logo. The design elements such as font and color should lend themselves to redesigning as well as to representation in single or multiple colors.

Even before selecting a designer for the logo you need to clarify certain basic thoughts. What should the logo convey? What is the basic identity of my company today and what are the expansion plans? What are my objectives and strategy? Study your product and its customers, brainstorm with those who are committed to the success of your company, and never forget the competitors.

Remember, the logo is essentially a business tool so it must reflect professionalism, competency, and commitment. The logo must survive time and be valid even centuries later.

In logo design, it would be prudent to use vector graphics, as they allow resizing and retain design integrity. Keep away from complicated and intricate logo designs. Limit colors to two or three, this is not just economical but practical. Also chose colors that are in keeping with your industry. Choose a font that is universal and uncluttered.

Here are some common associations: blue represents trust, loyalty, and power; yellow energy, joy, and hope; while green represents growth, sustenance, and regeneration. Among shapes, a circle is associated with connection, community, trust, and safety; a rectangle represents strength; and a triangle power and aggression. Keep such aspects in mind while discussing possible design elements.

An effective logo will make your branding or corporate identity strong. It will strengthen your customer base, enhance the visibility of your corporation, and stand you in good stead on home ground and abroad. An example of a logo design that represents all of this is the Nike “swoosh.” World over, any product with a “swoosh” is identified with Nike.

Design provides detailed information on Design, Logo Design, Web Site Design, Interior Design and more. Design is affiliated with Bedroom Decorating.

Brands evoke responses. Talk to anyone who loves their Starbucks coffee, or hates their car; loves their Apple iPod, or hates their internet provider. When you think of your favorite or least favorite brands, certain feelings and attributes come to mind. These represent the brand. The same is true for people.

When you hear the name Joe, you have an impression of the Joe-brand, good or not so good. When Erin is assigned to your team, you may figuratively breathe a sigh of relief or roll your eyes. It’s the Erin-brand that evokes your response. What about your name? What reaction does it elicit from your boss, coworkers or clients?

We expect brands to demonstrate their attributes, or brand promise, not once or twice, but every time we encounter them. Inconsistencies in performance can damage our brand relationships and cause us to select other brands. With people-brands, it means we promote, fire, assign projects and compensate based on that brand performance.

Of course, we may forgive an occasional slip, seeing it as an atypical hiccup from a brand we otherwise love. For me that happened with Disney. I’m a Disney fan, traveling to Walt Disney World once or twice a year. But a few years back, the magic was tarnishing. The parks weren’t quite as clean, the staff not quite as friendly, the experience not quite as promised, or what I had grown to expect.

Since Disney had the equivalent of banked good-will in their brand relationship account with me, from years delivering on their brand promise, I tried a few more trips. Happily it turned around. But brand relationships we once loved can be diminished and good-will accounts can be overdrawn. It happens at work, too. Previously strong relationships can become bankrupt with inconsistent or poor performance.

Whether emails or hallway hellos, meetings or project plans, ideas or feedback, you imprint your signature with each action. Every encounter informs people what to expect from you. And these impressions, good or not so good, create brand “you” at work.

Remember first grade when you proudly printed at the top of the wide-ruled paper your name so everyone could see it? We may not write our names in big, bold crayon on our work anymore, but make no mistake, your name is on everything you do.

People who are winning at working know that. They’re like great product brands. They’re reliable, dependable and authentic. They deliver their unique brand attributes, not once or twice, but day in and day out; not just on highly visible or politically aligned projects, but on the routine, mundane ones, too. And they’re as personable with the person who can’t promote them as the person who can.

People who are winning at working understand they are a unique brand with specific gifts, talents and attributes. Their name is their icon. Their brand promise is delivering the best of who they are. Want to be winning at working? Deliver the promise in your brand.

(c) 2006 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.

Brand is important even when not changing your name.
If your goal is to grow your market share and your category is relatively mature then
re-evaluating your brand is as important as your advertising messages. Eighty
percent of our clients change their brand but never change the name of their
product, service or company. The only other thing that changes is their bottom line.

Brand Is A Contract
Think about the dollars that you spend on marketing and advertising and compare
that to the allocation you have made on your brand strategy. If your fiscal goals are
not being met it is possible that the problem is not in your ad copy, media mix or
sales force but in your brand permissions. In the DNA of your brand resides its
permission to be important to the customer you wish to influence. Without a full and
complete understanding of your brand, much of your marketing dollars are being
wasted.

