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As the field of consulting is getting more and more competitive, you need to exert conscious effort to make sure that you stay on top of the game. This is the only way to keep your prospects from signing up from your competitors.

Here’s what you can do:

1. Personalize your services. The problem with other consultants these days is that they don’t take time to make their consulting services focused to the unique needs of each of their clients. They offer the same recommendations and advice even if their customers do not have the same problems or goals. To set yourself apart from the rest, I recommend that you personalize your consulting services. This can only happen if you obtain in-depth knowledge about the struggles or your customers first so you can provide the best solutions/recommendations.

2. Show genuine concern. Clients simply love it when the people they are working with show genuine concern over their situation. Be genuinely interested in helping your clients reach their goals or get to where they would like to be. If needed, offer them with something more like additional consulting time just to make sure that they’ll get everything they need.

3. Add some human touch to your services. This is one way to show your clients how much you value the business that they are giving you. Call these people from time to time to check on their progress. You can also send them personal email just to inquire if they need something more from you. These simple gestures can help you promote customer loyalty in the long run.

The goal of every business owner is to make a sale — lots of it as this is the only way to generate decent amount of profits. However, not all entrepreneurs have excellent selling skills and not all of them have access to the right information about selling processes. If you are one of these people, you can spend enormous time doing your research and doing some trial and error that may take so much of your time and energy OR you may opt to hire sales consultants.

Sales consultants can tremendously help in pulling up your sales because they have the expertise, trainings, and relevant experience. They can teach you about prospecting, building value, and converting your prospects to buying customers. They can also help you improve your selling and persuasion skills to boost your chances of making a sale.

Hiring sales consultants can also help you save some time. Instead of trying to find the information you need online or on printed materials, you can just go ahead and ask these people to get direct, no nonsense answers.

Although you will need to spend your precious dimes to pay these people for their services, this might be your best investment to boost your business. Sales consultants can bring numerous businesses to your doorstep for a very long time. So, you’ll most likely to easily recover the money you spent as you’ll earn enormous profits in the process. For best results, make sure that you only hire sales consultant who have proven track record and who are recognized by industry leaders.

Here’s how you can easily promote your business consulting services to achieve massive sign up rate:

1. Create a website. Choose a domain name that is highly descriptive and keyword-rich. People who hear it must have a solid idea that you are offering quality business consulting services. Make your website highly informative (it must speak volumes about your expertise and your proven track record in this industry), quick to download, visually appealing, and easy to navigate.

2. Host free teleseminars. Capture the attention of your potential clients by simply inviting them to attend your free teleseminars. Talk about the things that they are struggling with when they are running their business and offer appropriate solutions. Through this, you’ll be able to help these people and earn their trust in the process. In addition, you can convince them that you have what it takes to help them get to where they would like to be. This is all you need to improve your sign up rate in no time.

3. Offer free consulting sessions. Your potential clients will surely want to make sure that you are the right fit and that you can address their needs without putting their money on the line. Give them what they want by offering the first couple of consulting sessions for free. The goal here is to show these people what you’ve got and to prove that you are the best in your chosen industry so they’ll consider doing business with you.

4. Word-of-mouth advertising. This is the most cost-effective yet most efficient way to promote your business consulting services. You can get your previous customers to recommend you to their friends, colleagues, and family members if you offer them with 100% satisfaction each time they do business with you.

There is no doubt that the field of consulting is becoming more and more competitive these days and it is becoming much harder and harder for consultants to land a good project. If you want people to sign up to your consulting services, you need to improve yourself on a professional level so you can offer these people with nothing but the best.

Here’s how you can become a better consultant:

1. Increase your knowledge on your chosen niche. Obviously, you’ll become more competent on what you do if you have in-depth knowledge about your chosen industry. Don’t stop learning and position yourself as someone who is a great source of information. Make it a point to read relevant online and offline resources on a regular basis and if needed, interview other experts on your chosen niche. The more you know about your chosen industry, the more valuable you become to the eyes of your potential clients.

2. Improve your skills. As a consultant you must have exceptional communication skills as you’ll be communicating with your clients on a daily basis. Know how to easily articulate your thoughts and ideas flawlessly. In addition, you must also enhance your people skills, analytical skills, and teaching skills.

