Does your company sell mostly to individual consumers? If so, your customer targeting can get complicated and may require a high degree of personalization. Consumers’ tastes and preferences in features/benefits run in multitudinous different directions and with choices at their fingertips, you need to build customer personas and tailor multiple sets of messages to different groups or individuals today. That is if you want your brand to stand out and lead your consumer category.

Does your business sell mostly to other businesses? Then your target audience is easily defined! You sell to the CEO or the business owner, often the same person. Simple. And how nice that is for helping you determine your branding and positioning strategy!

This approach is fundamental to having an authentic and effective brand in the business products & services (B2B) world. But some salespeople and even some business owners argue that end users of equipment, software or services highly influence decisions and must be sold first. Engineers, specifiers and purchasing managers are the ones who do all the “shopping” and make the final recommendation and therefore, can seal the decision – or so you may think.

The target of ALL B2B marketing is the CEO.

CEOs and senior executives have a unique mindset and language. CEO’s don’t think like everyday consumers when making business buying decisions. They wear a very different hat for that. Business buying decisions are just as emotion-based if not more so, but for very different reasons.

Think of the business meetings you’ve had with CEOs present. They cut through the minutia and get to the key points fast (even when being patient with others out of courtesy). They are starved for new information that can guide their decisions.

Consider what a respected millennial digital marketer, Miranda Casey, has to say. “Working in the tech industry and targeting CEOs, I’ve come to understand the importance of getting to the point fast and ‘proving the why’ as quickly and efficiently as possible. It’s not every day that a company decides to make a thousand or million dollar decision…”

Additionally, the CEO may have his or her own personal motives for choosing a supplier for their business, and nobody can know exactly who else the CEO knows or what else could motivate their decisions. Remember that “blood runs thicker than water” and relationships make a difference, sometimes all the difference — all things being equal, or even not so much. The lesson here is to take the time (and be patient) to build relationships with the CEOs in your target market.

Talking with End Users only FEELS like sales work.

Seasoned B2B salespeople know that top-down selling works much better than the bottom-up approach. Business owners and executive leaders are constantly on the lookout for the best suppliers and partners to help improve their companies and gain competitive advantages. Sure, they are loyal to proven providers but keep an eye on the consistency of quality and value received. If it’s clearly demonstrated to the CEO that replacing a supplier can solve real problems and increase profitability, the old one gets the boot and the new supplier celebrates a business win

Marketing:  Your Intangible B2B Sales Force 

The same principle applies in B2B marketing. Position your brand only for the CEOs in the industries you serve. Don’t try pushing your list of features. That’s a consumer-based commodity approach! Explain, rather, the actual and differentiated results your solutions provide clients, maybe even their competition.

As your messages get through to your CEO targets with the ringtone of relevance, your brand will begin to develop a subtle (even if at first subconscious) mental interest. Then a natural value-focused curiosity will make learning more about your product/service part of their to-do list.

With a continued consistency of strong messages, your pricing and business model will be investigated or directly inquired of – your opportunity to close new business.

Demonstrate category leadership to your target company CEOs and they will wonder if they should be doing business with you.

The post CEOs and Consumers Decide Differently appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

I think most of us can agree that a brand is an extremely valuable intangible asset that requires disciplined nurturing to attract new business and keep current customers feeling welcomed. Brand equity can increase and decrease as consumers collectively feel a certain way about the brand at any given time. Attempting to leverage your brand’s value into business categories outside your core strength invariably affects delivery of your core products and services. Brand extension can be very tempting but the foundation of brand value is authenticity. Authenticity is proven only by consistently matching customer experiences with brand promises.

Keep it simple. Use your positioning statement!

Many business owners and marketing directors struggle with how to create content for their inbound marketing efforts. They wonder what to say and how to say it in an article, sponsorship, ad or promotion. Before crafting any company message, the brand strategy should be consulted for direction. The brand’s positioning statement is the idea platform from which you can develop brand-congruent messages that reinforce your strategic identity in the market – being known for the reasons you should be known.

