This pictorial masterpiece explains the two kinds of tools necessary to build your Brand. Your Personal Brand.
First, you introduce your product or service to the market via your Trust Tools.
To Build your Brand, personal networking is at the core, augmented with Speaking, Teaching and Writing. These all breed familiarity, expertise and credibility. As a side note, notice where the internet sits. Outside!
In other words, the internet, the computer, the digital side of life is merely a means to an end. The magic ingredient, the classic and the foundation is still that face to face beast known as your personal networking.
Then, after you introduce yourself, you are in a better position to connect with contacts, prospects and customers. That is when you pull out your Spin Tools.
The Spin Tools tools are your advertising, sales materials, and public relations stories. Things that revolve around you and your sales promotional activities.
The most important thing to know is that you don’t engage those Spin Tools until you first establish a level of Trust. Only then can you start to connect with contacts, prospects and customers. Only then can you begin to build those personal relationships.
With every customer relationship, there is a wooing process or a dance. That dance can be rushed and hurried or deliberate and paced. You, the business owner, always have a choice. As a matter of fact,
It’s All About Your Choice
In how you build your business and build your Brand. Your choice in how you pay. In how you view, say, employee travel. It’s all about Your Choice.
Way 1. Fast or Slow
Do you want to go fast or slow? Going fast often comes with a hefty cost. In looking at the simple diagram above, speed means ignoring the trust tools and concentrating on the sales tools — all in the hopes of making that sale. The result is often the relationships you need to build never materialise.
On the other hand, going slow will never make you nearly as rich as fast as you want in the early years. But it will set you up for long term success. You always have a choice.
Way 2. Paper to Pay
Yes, of course, using cash instead of a credit card immediately comes to mind. That always works in retail situations and the grey or underground markets.
Cheques, so often overlooked, are still a significant factor for many uses. Your corporate cheques are a form of brand imagery and can significantly contribute to what people think, feel and believe about your company. The electronic transfer has assuredly become the preferred payment method.
Whether you choose paper or paperless, the most positive commentary about you and your business is the TIMELY arrival of payment to your suppliers!
Consider making an impression with the smaller companies you deal with locally. Instead of mailing the cheques, consider stopping by and presenting it to the principal of the business. (Or, drop off a paper copy of the electronic funds transfer to the owner.) You will be remembered.
Make an impression with your employees too. Most of us use direct deposit. How many of us still walk through the shop or office and hand out pay stubs to each employee with a handshake or a thank you? Imagine the impact we would have!
And how about those quarterly or annual bonus payouts? Yes, the usual accompanying congratulatory notes are excellent. But a handshake and a genuine verbal thank you with the copy of the direct deposit slip will set you apart. You can make that choice.
Way 3. Ease Up on Employees
Any employee who travels for business or must entertain people of interest to the organisation needs to have a credit card for the requirements of their position. Give it to them.
This does not mean they are given a card with no limits and no directions for accounting. You make it quite clear what their authorisation levels are and what and when they need to file regularly. You also outline all the penalties for non-compliance.
Your employees give a lot of their time to travel on your behalf so lighten their load. You have that choice.
Interested in more ideas about Your Choice to Build your Brand? Check out, Jerry Fletcher.
