How to Leverage The Value In Your Brand To Generate More New Business

As outlined in my last article , your brand represents the value that you and your professional services deliver to clients.

Certainly, it’s gratifying to know that our brands can deliver client-pleasing value.

But just because we are aware of this value, it does not also mean that potential clients and referral sources are also aware of it.? Nor does it also mean that oodles of new business will automatically flow from the value inherent in our brands.

To generate this flow of new business, it is essential to help clients understand how our brand delivers value to them.

The Future-Ready Brand reminds us that “a brand’s positioning should be the external manifestation of … the promise it makes to all stakeholders.”

By way of example, Jill Kramer, (Accenture’s chief marketing and communications officer) explains:

“There is one thing that is common across every client we serve. They’re all either trying to drive change or cope better with it.

“So we thought the simple statement “Let there be change” was profound because it acknowledges that change is good.? It doesn’t say it’s easy, but it portrays change in a positive, tenacious, and optimistic light.”

The Transformation Business

Your clients, like those of Accenture, are also trying to drive change or cope better with it.??

Some are facing pains and need your help in reducing or even better eliminating these pains.? Others who might be facing potential gains need your help making the most of or otherwise maximizing these potential gains.

Your role, regardless of whether clients need help with pains or gains, is to help clients transform where they are to where they want to be.? Regardless of the specific nature of your service, you are in effect in the transformation business.

Knowing Your Why

A brand positioning statement explains your services and helps potential clients understand how you and your services can help them make the transformation from where they are to where they want to be.

Knowing your why is an important first step in creating your brand positioning statement. When you know your why, you will find the courage to take the risks needed to get ahead, stay motivated when the chips are down.

In practice, your why is both familiar and comfortable. Strategically, knowing your why serves much the same purpose as a mission statement.

It communicates the purpose of your service business, focusing your energy, actions, behaviors and decisions towards the things that are most important.

Certainly, knowing your why can play a critical role in continuing to undertake and effectively complete those many actions necessary to generate more new business.

Our personal brands define who we are as individuals and as professionals. Our brands also help us stand out from the crowd, distinguishing us from all others.

Including your why in your brand statement can enhance and support those elements that differentiate you from the competition.

This in turn helps make your marketing more authentic, differentiating it from the blatant lies and outright lies favored by copycat marketers and shameless self- promoters alike.

What’s Your Point Of View?

A point of view reflects a particular attitude or way of considering a matter.

Our point of view helps us find like-minded people as friends and acquaintances.? It also helps attract potentially ideal clients and referral sources, while discouraging others whose point of view is different from, perhaps even directly opposite to ours.

By extension, a brand perspective is in effect your brand’s point of View.? As a component of what your brand stands for, your brand perspective reflects your particular attitude or way of considering a matter.

In effect, a brand positioning statement brings together your why and your brand point of view.

In practice it’s more like an internal checklist than a strategic marketing tool.? As a checklist, it helps ensure that your marketing communications, whether written or spoken, contain an accurate description of your brand position.

Your Brand Positioning Statement

Given that your brand positioning statement is an internal resource, the key to its effectiveness is creating something that works for you, not clients or referral sources.

As a result, the process of creation is fairly simple and straightforward.

How can you modify Accenture’s simple statement “Let there be change” to reflect how you support clients in their transformations?

What roles do your why and your point of view play in supporting clients?

In answering these two questions, feel free to use a many or as few words as may be necessary.?

Once you have completed the first draft to your satisfaction, you can always revise and wordsmith the statement when and as need be.

The intention of your brand positioning statement is more important than the actual words that you use.?

Once you have refined and revised your statement to your satisfaction, keep it front of mind when preparing marketing communications.? This will help ensure that all marketing communications consistently reflect the essence of your brand positioning statement.

In effect, marketing communications based upon your brand positioning statement leverage the value in your brand to generate more new business

If you need help with your statement (or any other aspect of marketing your professional services) let’s chat .

To take a deeper dive in the concept of a brand positioning statement, check out the video course How Personal Branding Generates More New Business.? Lesson 7 is all about creating a brand positioning statement.

Learn More

· ? How To Overcome The Biggest Marketing Challenge For All Professionals

· ? How Personal Branding Generates More New Business