3. Show your clients genuine concern. This is something that can truly set you apart from the rest. Show your clients that you are not only after their money but their progress as well. If needed, be willing to go out of your way and offer these people more than what they expect just to make sure that they’ll get everything they need. If you do this, you can easily promote customer loyalty.

Marketing consultants can do many things to help a business. Their focus is primarily on increasing sales and improving your bottom line through promotion and advertising. But there are many ways to achieve this. One of the least common is by utilizing color in your physical facility, for your logo and on your promotional products.

Color is used to elicit a response in customers. The effect is subliminal to them, but you will notice the results in your bottom line.

Orange

According to marketing consultants, orange is the hue that enhances a person’s sense of humour and the ability to learn.

It also represents affordable value and can be utilized as an indicator of a product’s low price. If you have several different lines of a particular product which are based on price, then the cheapest ones should be packaged in orange.

Another association with orange is safety, making it a favorite color of blue collar workers. Think of the hue most commonly found on safety vests for construction workers and life vests in water vessels.

For any business concerned with education, low priced products or services, or safety, orange is a great shade to include on your promotional items.

Pink

Light, not bright, shades of pink are known for their soothing effect, according to most marketing consultants. People whose favorite color is pink are said to have a dependent personality and do best with structure in their lives.

Pink is also utilized as a way to stimulate a customer’s sweet tooth. Pastry shops should always be painted in rosy hues. The same could apply to a website that peddles sweets.

One way every business can use the color pink is in light bulbs. The reception area, the boardroom, the production facility – all can benefit from the soothing effect of soft pink light.

Green

Many people will think of institutions when they imagine walls painted a light shade of green. That is no coincidence. Green is easy to perceive and promotes quiet, relaxation, compassion, comfort, and neutrality, or at least the soft tones of this color do. Earthier shades such as moss or sage are less acceptable while brighter shades like grass tend to signal renewal.

Then there is the color of money. When used in promotional materials, green signifies the quality and value of your brand. In today’s world, it can also denote that a company is eco-friendly. All of these are positive messages sent by the color green.

The next time you change your company’s logo, brand, or product packaging, consider how the color you choose makes a difference, at least according to marketing consultants. Every small change you make can make a large difference in your bottom line.

It is one thing to develop a mobile app but it is a whole other to develop the brand of a mobile enterprise. Both require careful planning, however there eventually comes a point when the two begin to differ.

It is one thing to develop a mobile app but it is a whole other to develop the brand of a mobile enterprise. Both require careful planning,Guest Posting however there eventually comes a point when the two begin to differ. This point is, most notably, when an app is released on the mobile market while the brand it is housed under remains a constant work in progress. If you are looking to develop your mobile enterprise’s brand beyond its initial mobile market offering, then you should actively consider the following tips.

Moving Beyond Your App

One of the biggest mistakes that an enterprise in the mobile app industry can make is not developing its brand beyond one particular app. In some cases there may be one or two mobile apps under a brand, however in other cases, there may be dozens. Regardless, it is essential that the brand have a larger footing than any one single app. The reason being is that if any one fails, then the mobile enterprise and its brand will not go down with it. Creating such a separation between product and brand goes back to basic business principles, but does not necessarily make it easy. With that said, if you can develop your brand enough so that when one of your apps under performs, the business is not adversely affected, then you will have achieved your goal in this regard.

Separating The Brand From The App

One of the best ways to develop your mobile enterprise’s brand beyond any one app is to have multiple market offerings. In other words, the more apps your brand has, the more likely it is to shield itself when one of them fails. This is a critical concept when aiming to develop your brand into something more than any one of its market offerings.

While it may seem somewhat counterproductive to separate your brand from your app, and even though you do not want to do so entirely, you do want to make a distinction to certain extent so that there is an option for damage control if something is to go wrong with your app. This is a very common thing for a business to do regarding the brand and its product. For instance, take Nike, if they release a shoe that does not perform well and ends up tanking, the brand is so large and diverse that one failed venture will not take down the entire brand, or for that matter, even do much harm to its reputation. The key for your brand here is to make enough of a separation between it and its apps without completely severing ties. In other words, you want people to recognize your brand because of its success, but you do not want to be associated if one of the apps fails.

