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5 Benefits of Having a Big Bold Brand

7/26/2017

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Marketing is the people mover of your business. It's the train that takes a person and gets them to become a prospect, then a qualified prospect, then a customer, then a fan. How does that happen? It happens with a great brand. And how do you create a great brand? This happens when you know who you are and what you do, who you serve and why you serve them, and you have clearly positioned your business as unique in your competitive marketplace. These are the foundational elements of a great brand.
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So "Branding is about everything" (Tom Peters), especially as it relates to creating a good relationship experience with your prospects and customers. This is really important. If your brand is working you are getting more visibility and credibility, and the right people are showing up at your sales table.

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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! ​

Abigail Tiefenthaler is the founder of Sweetspot Strategies, Inc. She helps small and mid-sized companies clarify, prioritize, and simplify their branding and marketing 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 in your marketing so you can address them and start creating marketing that grows your business. Download it today: http://www.sweetspotstrategies.com/7-deadly-marketing-mistakes/
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Yes, you can do branding work without professional support, but why would you?

7/26/2017

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As a growth strategist I work with a lot of clients on branding and marketing. It's hard to grow a business, get sales, and create customer relationships without either a brand, or the marketing that supports it. Although I see many entrepreneurs try.
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And it amazes me, that even with tons of free information available, and hundreds of marketing coaches in the business, that entrepreneurs still struggle with the processes of branding and marketing. I have my guesses why, but one reason I know for a fact is that most entrepreneurs think it takes too much time to do these steps right. And, the one thing entrepreneurs don't think they have enough of is time.

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.
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So branding is important. It is your EVERYTHING. And, I mean EVERYTHING. Without it, your business will suffer. You business will feel out of place. It will experience confusion, frustration, and overwhelm. It will lead you to misguided and unsuccessful attempts at selling.

With it, peace. Confidence. Purpose. Yes, your brand is that important.

So, if branding does all this, what does marketing do?

Marketing is the steps you take to get your brand noticed. By the right people. At the time they're making decisions. Marketing is the process of building visibility and credibility. It gets your prospects to consider you a viable option to solve their challenge. Marketing is a people mover. An engager. It brings people into your tribe (and gives prospects a way out of it as well). Marketing has one job and that is to get your brand noticed.

So, without a brand, there is no reason to market. And, without marketing even the most solid of brands fade away into oblivion.

The world is not at a loss for great ideas. The world is at a loss for those ideas to be formed into a brand, and then marketed in a way that gets the right people to see it. So the next time you think about upleveling your business, focusing your business, or finally figuring out what you need to do to grow your business and get results, think your brand. And then, plan your plan. And you will be taking the first step on the path to your 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 in your marketing so you can address them and start creating marketing that grows your business. Download it today: http://www.sweetspotstrategies.com/7-deadly-marketing-mistakes/
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Are You Making One of These Mistakes?

7/26/2017

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  1. There is no rhyme or reason to your marketing activity. You're doing a little of this, and a little of that without any clear plan. No Plan = No Purpose.
  2. You're listening to tactical experts and building your marketing based on random tactical strikes versus having your tactics support a clearly defined strategy.
  3. You're bootstrapping your marketing without any consistent and dedicated funding. No Budget = No Profit.
  4. You're under the impression that you can do marketing for free, forgetting that there is the cost of your time and effort. And, forgetting that you don't know what you don't know and may be missing some critical foundational marketing elements.
  5. You're not looking at the bigger marketing picture. Instead, you're focusing on short term efforts without thinking about next steps.
  6. You have no analytics in place so you don't understand what works and what doesn't.
  7. You're trying too many marketing activities at one time. If the content isn't consistent you can be your own worst enemy by creating confusion over your unique brand position.
  8. You're not marketing consistently so your prospects don't know where to find you when they're ready to buy.
  9. You keep changing your marketing message, or your marketing message is too broad which can be confusing to your prospects.
  10. You're not following up. Most prospects need 7-16 touches before they make a decision. Be honest, how many times are you communicating with them?

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  
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witter: www.twitter.com/mysweetstrategy ​
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7 Signs You Need a Marketing Budget

7/26/2017

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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.
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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. 

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Strategy. And the Entrepreneur.

7/26/2017

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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.
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Strategy is not designed to waste your time, money or resources. It's sole purpose is to help you determine a course of action for your business so you can align activities to goals, and maximize time, money and effort. Working a strategic plan of action gives you permission to "check the program" and decide whether a course of action makes sense, or not. It allows you to see your activities as steps towards a greater end. Using a strategy means you are weaving your activities together so at the end of the month, your focused effort translates to success.
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Every business owner has many strategies they can employ to build their business, but focusing on one or two will give you clarity of purpose, and help you stay focused on the bigger picture. Most entrepreneurs love what they do, but every entrepreneur has tasks they must do to run their business successfully that aren't a lot of fun. When you stay focused on the bigger picture you realize these tasks are a part of the process. The goal in this case is not the journey, but the destination.


So how does the "Chief cook and bottle washer" of your business (you) add yet another "task" to the running of your business? Like everything else important to the success of your business you carve out time. The good news is that a little planning goes a long way, and strategy planning can be done in as little as two hours a month. Below are steps that will get you thinking strategically about your business.
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1. Schedule a day and time for your strategy session. Make sure you have at least sixty minutes of uninterrupted time.

2. Assess where you are now by knowing your current:
  • Gross sales
  • Number of customers served
  • Average sale per customer
  • Type of customer (new vs. repeat)
  • Investment in marketing activity
  • Three good things that happened in your business recently
  • One or two things that you would change, if you did them again

3. Review and reflect. Look at the information before you. Imagine you're telling it to someone who supports your success. How would they respond?

4. Identify potential strategies you can employ to align your actions to your goals. Select one specific strategy and outline a plan of action to achieve that goal. Do you see gaps? Do you know how to get those gaps addressed so nothing stands in your way?

5. Commit. To your goal. To your strategy. To your plan.

6. Take action. Be prepared for hiccups. Be prepared for your sabotage patterns to show up. Be confident in your ability to address them.

7. Schedule your next strategy session.

​So, now when you hear the question, "Which entrepreneur are you?" You'll answer, "One that uses strategy, because it works."

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 organize their marketing and income producing activities for greater success.  She can be reached at abigail@sweetspotstrategies, or 954-804-9413. Connect with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sweetspotstrategies, and Twitter at www.twitter.com/mysweetstrategy. ​​
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    Abigail's goal is simple, build a brand that positions a business as different and unique, then simplify marketing so it can attract the right prospects. 
    She's co-founded online and offline networking groups, a mentor and presenter for SCORE and speaks regularly on branding and marketing. When she's not working with clients or speaking, Abigail loves renovating her 50+ year old home with her husband of almost 27 years.

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