When considering what your message should be for any external communication, ask: What does our brand command? Your positioning statement will infuse the spirit of your brand identity into the ideas you wish to convey.

Does your business have a positioning statement? Forget mission statement! Your positioning statement sums up how and why your organization delivers value, and you should remind consumers of that value every chance you get. Keep in mind that B2B clients are consumers. Business consumers are just as emotionally driven and socially engaged as anyone else so branding and positioning are crucial for industrial, manufacturing and technology driven businesses.

How to Write Your Positioning Statement

Doug Stayman writing in eCornell Blog offers guidelines for writing a strong positioning statement.

“What makes a good positioning statement? Here are six keys to keep in mind:

1. It is simple, memorable, and tailored to the target market.
2. It provides an unmistakable and easily understood picture of your brand that differentiates it from your competitors.
3. It is credible, and your brand can deliver on its promise.
4. Your brand can be the sole occupier of this particular position in the market. You can “own” it.
5. It helps you evaluate whether or not marketing decisions are consistent with and supportive of your brand.
6. It leaves room for growth.”

Here’s the formula for writing your positioning statement, courtesy of Brandeo.

“There are four elements or components of a positioning statement:

Target Audience – the attitudinal and demographic description of the core prospect to whom the brand is intended to appeal; the group of customers that most closely represents the brand’s most fervent users.

Frame of Reference – the category in which the brand competes; the context that gives the brand relevance to the customer.

Benefit/Point of Difference – the most compelling and motivating benefit that the brand can own in the hearts and minds of its target audience relative to the competition.

Reason to Believe – the most convincing proof that the brand delivers what it promises.

Criteria for Evaluating a Positioning Statement

• Is it memorable, motivating and focused to the core prospect?
• Does it provide a clear, distinctive and meaningful picture of the brand that differentiates it from the competition?
• Can the brand own it?
• Is it credible and believable?
• Does it enable growth?
• Does it serve as a filter for brand decision making?

Template for a Positioning Statement:

For (target audience), (brand name) is the (frame of reference) that delivers (benefit/point of difference) because only (brand name) is/can (reason to believe).”

Here’s an example from Amazon.com:

“For World Wide Web users who enjoy books, Amazon.com is a retail bookseller that provides instant access to over 1.1 million books, because unlike traditional book retailers, Amazon.com provides a combination of extraordinary convenience, low prices, and comprehensive selection.”

Here’s ours:

“For Business Leaders and Strategic Marketing Directors, Chuck Sink Link is the marketing communications firm that creates ideal messages for your target audience, because we reveal the authentic value of your brand and communicate it with relevance and clarity.”

The strongest brands today are those with owners who listen to their customers and target audiences. Their brand identities are determined by aligning consumer desires and emotions with core company mission and values. The brand is shaped largely by how the market gains value from its use, congruent with what the brand’s organization stands for.

For a brand to be successful, it must convey a very specific value that’s measured in quantifiable benefits and emotional satisfaction. While these intangibles may be hard to measure at first, the buying behavior of your new customers will be easy to gauge.

The post What does the brand command? appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

Guest author Stacie Andrews gets the credit for this brilliant question: “What can you give your audience that is relevant to them and still relevant to what you stand for?” 

That, my friends, is exactly what I focus my business practice on and it requires honest self evaluation from leadership. At an agency I previously worked for, principal Haden Edwards called it “matching promises with priorities.” That is, how your company – as guaranteed in your brand promise – helps meet the priorities (wants) of your target market.

It’s a remarkably simple strategy that too few businesses execute well. Steve Jobs seemed to understand his consumers’ priorities instinctively which is why he went against rigid conventional corporate thinking. He got fired from the company he founded, was pulled back in, allowed to keep innovating, and built arguably the most successful company in the world. 

Jobs knew that his customers wanted dazzling tech products that operated the way humans like to live and work – by intuition. He ardently stuck to proprietary platforms for Apple and his detractors despised those tactics if not the man himself. Jobs persevered in wowing customers and Apple products deliver on the company’s promise to meet the priorities of the computing and device-wielding public. Apple’s products perform as expected and give authenticity to their brand identity.