Conclusion

A brand should always be developed beyond any one of its products. In the case of your mobile enterprise, this means not letting any one mobile marketing offering bring your brand down. While the more apps your brand has, the less likely this is to happen, you should always aim to develop and expand your the brand of your mobile enterprise well beyond any one app. This way, when an app is worked on and subsequently released, the brand will be able to withstand any potential outcomes regardless of good or bad.

The … issues are … to consider when building a brand, even if that brand is called YOU, Inc.1. Great Brands tie into our … is crucial that this link be present and …

The following issues are important to consider when building a brand,Guest Posting even if that brand is called YOU, Inc.

1. Great Brands tie into our emotions.
It is crucial that this link be present and underlying all brand building efforts. If your brand efforts don’t touch people at an emotional level, their power to leverage and attract is nil. If your own brand building efforts (You, Inc.) are not emotionally driven then your power to sustain your brand building efforts will be weak!

2. Brands are never-ending stories!
Branding is a journey. The path that a brand takes is always a bit unknown. This is a key point. We do not always know what lies in the “implicate order.” Therefore branding is both recognition and management of the present as well as creating the space and opportunity for emergent possibilities within the context of the journey.

3. Brands have lasting value and transcend fad.
While it is cool…to be cool, what matters is what lasts. Moving our brand into a position where it has to be cool to survive is sounding a death nell. Coolness is a result of the brand acceptance, not the brand intention. It will pay to remember that!

4. Great Brands are consistent in appearance.
Everything you do to promote your brand needs design consistency. Continuous management of appearance is critical to creating brand equity and leverage. The biggest part of attraction that many people forget, is that people need to know you’re there! Brand consistency must be seamless and transparent…the effects are clear, the intention is subtle elegance.

5. Brands re-create categories!
Look what Blockbuster did for video. Boston Market for fast food. Nike for sports. Starbucks for coffee. Each and every one of these great brands have one thing in common, they became protagonists in view of a simple goal, to reinvent the entire category.

6. You can brand ANYTHING, even You!
What makes people desire one thing over another? How does one brand attract people over another? Anything can be managed as a brand by following simple rules and by consistently outperforming the other items in the category. This performance doesn’t have to be validated only accepted!

7. Great Brands have a clear identity!
Successful brands know themselves and what they are about. They have become clear regarding their own boundaries and the need to position themselves for success considering all the possibilities in the whole. Sometimes knowing what NOT to do is the key to brand identity.

8. Brand building is a marathon not a sprint!
In today’s world of possibilities and global exchange, the only thing is brand. Price has been shown to be superfluous in the presence of a strong performing brand. People want dependability…a known quantity that differentiates itself from the pack of also-rans. People want to feel important and they leverage that through brand identification. Building a brand is a constant and continuous journey…a long-term approach.

9. Brands are involved!
Brand builders consistently show up at the right time, in the right place and in the right way. A knack for great brand building is precisely knowing when to say when. Consider your brands identity, your branding intention and your brand investment and make continuous deposits towards building brand equity.

10. Brands benefit the consumer!
What is your feature-benefit ratio? If people are not better off having used your brand, you’re in big trouble! That takes two loci of action, one being; that you as a brand manager place your brand in a position to succeed or . . . don’t do it. Two; that the benefits appear to the consumer in a holistic way. It’s kind of like the brand that keeps on giving.

Buckminster Fuller is credited with saying that “when you flush a toilet, it goes somewhere.” When people use your products and services, the same thing happens. If you sacrifice the long-term value in a holistic sense for some short-term gain, you are endangering your brand equity!

People look like their dogs. I say this based on my non-scientific sample of fellow pet owners I have met while walking through Oz Park in Chicago with my own (handsome) dog, Kelsey. My informal assessment is supported by researchers at the University of California at San Diego. Dog owners, the researchers theorize, pick pooches that reflect the owner’s disposition–happy, moody, tough, etc.