Because we are all business executives, we understand that more often than not, the
profit we will make on a new business deal is decided when the contract is signed.
For this reason, we have our legal departments pour over the fine print before we
affix our signatures and we sign it only when we are sure that every “i” is dotted and
every “t” is crossed. Your brand has the same importance as that legal contract in
influencing your marketing fortunes. As a matter of fact, it would be helpful to
think about your brand charter in exactly those terms a contract because it is a
contract with your target market. If you don’t have a brand charter my point has
already been made.

Permission
Your brand is an umbrella and all that you can rightfully promise to the target
market needs to fit nicely under that umbrella. Your advertising certainly needs to
be different and it needs to be important but it also needs to be believed as “lawful”
within the permission of your brand. Think about Toyota they have enjoyed long
reputation as a reliable builder of solid automobiles and they have successfully
marketed low cost vehicles all the way up to the pricy 4Runner. However, when they
decided to build a luxury automobile they realized that the Toyota brand could
never command its rightful price-point if it was sold as a Toyota. The brand did not
have permission to sell it. As a result, they launched Lexus, a new brand with
permission to do exactly that and in less then a decade, Lexus has gained entry into
the considered set of luxury car purchases right next to Mercedes and BMW. The
same Toyota designers might very well design the Lexus automobile and it might
even be built in the same factory but from a brand perspective it is “a different
beer.”

If you can gain a clear understanding of your brand from the perspective of your target audience and if you can define you brand’s permission in stark and definite
terms, you will come face-to-face with all of the opportunity and limitations that are
inherent in your brand today and limitations are important. EXCLUSION is the price
of brand clarity and it is the currency you need to bank on.

A great brand tells the target audience who it is for AND whom it is not for
because a brand that is for everyone is not a brand at all; it is a description of your
category. Clarity is your ally and brand management is its cost. Get it right and you
can grab market share right out from under your competitor’s nose. Miss it and you
might just as well change your name.

I know what you’re thinking.



“Why on earth would we do that when our brand is well recognised in our industry?”



Well, for the same reason you buy a new suit - to keep up-to-date and look super
attractive to those you want to impress.



Too many business owners and managers think that because they give great service
and are nice people, they don’t have to pay much attention to how their business
looks. They think looking smart and professional is enough.



Unfortunately “smart and professional” is the new beige. Remember, it’s magic not
logic that ignites passion in customers today.



Why is an exciting brand identity important?



While brands speak to the mind and heart, brand identity is tangible and
appeals to the senses. Brand identity is the visual expression of a brand, its tone-
of-voice. It supports, expresses and communicates value. It is the shortest and
fastest form of communication there is.



You can see it, touch it, hold it, hear it, and watch it move.



Brand Identity begins with a brand name and logo and builds into a wide range
of communication collateral. Brand identity increases awareness and builds brand
equity.



Why is a great logo important?



The brain acknowledges and remembers shapes first, colours second
and words third. Shapes make a faster imprint on memory, while colours evoke
strong emotion. The brain takes longer to interpret language.



Creating a distinctive visual language, logo shape and colour scheme is imperative
in brand identity design.



Manchester United plans global domination. What about you?



Manchester United is considered the “Rolls Royce” of soccer. With a market value of
$960 million and 50 million fans, they have but one goal: global domination.



The reason they are succeeding is because their name signifies “winning”, even to
those with a limited knowledge of soccer.



Such is their market domination that even when they don’t win, people love and
admire them; enough to buy shirts, caps and other merchandise worth millions of
dollars.



How did they do it?



Time and money certainly played a big part, as well as owning their own stadium.



Add to that some pretty canny marketing strategies, like finding countries with huge
populations and no dominant national sport, building an impressive website,
expanding television distribution, dynamic merchandising, and the showcasing of
its many down-to-earth stars.



Have they spent much time fine-tuning their brand image?



You bet!



Not a day goes by without their marketing team examining each component
for improvement.



Considering 98% of Manchester United’s current revenue is British generated, one
can only imagine future opportunities and rewards.



Now, what about you? Is your marketing team (most likely to be you wearing one of
your many hats) continually fine-tuning your brand? If not, there’s no time like the
present to start.

Carolyn Morgan is a graphic designer, writer and illustrator who specialises in creating
positioning and brand identity strategies for a wide range of businesses. To see
examples of Carolyn’s work, go to http://www.carolynmorgan.com.au.