But, did you know that a great brand gives you so much more? Below are five benefits of having a great brand:

1. Gives your clarity on your business - If you do the right branding work and really dig deep into the who, what, where, when, why, and how of your business you WILL get clarity on your business. You WILL get clarity on your goals. And, you WILL get clarity on the steps you need to take to make things happen. Clarity gives you purpose. Clarity gives you hope.

2. Allows you to take control of your brand and your business - Your business has a brand. My question to you is, "Who is controlling your brand's reputation?" If you're not making sure your brand image is visible, consistent and solid, you're allowing your prospects, customers, competitors, and community to control your brand's reputation. Protecting your brand image is an important part of building a thriving and enduring business. Control your brand. Manage your brand. And, it will give back to your business tenfold, at least. 

3. Gives you a foundation to create great marketing - Marketing is a necessary part of the business success puzzle. However, without the right foundation (branding) effective marketing is impossible. Marketing is all about getting seen as credible, and as the authority in your marketplace. It requires frequency, consistency and intention. But, the process starts with branding.

4. Gives your prospects and customers a level of expectations - Your brand is your reminder to your prospects and customers that you are running a business. It's a reminder to them that you're focused on solving their challenges and being the best solutions provider you can be. A standard level of service is a good thing. It gives your employees and resources a level of expectations. And, it gives your prospects and customers an assurance that when they work with your company they will be treated a certain way and receive a product or service at a certain level of delivery. 

5. Positions you as a market leader - Every industry evolves through innovation. Who is leading your industry? Companies with a solid brand become the 'go to' leader because they're out in their marketplace consistently, frequently and intentionally. They're usually listening to their customers and creating products and services that help customers solve their problems in new and better ways. Companies that have solid brands are market innovators and thought leaders.

Controlling your brand will help you control your marketplace. What are you waiting for? Is your brand ready to lead your business to success? Is your brand ready to be a market leader? If you answered, "I'm not sure," let's talk.
Before the logo, before content, before development of websites or social media pages your brand needs a blueprint. It needs to be carefully created so that the steps of marketing and sales can be developed aligned with your business goals.

I've created "Your Big Bold Brand," a Live Interactive Virtual Workshop to help you get your brand focused and on message. Check back for the next event!
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This is a working workshop. You WILL make progress on your branding. Branding is the foundational element on which marketing and sales are built. It is a critical piece of your success puzzle. Once you see the connection between the branding, marketing, and sales your business will never be the same! Get your branding right and you'll be on your way to creating marketing that gets results and sales that gets you customers. Let's talk, let me help you create your Big Bold Brand!
To your SWEET success! ​

There are so many questions that get answered when a business owner does branding work. A brand creates a businesses' look, feel, and hook. The right branding work helps an entrepreneur have an idea of whether their vision will fly, it gives her a clearer image of her ideal client, and identifies a USP or UVP for her business.

Yes, you can do branding work without professional support, but why would you? Branding is so foundational to your business that it would be like building a house on your own without knowing anything about design, or construction. Working with an expert helps you ask the right questions, take the right steps, and focus on the right things. A lot of entrepreneurs think branding is the way the house looks (logo), but branding is actually the foundation. And, every home needs a foundation if it is to stay standing long after the hammer gets put away.

Branding answers the Who, What, Where, When, and Why of your business mystery. And, we know from reading Nancy Drew books that without figuring out these facts, we never find out who committed the crime, and why they did it. And, more important, without a trained eye we miss critical clues.

So, what happens after you know these answers? They become the basis of your marketing plan. Marketing is the steps including, pricing, packaging, product, and promotion of taking your brand to market. Once you know your what (your brand), marketing is everything you need to do - advertising, promotion, public relations and merchandising, to help people FIND YOUR BRAND.

Branding gives you purpose. It is the dart board for your game called business. It's the canvas on which you will paint success. It's the focal point of your "Knock 'em Dead" outfit. At the end of the day, it's the one thing you protect more than money because it's your treasure. It's your personality. It's your reputation. It's your essence. It's there whether you define it or not, and if you don't define it you risk having your competition and customers define it for you.

Any of these issues will sabotage your marketing, and make it less effective than it should be causing you to waste time, money and effort. So, before you start your marketing activity, pause and take a strategic look at where you want to go. Then, devise a plan to get there. I promise that a little strategic effort will go a long way toward having your marketing engage and compel your prospects to action. To your SWEET success!
 Abigail Tiefenthaler is the founder of Sweetspot Strategies, Inc.  She helps small and mid-sized companies clarify, prioritize, and simplify their marketing and income producing activities for greater success. Her FREE Guide: "7 Deadly Mistakes That Sabotage Your Business and Cause You to Lose Customers (and Money)" identifies potential sabotage patterns so you can address them. Download it: http://www.sweetspotstrategies.com/7-deadly-marketing-mistakes/.
And, contact her if you're interested in a Strategy Session to get started on your path to success at abigail@sweetspotstrategies.com or 954-804-9413. 
​Also, connect at:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sweetspotstrategies  
Instagram: www.instagram.com/sweetspotstrategies  
 Twitter: www.twitter.com/mysweetstrategy ​

Marketing is everything! And without it, your business will fail. But, before you decide to invest in marketing make sure you're doing these seven things first. If you're not, chances are your marketing investment will be a waste of your money, time, and effort.