What does this have to do with marketing? Well,Guest Posting marketers should foster the same type of match between their brands and channels as pet owners do between themselves and their dogs. If your company’s brand stands for “productivity,” that’s what your channel should deliver. If you promote your “inventiveness,” your channels should be similarly creative. If your company is known for its “high style,” your customers expect to see that cutting edge image when they meet your resellers.While this might seem intuitive, I am amazed by how few companies take proactive steps to ensure that their channels reflect the brand image the manufacturer is trying to present. In our brand implementation work with clients, Frank Lynn & Associates uses a detailed checklist to review all of the potential “touch points” between customers and the brand. While advertising, Web sites, product literature, and other media clearly play a role, the channel is frequently the most influential brand communicator on the list.One of our industrial clients is working hard to promote a brand image that stresses cost-cutting and efficiency (by promoting the use of its products in six-sigma manufacturing processes). The client has educated its salespeople, enlisted industry consultants, created an online knowledge base, etc. Unfortunately, most of the client’s distributors are primarily “order-takers.” The distributors’ salespeople do not know how, and are not motivated, to make a consultative, engineering sale. Having visited our client’s Web site, or hearing our client’s CEO speak, a customer would be significantly confused when they visit one of the distributors.The situation reminds me of the (possibly apocryphal) meeting between Albert Einstein and Marilyn Monroe. Monroe gushed, “Gosh what do you say, professor, shouldn’t we marry and have a little baby together? What a baby it would be–my looks and your intelligence!” Einstein then quipped, “Yes, but dear lady, it might be the other way around.”Fearing such a result, our industrial client is taking steps to rectify the situation. Before we get into the steps that any manufacturer can take to align brand and channel messages, we first need a sidebar on the issue of channel power. When I bring up the issue of brand/channel alignment, many clients complain they do not have the power to compel their channel partners to behave in a certain way. Sure, if you are John Deere, Lexus, Coca-Cola, or IBM you carry some clout in the channel relationship. But, even these companies cannot command adherence to a brand strategy. And, at the other extreme, manufacturers of tertiary products, those who might represent less than 1-2 percent of their partners’ business, sometimes feel powerless.I do not believe the situation is as problematic as some companies might believe. We have developed a significant list of tactics that can help. While each tactic might not apply to your company, or a tertiary-product company, I am convinced there is something for everyone in our list.Before pursuing any of these tactics, companies need to make sure they have a powerful brand message. Without going into much detail here, we tell clients to think about brands using an approach we call UCC–unique, compelling, and credible.With such a brand position in place, companies can create a strong brand/channel alignment by adopting some combination of the following tactics:1. Channel Selection. Perhaps the most powerful tactic to deploy is making brand alignment one of the criteria you use to select channel partners in the first place. If, however, you are already stuck with channel partners that do not exactly fit the brand message, then add even a few new partners that do fit, and promote them as a model. Competitiveness and guilt are wonderful motivators to the existing partners.2. Company-Owned Channels. While we do not generally advocate that manufacturers open up their own dealerships or distributors (especially in competition with existing channel partners), this tactic is sometimes necessary. When IBM launched the first PC, they opened up IBM Product Centers, in no small part to demonstrate to new, independent dealers what a retail facility should look like. Sony, Nike, Viacom, and other companies have opened up their own dealerships for similar reasons. Some of our clients have even opened up company-owned channels, on a temporary basis, to get across their brand message–then turned around and sold the business to an independent dealer who understood the value of the brand.3. Activity-Based Compensation. You may already know that Frank Lynn & Associates strongly advocates activity- or functional-based compensation, in general. You can tie some portion of the channel’s discount/rebate to performing activities that relate to brand alignment, e.g., training salespeople, using your promotional materials, or any of the other tactics in this list.4. Store-within-a-Store. If you sell through a retail channel, consider the store-within-a-store concept to bring a bit of your brand directly into the retailer. Perfume companies pay their own reps to work behind the counters at department stores. HP and Microsoft teamed up to create unique display areas within retailers, where customers could gain hands-on experience with products in a variety of applications. Industrial products manufacturer, Parker Hannifin, has established several hundred ParkerStores at its distributors. Kodak has placed thousands of its photo kiosks in retail locations.5. Point-of-Sale. If a store-within-store or even a kiosk seems a bit overwhelming, do not underestimate the power of basic point-of-sale materials. These may be small displays that surround your product, stand-alone racks, or simply hand-out materials. Regardless, they bring your message directly to the customer. They can also serve as training (see below) for channel salespeople. Make sure to coordinate with channel partners since each has its own perspective of what fits (and what does not).6. Channel Training. Partners may not reflect your brand message due to a lack of employee skills. Or, perhaps your message never filtered down to the individual sales or technical people that “touch” the customer. You can roll out a separate course just on branding and marketing your product, or you can combine it with product training. If you are on a budget, try webinars or CD/DVDs.7. Champions. If training does not get you far enough, consider building channel champions. These are channel employees that, for whatever reason, are, or could be, boosters of your brand. Maybe, they have had a good experience using or selling your brand. Maybe they are just really into your technology or style. Maybe they have a good relationship with your channel account manager. Whatever the reason, find these people and treat them right. Their enthusiasm for your brand can be infectious. This strategy works particularly well for manufacturers of tertiary brands. Maybe you cannot get the attention of your partner’s CEO, but the category manager or individual sales rep might care.8. Marketing and Sales Tools. Aligning manufacturers and channel brands requires repetition. You need to communicate your brand position to and through the channel on a frequent basis. One means of accomplishing this is by providing channel partners with tools that they can use over and over. (Proposal boilerplate, partner portal with product, ordering, technical information, sales checklist, product configurator, planogram, or FAQs on your website) While these tools are not conventional brand media, each of these tools can slowly, but surely, shape the way your channel partners act and communicate with customers.9. Account Plans. Partners often do not fully appreciate the strategic thinking behind your brand message. If so, I can guarantee that they do not appreciate the benefit of the various tactics I have described above. To help partners grasp your brand strategy, the importance of your tactical plans, and the financial impact on their business, you need to instigate an annual planning process with your partners. The plan, preferably developed by the channel’s principal or senior executive, should squarely address the issue of brand alignment. Channel principals/executives, especially in smaller firms, do not have anyone with whom they can discuss strategy. Your account manager becomes their business consultant. The plan should outline how you and the partner will achieve joint sales and profit targets. As such, it should cover all the activities that relate to brand alignment – training, promotion, advertising, customer targets, employee training, etc.In a world of increasing commoditization, manufacturers must create and reinforce brand messages that trumpet their differentiation. Channels are arguably the most important media for communicating with customers. However, customers simply do not want to buy from manufacturers and channels that are not in agreement about fundamental premises and promises. The good news is that you have a wide variety of tools and tactics to bring channels into alignment with your brand message.Oh, and don’t forget to take the dog out for a walk.

