Do you ever get confused on sales calls because you feel like every prospect needs to hear something different in order to buy or engage?
Do you ever find yourself doing that messaging dance, trying to find just the right thing to say to get someone to buy?
If you feel like you’re playing musical chairs, or worse Russian Roulette with your communication, you’re not alone.
We routinely see businesses that are great at communicating their value prop to one set of stakeholders, but struggle to communicate with all potential customers.
While on the surface this may seem like a sales problem, more often than not it’s a branding problem.
Companies that don’t have their brand foundations properly laid out often find themselves struggling to communicate effectively.
Their communication is reactionary – they attempt to react in real time to what customers say, and over time build branding communication that’s muddled, confusing and seriously holds them back from their full potential.
One way to focus your communication is to niche down. Communication is way easier when you’re working with one set of customers.
But what if that’s not an option? What if you have several services that are right for different customers, or stakeholders.
To build a great brand you must be proactive, and create a holistic brand message that engages people before you ever sell them on a service or product.
You must create emotional alignment and buy-in before you ever talk about your product or service.
How do you do this?
Is it even possible?
Aren’t customers simply looking for the best solution?
Yes, and… To build strong communication, you have to take a step back and identify the elements that bind all your different stakeholders and their unique needs together.
You have to create alignment with your message first, then people are much more likely to listen when you have an offer.
The things that create emotional alignment are:
Brand Personality – People are drawn to personalities that reflect their own values and identity.
- Is your brand funny or earnest?
- Are you casual or buttoned up?
- Are you loud or subtle?
Vision and Leadership – People are naturally drawn to leaders and those with big visions
- What’s your greater vision?
- Where are you leading your space or industry?
Positioning – There’s nothing better than context to make people feel like they’re in the right place.
- How clear are you on your position in the market?
- What differentiates you from everyone else who might offer a similar solution?
Visual Identity
- Does your style align with your demo?
- Have you even taken the time to create a style?
Tone-of-Voice
- Does your copy and language carry the right tone?
- Are you speaking to customers in the right way?
Working out these important elements is what it means to build a brand. These elements serve as a container for your products and service. Without this container, you might be missing out on countless opportunities to engage people on the many levels of communication that are always going on under the surface.
There’s nothing more powerful than building a strong brand. There’s no major company out there that doesn’t do it at some point in their life.
So, is your communication branded, or is it reactionary?
What can you do today to proactively work on creating proactive, branded communication?