1. You've made a Commitment to run your business like a business.

You are creating structure around your business. You are organizing your day, performing specific tasks, committing to a certain number of work hours, finding a balance of working both in your business and on your business, and creating specific expectations. You have a measurement for productivity, and an evaluation criteria for activities. You understand how structure is your fastest path to freedom.

​2. You plan on turning a Profit in 2016.

You plan on making more money than you spend, and realizing a profit in your business. You have identified specific financial goals. You have determined how many clients you need, how much product you need to sell, the value of a client, and the types of activities you need to do to reach your financial goals. You will dedicate time to think about how you spend your money, time, and effort so you can maximize your productivity.
3. You're confident in your Brand.

You have completed a Brand review. You're ready to bring your brand to life. You have your Who, What, Where, When, and Why answered. You know your USP. You have a clear positioning statement. You can segment your potential market, and target your various ideal client groups by pain point and key messaging.
4. Your products and services are Packaged and Priced.

You've done an audit of your competitive market and identified gaps that only you can fill. You have research that supports your decision on the types of products and services you offer. You're confident in how you've packaged and priced your offerings. You've done your homework, and you're ready to promote your products.

5. You're creating a Plan that aligns your activities with your goals.
No more "BSOS" (Bright Shiny Object Syndrome) for you! You have a clear path to take with your money, time, and effort. You have identified a few (only 2 or 3) key strategies so your tactics can be focused, intentional, and consistent. You know which media outlets and social media platforms will best reach your ideal target. You understand the type of content you need to create to help your customer's choose you. You can use your customer's voice. You've identified analytics to measure the success of your activity.
6. You're ready for the Sales conversation.
You are ready and willing to talk to your prospects to qualify them, overcome their objections, and close them. You know how to listen and respond to their questions. You know how to understand their needs. You know the results you offer. You're letting your prospects come to you in their own time.
7. You will Follow Up until you receive a Yes/No answer.
​You will do what it takes to create follow up activities that get a response from your prospects. These activities will include multiple points of contact to build awareness, visibility, credibility, and authority. You will remind your prospect that you will be there when they're ready to make a decision. You will not stop speaking to that prospect until they become a customer or say, "No thanks." And then, you will not take their NO personally!
These seven activities point to a place where you're READY to invest in marketing! So now, make sure you're doing everything you can to ensure that your investment in marketing leads to success by creating programs around the best strategies for you and your prospect! To your SWEET success!
Abigail Tiefenthaler is the founder of Sweetspot Strategies, Inc.  She works with small and mid-sized companies helping them clarify, prioritize and simplify their marketing and income producing activities for greater success.  She can be reached at abigail@sweetspotstrategies.com, or 954-804-9413. Connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sweetspotstrategies, Instagram atwww.instagram.com/sweetspotstrategies, and Twitter atwww.twitter.com/mysweetstrategy. 

When you hear the word strategy do you think, "Who has time for that? I'm too busy running my business to think about my business!"
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Or, are you the entrepreneur who states, "Strategy is worthless. All it does is add time and cost to my business."

You might even be the entrepreneur who longingly dreams,  "I know a strategic plan would help me, but I don't know how to pick a strategy that is right for me."

Or, the entrepreneur who laughs and says, "Strategy is a big business necessity because there are so many people involved in running the business. I'm a one man show, I don't need a strategy to know what to do."

And, you know what? You're right with whatever you think. If you think strategy is for big business only, you're right. If strategy is worthless, you're right. If you know strategy would help your business, you're right. And, if strategy is a pipe dream because you're too busy working in your business, instead of on your business, you're right again.

Thinking strategically about your business may not seem like a crucial key to success, but it is. And, I'm not just saying this because I'm a strategist. I'm saying it because it's true. In the business world strategy helps you connect your activities to your goals. Strategy forces you to plan. And, if you don't think you need to plan, try taking a long distance trip without one!
You may not even be thinking about strategy because you're too busy going from tactic to tactic trying to make something work for you. Strategy helps you figure out what's working, and what's not working. Strategy helps you identify gaps and challenges. Strategy gets you out of your day-to-day thinking and gets you thinking about what ifs. Remember, when you first started your business, you probably thought about a bigger vision. Strategy gets you back to those thoughts.