This article discusses the importance of personal branding in a career. Danielle Dayries, CEO and Owner of DMD & Associates, a premier career search firm, discusses how to build rapport with potential employers through personal branding. In a modern career search world, where social media matters, Danielle explores how to get your name out there.

The talented comedian,Guest Posting actor, writer, producer and singer Steve Martin once said, “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”

This theory expands much further than the entertainment industry. Rather, it is an excellent goal for any individual who wants to grow their professional life and build a successful career.

You may think branding and marketing are for the public relations and communication departments; however, you will never be considered for a job opening or special project lead if no one knows your name. If people remember you, what they know about you and how they talk about you is all part of your personal brand.

Certainly having a resume and an accomplished work history is important, but your personal brand — how people identify you — is the selling point in your career success.

Personal brand expert Dan Schwabel gives one of my favorite definitions: “Personal branding is all about discovering what makes you special, and then communicating it to the right people, through the right channels.”

Building an effective brand, sharing your brand, and then continually strengthening and protecting your brand are the three steps to lead you on the path toward increased salary and personal job satisfaction.

1. Build Your Brand

Before you can build your personal brand, you must know what your existing brand is. You may ask yourself, “How can I know what it is if I have not built it yet?” While you may not know what it is, others have already been creating it for you. How you act, present yourself and treat others and how hard you work all reflect people’s opinions of you, which is in fact your brand. Ask a trusted superviser, mentor or colleague to describe how others perceive you.

Leverage this information and the following checklist to start planning how you will refine your brand.

• Define your professional goals and how you will accomplish them.

• Use this career map to identify the key elements of your personal brand.

• Create a brand statement that details how you want to be known and what you want to be known for.

2. Communicate Your Brand

Although you might have built a great personal brand, it is only useful if you are able to effectively communicate it to the professional world. To communicate your brand, you need to:

• Ensure that your supervisor, boss and other executives in the company are aware of your unique talents as well as the value you add to the corporation. Do this by maintaining regular communication on your progress on projects and the results that you deliver.

• Start paying attention to your daily interactions with those around you, including colleagues, clients, and even friends and family, consciously aligning these interactions with your personal brand goals.