So how do you go about making your brand’s real value relevant to what your target customers really want from a business like yours? The answer is in your positioning. How do you position your brand for success?

Writing your positioning statement will bring you more long term success than just about any other strategic exercise you can do in business.

A positioning statement is your unique promise to customers that differentiates your business from the competition with honesty, relevance and value. It should be one or two sentences and crystal clear. You should articulate it in numerous ways that are natural in both writing and conversation, keeping it real for people.

How to write your positioning statement:

Dr. David Shore of Harvard University developed a positioning methodology many years ago that my previous employer, Tracey/Edwards, taught me.

1. Clearly and narrowly define your target audience.
2. Define your general business category (manufacturer, retailer, law firm, college, home builder, consultancy, engineering firm, etc.).
3. Determine their priorities with your own research. (Suggestion: spend some hours with clients who use your product/service and really understand how they get value from it – or not.)
4. Determine your statement of need fulfillment – what of value will you deliver?
5. Provide the reason to believe with relevant support.

I’ll use my own positioning statement, based on this model, as an example. It covers all of the above in one concise statement which my company strives to live up to every day.

(1) To Business Owners, Organization Leaders and Marketing Directors:

Chuck Sink Link is the (2) communication firm that (3, 4)) creates ideal messages for your target audience because (5) we reveal the authentic value of your brand and convey it with relevance and clarity.

Notice how all 5 listed elements are contained in one brief statement? All of my marketing messages stem from this positioning statement and they’re working. Every week, people I’ve never met introduce themselves and already know who I am and what I do. I have successfully built a strategic brand and now my leads are inbound and the referrals are warm.

If you still struggle with working the numbers cold calling or trying to blitz your prospects because things are slow, I would suggest you take time now to strategically position your brand for success. Highly profitable inbound business will come your way if you communicate the same message with consistency and deliver what you promise.

Your brand positioning is the nexus where your stated brand value meets the needs and desires of your audience. It’s the fulcrum point where your marketing messages gain the leverage of consistency for broader reach. When you consistently reinforce your company’s positioning, you become well known in the market – “for the reasons you want to be known!”

We’re redesigning our website now to better reflect the company’s evolved brand value. I made this decision in part to practice what I preach and more importantly to fulfill my own brand promise to my own business.

It’s vitally important to work ON your business as you must also work IN it. This carpenter’s online house will soon be rebuilt, true to it’s brand positioning. So please stay tuned in the coming weeks for the unveiling of our new site!

The post Brand positioning – Your success sweet spot appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

There are too many technology walls and filters against traditional sales calls for them to be effective today. Not only that, the buyer mindset has changed dramatically over the last 10 years. Cold calls were once respected, even appreciated by many buyers at a time when salespeople offered new product information and comparison shopping opportunities.

There was once, on a certain level, a sense of obligation to respond to the persistent salesperson’s calls. Do you see that sense of obligation working for your selling efforts now? As a salesperson, do you feel it out there anymore?

Voicemail and automated call answering were first, the speed and reliability of the Internet were second, and the cultural shift toward “build a relationship and earn my trust before I will even talk with you” (resulting from the peer-to-peer socialization of business and commerce) is the final nail in the coffin of cold call selling.

Sidewalk canvassing doesn’t even work anymore because many business entrances are locked for security. I remember how awkward it felt ringing a buzzer without an appointment and struggling to offer a valid reason to be let in the door. Welcoming front desks and receptionists have been vanishing as fast as payphones.

Bottom line: Effective prospecting is totally different now and traditional, old-school prospecting methods will mostly fail. We’ve hit that tipping point much to the chagrin of many experienced sales pros who are reluctant to embrace technological and cultural business changes.

So what’s a salesperson to do these days? Here’s what: Transition your energy from making enough calls to make the numbers work, to building enough relationships so your calls are welcomed by enough prospects and they will call you when they need your product or service.

