One: Determine your brand values and be sure that they accurately reflect your brand. One way to be sure is this scenario: if you took away any one of the values would your brand cease to exist as that brand? If not, then the value wasn’t a true value. Two: Determine or develop a positioning strategy that makes your brand a leader in your category. This is not some fluffy slogan that merely inspires but is something that potential customers can resonate with and in many cases pay more for. Three: Own your color palette. Look to your competition and…

What sounds better during a sales pitch: 1. We help businesses improve their bottom line. 2. We helped XYZ company increase revenue by 19%. Obviously number 2 is the clear choice, and the reason is because it includes quantifiable data that validates the value the company claims, which helps differentiate the company and its offerings. This type of anecdotal differentiation comes in many flavors, regardless of the type of organization you run, e.g.: A. Tree removal company – We helped ABC park district remove 26 trees so it could finish its new park on time. B. Law firm – AAA…

With so many factors in a shifting landscape, sometimes it’s difficult to get a broad overview of your business. If you have a firm grip on total quality management, your leadership teams are focused on case studies and apply successful techniques to your current operations. Depending on the size of your firm, it may not be possible for leaders to get on the same page. Larger organizations may consider hiring an outside expert to help them strategize. In smaller organizations, however, internal leadership collaboration can make a big difference. Here are five benefits of total quality management that can improve…

What’s your takeaway? There are a couple of things that jump up for me. Quite a bit mentioned about mobile email and that decision makers open their emails on mobile devices. Email is well and alive today

I’m always trying to find ways to improve on what I do. I do a lot of reading, I reach out to people. I’m continually looking for great opportunities to get my message out there. I recently launched my new website that I had ported over to Wordpress. Now my blog is within my site rather than at a separate location. I’ve also just launched my new ASK ED! question service. In the bag and ready for promotion is a 3 product mastermind like consulting packages that I will start promoting very soon. Also In the works is a new…

Public speaking is a great way to build awareness for your brand, generate leads and increase your expert profile. Public speaking is not a natural thing to do. Standing in front of groups of strangers is enough for some people to lose their cookies. I suggest this channel a lot when I am in conversation with business people. I get a lot of cringes and excuses. But the truth in the matter is public speaking can be easy to do. My experience is typical – I too was nervous the first time I spoke. I had a script, I lost…

Leadership. It’s certainly not about being “The Boss”. I’d venture to say it’s more like not being the boss. Granted, you do not want to be one of the guys while at work because you are supposed to lead not have others lead you. So what is a leader and how should they behave? Here’s an interesting slideshow with 19 thoughts on leadership for you. Do you agree? Which resonates with you?

If you are looking into starting a business whilst in college then you are in one of three positions. Either you have checked out of your studies, and are looking for something to kill your time whilst instead of dropping out. Either you have lots of spare time because you have made no friends, or you are short of cash and need to start a business. Whatever your reasons, here is how you start a small business on a college premises. The example used is very specific, but you can apply the process to lots of small businesses you may…

Local businesses are sometimes hesitant to get involved with SEO.  This may be because they have found success with the marketing that they are used to and are comfortable with- like local advertising, direct mail, promotions, etc. but more often than not it’s because they have limited resources and aren’t willing to take on the additional investment.  However, this means that local businesses are really missing out on a huge opportunity to generate more sales and leads since a large percentage of online searches are for products or services that can be found at the local level.  It really doesn’t…

Frankly – your greater than that! In my Brand Consulting side of things, “Our people make the difference” is the by far the most common answer to my question – “Exactly what is it that makes you different from your competition?” Let’s be honest every company’s employee pool has talent and they do a great job making their products great. You have to dig deeper and pull out something more compelling that makes you the leader. You’ve got to be the first to market with this powerful position and you have to deliver it is such a way that your…