• Remember the timeless saying that your actions speak louder than words. At work, volunteer for extra projects and take on new responsibilities that are in line with the talents and traits you want to showcase.

• Social media has enhanced the way companies market their brands and connect with their customers. You can implement this same technique to network and market yourself to employers. The key to creating a strong brand image through social media is consistency. Use the same name, picture and personal tagline when registering for different sites to assure people recognize your profile. About.me is an excellent way to link your different profiles, blogs and websites. You can personalize this page to reflect your brand image as well as track activity.

• Consider starting a blog or creating a personal website to showcase your work. This allows you to build your reputation as a subject-matter expert, which is important to maintain after you have landed your dream job. Link your social media profiles with automatic cross posts to make this easier. In addition, reaching out through blogs and other communication outlets opens the door to grow your professional network with other bloggers.

• Update these other communication tools to help you highlight the brand you want to communicate: business cards, résumé and cover letter, work portfolio, and wardrobe.

3. Strengthen and Protect Your Brand

To climb the corporate ladder you need to market yourself and your brand image. This includes maintaining a professional appearance and behavior at all times. As a result of increased technology, especially social media outlets, the lines between your personal and professional life often blend together. “There is no professional or personal anymore,” says successful entrepreneur and businessman Peter Shankman. “There’s simply your brand, and it’s up to you to determine whether your brand is affected positively or negatively.”

The following steps will help you strengthen and protect your personal brand:

• Continually update your brand, and your professional achievements will grow. Maintain records of projects you have worked on, as well as the quantifiable results of these projects. This proof is what you will need to present when you are ready to ask for a promotion or raise.

• Protect your reputation by regularly monitoring your social media accounts, website, blog posts and other communication outlets. Review pictures, comments and posts to assure they are appropriate and professional. Your brand should be a positive reflection of you.

Building, improving and maintaining your personal brand takes a great deal of work. Managing your brand is a continuous process. It is not easy, however; taking the time to align your career goals and how you want others to perceive you is a proven way to help you confidently ask for a raise or bravely go outside your comfort zone to pursue a new opportunity. Ultimately, your personal brand will help you achieve your career dreams.

This article discusses the Importance of having a set of Brand Metrics. It also discusses how a good brand can do wonders for a company and how it can propel a company further.

Brand name is an important strategy when it comes to product marketing. Well known brands are those that have lasted over the years and it usually follows that the longer a brand has been standing the higher the quality it offers. This is viewed as so because of the logic that: No Brand Can Last if it is Not Well Loved by Its customers.

Companies have either one brand under them or multi brand that they monitor closely. The brand could be the name of the company itself or it could be something different. An example of this is that of a famous car company that has been around practically since the time cars were invented. They market their cars under their brand name which is the same name as the company itself. They have lasted as long as they have because people associate their name with experience and quality,Guest Posting and of course, the company has never faltered in the quality that they offer their clients.

The company also has several other products that they sell with different brand names. The brand names of their other products have become well known in their target markets because of their association to the company name. In short, this company has marketed itself not only with the use of their long years of experience, but also with the strength that their main brand name has built.

Like Brands and product Brand Names, Brand Metrics are also a very important strategy in marketing. Brand Metrics can be made to measure how a certain company brand is doing in general or how it is fairing with the competition. Most of the time, companies neglect the importance of brand metrics. Brand Metrics often melt into the Company Performance Metrics as a whole. Some companies think that their general performance would be enough to gauge their success. What they don’t see is the fact that different brands under the same company can perform differently.

An example that presents the need for the implementation of brand metrics is one of a Publishing House. This Publishing house can have several brand names under it. These brand names may cater to different demographics. One brand could be that of a women’s magazine while the other is a sports magazine. These are two completely different markets and the company’s performance cannot be quantified as a whole. Each Brand has to be reviewed in order to get a good idea about how that brand is performing. Brand Metrics could also be established to compare one magazine brand to competing brand names in the same market.

Brand names and Brand Metrics should not be taken for granted. A good brand name could be made to sell itself. But, no matter how good a brand name seems to be faring, performance reviews for it should never vanish into the computation of the company’s performance as a whole. It should have its own set of Brand Metrics in order for the company to have a specific view of its strengths and weaknesses.