There’s an old axiom in sales, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” But in today’s market, knowing someone is rarely enough to make the sale. So the axiom has shifted to be, “it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you!”
So, to be known by your customers is a key driver of success. This familiarity is best achieved through personal branding. Personal branding is a #gamechanger in our business climate since customers buy the salesperson first, and then the p/s (product or service). So what is personal branding?
Personal branding = process of how we market ourselves to others. Dan Schwabel who spearheads a PB blog says that your self-impression = how people perceive you. This is what PB can do for you:
- Create demand for your p/s indirectly (remember pull marketing from last week.. bingo)
- Establish yourself as an expert in your field
- Be seen and known as a though leader
- Separate yourself from the nameless masses through innovation
All sound good? Good. So how do we build / develop / promote our PB?
- Do everything with a creative flair. Memorability is a vital link to building brand awareness.
- Be willing to give of yourself first. Do this by becoming a resource. To be a resource you must be an expert, so study up (Malcolm Gladwell 10,000 hour rule!).
- Basics: develop an online presence, create consistency, Google alerts, blog, join associations.
There was a sales person one time who routinely called on a co-worker of mine, and on their first conversation he asked for my co-worker’s shoe size. Weird, right? Then he said something to the extent of “I’m always going to remember you wear a size 11 shoe.” So the salesperson inputted that size 11 into his CRM database, and each time he calls he mentions the size 11 feet. Now he’s forever known as the “shoe guy.”
Now, is my co-worker every going to buy? Depends on a lot of factors. But, is he ever going to forget who this guy is? Not a chance.
Take some time to develop and promote your brand! You can figure out something better than remembering a prospect’s shoe size, right?
Source: Will May
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