Brand Actualisation - Who are you?
Russell Pearson CSP
Hall of Fame Inductee | Top Voice in Consulting | Host of the Your Consulting Business Podcast | Business Blacksmith – We Support Super Smart Consultants to Forge Successful Consulting Businesses.
Who are you?
You know...I’ve been working in the space of Brand Marketing for over 27 years now.
Started in the early ’90s and back then, brand was very focused on 'Solution'.
You were the ‘Solution’ Provider.
And if you didn’t have a Solution, you were NOTHING.
We’ve come a long way since then and buyers have changed.
They’ve become more sophisticated and spoilt with choice.
It’s no longer about your solution but instead, the OUTCOMES you deliver.
In the expertise space…Consulting, Specialist Services, and Advisory it goes a step further.
Clients are now making decisions on WHO (whom) they work with over the HOW services are delivered.
WHO is more important than HOW.
So who are you?
Back in about 2003, I was working with an Accounting Firm.
They did Tax Accounting, Business Advisory, and Bookkeeping.
They knew WHO they wanted to be…it was WHO they thought they NEEDED to be.
Their WHO was based on what they thought clients wanted.
They wanted to be seen as the MOST PROFESSIONAL!!!
Clients would work with the most qualified team members.
Clients would have the most professional experience.
Come to us because we are PROFESSIONAL!
And so that’s what we advertised.
It’s fair to say we were very good at advertising and clients got in touch.
The campaign was successful.
OR SO WE THOUGHT.
So I was surprised when only 3 months later we were asked to run the campaign again.
I was surprised because at the rate of sales they were attracting, I would have thought they would be managing growth for the next 12 months...at least.
But in discussion, we learned that the new clients had churned.
They had come in…done a little project THEN left.
I was really surprised but agreed to run the campaign again.
During the new campaign, I decided to ring the front desk rather than the directors' private numbers and all became obvious.
The phone was answered by a fairly new employee who stumbled to pick up the phone.
Dropped it on the ground.
Yelled at someone in the background.
Picked the phone back up and answered "...What?"
At that moment the campaign we were running exploded in my face.
I began to notice other things that were ‘less than professional’.
Not only at the front desk but throughout the business.
We were advertising PROFESSIONAL, but they were not BEING Professional.
We were making promises that were not being kept.
Your brand is so much more about the promises you break.
No wonder clients were leaving.
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Now, I want to make a point here - this article is not about professionalism.
It’s such an?intangible word anyway.
What 'professional' means to one person, is completely different to another.
This is not even about you finding a WORD that sums you up.
What I’ve discovered is that it needs to be more than that.?
It requires a deeper look at you in 3D.
Who are you?
And do you KNOW who you are?
In our FORGE Business Program, we have a process called BRAND ACTUALISATION.
It works for both businesses and individual experts.
And it’s a Three Dimensional view, in fact, a 6 sided view of your Brand as an Entity.
Looking at your Environment, Values, Beliefs, Strategies, Actions and Identity we create the holistic vision of your Brand.
It’s an incredibly exciting process and opens doors to opportunities that were previously unavailable to you.
Those that have completed the process have gone from obscurity to being nominated as influential in their industry.
They now attract a better client…Now completely aligned to their Ideal Client.
Someone they love working with.
Someone they can help deeply.
And someone who can easier afford their value.
Every element of their business is now easier because they are no longer trying to BE something they’re not.
They are energised at work.
It’s a joy to watch.
Especially as they start to flex in a BRAND that had always been hiding below the surface.
You as a BRAND Actualised is a very POWERFUL position.
And those individuals are now creating real change in the world, rather than poking at change with a stick.
It’s good that most people are doing SOMETHING…But time is short and there is a BIGGER GAME TO PLAY.?
It’s incredible what can be accomplished with small skilful, sometimes surgical adjustments with those who are ready for change.
It took me 27 years of professional work in Brand to move through various stages of understanding.
And you’re all on your own expert journey.
It’s the reason I reach out to colleagues when I need expert advice.
If you’re interested to know more about Actualising your Brand, we can always chat.
You know where I am.
And, you may be inspired by the results.
?? Stay Passionate.
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Russell Pearson?is the founder of the FORGE. A Business Program for Solo Consultants, Advisors, and Specialist Service Providers who want Better Clients & Higher Fees.
You can contact him directly here:?https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/russell-pearson/?