The good news is this works really well. The bad news is the work is just as hard, maybe harder. As B2B is the new retail, networking is the new cold calling. As networking is the new cold calling, content marketing and consultative selling are the new follow up and close methods.

Your B2B prospect has choices at his fingertips and doesn’t necessarily want to be educated on what’s good for him and his business. The business owner and decision maker of today still buys from whom she trusts and especially whom she both trusts and likes. At least that hasn’t changed!

Effective salespeople of today are constantly doing these things:

• attending events where prospects are numerous
• offering valuable information and advice to prospects
• providing leads and referrals to prospects
• building relationships on several social media channels
• writing, producing and sharing blog articles, newsletters & videos
• having coffees and lunches with customers and referral partners
• taking calls from interested prospects
• responding to requests for meetings by prospective clients
• closing new business on first meetings

Sound good? Notice how the bullet list starts with a few tough hurdles and ends with enjoyable, winning activities.

When a salesperson practices most or all of the above on a daily daily basis, he or she becomes like a bright, attractive storefront to the target audience. Buyers of big ticket purchases will be excited to “walk in” to this shiny, merchandise-rich store and get just what they’re looking for. Herein we see the metaphor of the title.

So don’t “go out and sell something!” Instead, go out, makes some friends and be a trusted adviser. Then stay in front of those new friends where they hang out physically and online.

The post B2B Sales is the New Retail appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

Original subscribers to this newsletter have been receiving some form of it since 2006. It started asBrandworth News, was reestablished as Big Hit Bits and became the Chuck Sink Link in April of 2010.

The ads are never in your face and many of them offer valuable free content

Profit from these free tools!

downloads. I really hope you’ll click our sponsor links below if anything catches your eye.

Learn all you need in 2 hours to develop content that will drive new revenues to your business. Please Join us July 18th in Concord, NH for Content Drives Success!                                                                                                                                                         

The post The Story of Networking and Valuable Content appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

My opinion is we should avoid tossing around such powerful words as loyalty when we’re designing promotional programs. “Customer loyalty” in the context of incentive based purchases is a misnomer. Loyalty is faithful adherence to something in good times and bad; at full retail or deep discount. Loyalty is akin to honor, faith, respect and even love. You cannot offer discounts in exchange for certain behavior and call that loyalty. So, marketers, in this supposed age of transparency, can we be real about this?

The airline industry came up with an accurate and well received phrase: “frequent flyer” miles or discounts. That’s real. Consumers are delighted to redeem their frequent flyer miles and these programs certainly drive repeat business to the airlines that offer them. The trick is to make the repeat purchase incentives realistic and within reach. People flock to an offer when it’s actually a good deal and they see the value clearly.

There is such a thing as real customer loyalty. You’ll never find a loyal Harley Davidson owner looking at Suzuki motorcycles or even the Harley-styled look-alike rice burners. Getting a tattoo of a manufacturing company’s logo requires some genuine brand loyalty. Few brands have that kind of cultural and emotional connection with their target consumers.

Think of a brand to which you’re loyal. From what does your affinity in the brand stem? It’s based on something you genuinely feel about the company. Various impressions and interactions made you feel good about patronizing this unique business.

In recent years, Ford Motor Company has earned my loyalty with both quality and corporate governance policies. This is after I swore that only Japanese cars would suit me. I am certain I’ll buy another Ford as my next new vehicle. Apple has many loyalists and they win that loyalty by making the lives of their customers easier and more entertaining. What other brands can you think of that earn real loyalty from customers?

Word choice is important when describing our promotions and offers to the market. I have come to ignore any promotion with the word loyalty in it because I know that it’s only an attempt to make me spend more money, not save it. Everybody else knows that too. If I do respond to a “customer loyalty” offer, it’s because I need the product anyway and the promo catches me at the right time. This is probably true of most consumers. We go for the most bang for our buck every time. Sometimes that bang comes from the feeling we get buying from a company or person we feel good about.

