If a potential customer can recognize your brand, your marketing efforts are paying off and business relationships will be easier to obtain. I went to a recent networking event and was doing my pitch with selling Sales Process Consulting under the Power Marketing International flag. We had previously been at trade shows, networking events, put on a seminar and even had one training and eCoaching session under our belts. I felt that we had likely only touched two hundred people at the most in our efforts. We were too new in the game to gain more recognition. Much to my surprise, when talking with several individuals at this event, they had all heard our name and wanted to know more. When I asked them where they had heard it, they could not specifically remember but knew it was through a business associate.
It was through this recognition that my sales pitch became easier and I actually got some business this way. I am a pusher of branding. I feel by branding yourself, products, or services, buyers will not only recognize your name, they will also begin to know about your quality (good or bad). You must, however, continue to push your brand. You cannot relax because your competition is likely to fill the void and make their brand better known than yours. When you think of blonde dolls, what brand pops into your mind? Likely you thought about Barbie and maybe even her manufacturer Mattel. They have a real grasp of branding and use it to the maximum. It does not mean you have to spend millions to get brand recognition. It does mean that you have to make efforts to be consistent with good quality. By this I mean your logo, your message and your product have to be lined up and be the same. If you make constant changes, you no longer have a recognizable brand.
If you have ever traveled by car to most cities or towns in North America, you will find that you are quite at home. This means you will see the common fast food chains, department stores and gas stations. The term for this is “Generic”. It does not mean you will not see unique things in each location. It means that these companies have done an excellent job of branding themselves. If you use any one of these companies, you will expect the same quality and service anywhere you go.