The post Loyalty means never having to say “on sale!” appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

I’m involved in a LinkedIn group discussion about where to draw the lines between marketing functions like advertising, branding, promotion, etc. A marketer named Jon Sherrington from Toronto offered this wonderful metaphor:

“Within the body that we call Marketing: strategy is the brain, advertising is the voice, media is the lungs, sales is the heart and branding is the soul. You don’t dissect the body to make it more functional. You can analyze and philosophize to the nth degree but it doesn’t change the nature of what it is.” (I detect a little St. Paul in there.)

I really like how Jon compares vital organs to business functions. I had an aha! moment when identifying a brand with a soul. The soul is not of the body. It supersedes the mortal body and lives independently. The brand is not of the signs, slogans, salespeople, advertising, website, events, buildings, trucks, social media presence… It could live on without all that if suddenly those things went away. Could Oldsmobile be resurrected? (Not that it should be unless some wave of consumer nostalgia demanded it.)

I’ve read in a couple of places that the value of the CocaCola brand, stripped of alltangible corporate assets, just the brand – the image and the idea alone of CocaCola is estimated to be worth over $70 billion. That’s essentially pure brand equity. It’s the value of Coke’s brand positioning in our minds.

That’s how powerful great strategic branding is for a business. Coke pours tremendous resources toward continually strengthening its brand though committed advertising campaigns. Not all of their campaigns are winners, nor are all of their business decisions good ones (Remember the New Coke fiasco?). But we can see how Coke’s brand equity can absorb even big mistakes and still maintain huge market value sans any physical assets.

So how is your brand doing? Is the soul of your business in a state of grace?

The post Brand for Eternity appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

person in your network known for his or her skills at solving your problem.

The post Business Development Top Ten appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

I must give credit to my friend and fellow entrepreneur, the founder of The Giant Game Company, for the title of this short article. We were talking the other day about changes going on in his target markets and how he has successfully responded to their shifting needs. “The market made me do it,” he said. I responded by saying I was thinking of an article about that and now I’ve got a title for it.

The post The Market Made Me Do It! appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.

Marketing is every business activity directed toward selling a product/service and successfully delivering it into customers’ hands. Marketing drives sales. There is no business until a sale is made and that’s why every CEO is his or her company’s chief of sales. Sleepless nights are the result of insufficient new business flowing through the pipeline.

One or two salespeople control their smirks knowing they’ve already exceeded goals while the other 80 percent of the team desperately hold poker faces, fighting the fear that furrows the brow, lest their weakness show through. “How many calls are you making per day? What are you doing to qualify your appointments? How many serious leads did you get from that schmooze fest you call a networking event? What’s your average closing ratio? We actually lost money on your last two clients! They aren’t the right fit for us.” Let me the hell out of there!

The accusations, complaints and criticisms of the average boss toward his sales team ought to be leveled right back at him if such an attitude is his. After all, that selling model died about 20 years ago, so shame on our poor old hypothetical boss. But meetings like this are still takingplace out there and it’s too bad when there’s a better way to sell. It’s called positioning and it isn’t new. It’s many decades old, in fact.

What if the boss was instead focused on positioning his company’s brand so customers knew it was the easiest choice to make in the crowded market?

Positioning is essentially how much space your brand occupies in your prospect’s mind relative to your business or product category. The more you win the battle for the mind, the more sales you will make because your prospects will be sold before a single call is made to them.

Effective positioning differentiates your brand with relevance combined with emotion. The perception of quality is higher, therefore the value is greater than other brands.

If customers and potential customers want the Apple i-Product instead of the Microsoft or Android device, they will wait longer, travel farther and pay more for the Apple. It happens every day. If the thrill seeking driver is already drooling over the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500, the Chevy Camaro ZL1 won’t even be given a test drive.

Sales nostalgia can never bring back the effectiveness of cold calling, follow up and closing – ever!  So it’s high time every CEO wakes up to the positioning model and starts directing his team to communicate his brand’s authentic value using the myriad digital tools available to everyone – including answering the phone.

The post Positioning: Relax, the sale is yours. appeared first on Chuck Sink Link.