ANNIE SMIDTSELTZER

brandparenting

Brandparenting?

≫ Raising a brand is akin to raising a child

=

Full disclosure

In the beginning

Just a glimmer Conception Birth

The early years

Infancy Childhood Tween

Increasing maturity

Teen College Adult

RACHEL HAYESWELLESLEY HILLS GROUP

building brand through lead nurturing: parenting your brand

The importance of Sunday dinner together

Why children run away from home

≫ New buyer or other decision-maker/key influencer

≫ New account leader the client doesn’t like − poor succession planning

≫ Merger resulting in an RFP or other search for new vendor

≫ Service issue

≫ The incumbent firm collapses

≫ New needs the incumbent does not think to cross-sell

Welcoming new children (and stopping run-aways)

≫ Branding is the by-product of repetition

≫ Communication results from:SimplicityRelevanceRepetitionExclusivity − when relevant

Learning to make new friends

Learning to make new friends

Dad, how do I ask a girl out?

Communicating family values

Be yourself

Target Need orBusiness Problem

•Recognized need/problem of theirs that you address

•Recognizes the “aspirations and afflictions” on which your messages focus

Value of Solving Need

•Financial and other benefits of solving the need/problem

•Demonstrates the value/urgency of addressing the issue

Market position Provides clarity on… Impact on the prospect…element

Target Clients•Ideal types and locations of companies,

titles, and functions that have the need•Prospect identifies with

your description of whom you serve

Be yourself

Your Offering•Services you offer that solve the target

need, and how they solve the need•Demonstrates that you

understand how to solve the problem

Proof of Concept•Evidence to suggest that what you

say will happen; will, indeed, happen•Inspires confidence that you

can do what you say

Genuine and Distinct

•Why your offering is preferable to other options for solving the need

•Creates desire and preference for your services and firm

Market position Provides clarity on… Impact on the prospect…element

Influence of the Provider’s Website

Influence of the Specific Website Elements

Wellesley Hills Group>>It Takes a Village

Positioning Example »Kindergarten

≫ I’m a marketing consultant

≫ My clients are professional service firms

≫ We do market research, branding, strategy, implementation, lead generation and business development training and coaching

A Positioning Example »High School

≫ I work with growing professional service firms to help them build their businesses.

≫ Our clients are generally looking for new ways to enhance their market visibility or increase sales.

A Positioning Example»Refreshed (cont’d)

≫ Through research we’ve learned exactly what it takes to create growth in consulting, accounting and law firms.

≫ Recently we worked with a law firm whose business has been stagnant in this tough economy. They were going to spend more than $150,000 per year on a business developer, but we helped them use training and coaching that cost them half as much to get the results they wanted.

What Did You Do At School Today?

≫ Situation: A law firm was considering hiring a business developer for roughly $150,000 per year plus benefits and bonus compensation

≫ Solution: Instead, we convinced them to engage us to train a group of their partners and build their sales skills

≫ Results: They spent less than half of one year of a business developer’s salary and achieved the revenue goal they had set.

Tell Me a Story

Simple, Relevant, Repeated

≫ …The downturn could hurt Boston's biggest law firms the most because they may not be able to make adjustments as quickly as smaller and midsize firms. The mega-firms are challenged (Boston Globe, March 2, 2009)

Simple, Relevant, Repeated

≫ The convergence of factors that are in flux right now may combine to force changes on law firms, even the ones that are reluctant to move the needle. The economy will probably end up forcing the issue of change at law firms, even if partners are reluctant. (Boston Business Journal, March 6, 2009)

Simple, Relevant, Repeated

≫ While companies will continue to use big firms for such high-stakes work, smaller firms can handle routine deals and lawsuits as well as patents, real estate, employment and immigration work (Bloomberg, April 6, 2009)

podcasts on iTunes

≫ #4 Marketing & Management Podcasts

≫ #14 of ALL Business Podcasts

Prefer

They’re the leader…Dying to work with them…Very valuable…

Memorize

I’d remember them at the elusive time of need

I know what they do.

And how they work with companies like me.

To solve problems like mine.

Articulate

Brand is the Outcome

I know who they are

Recognize

Brand RAMPSM

Parenting By Example—True Nurturing

Go forth and teach the gospel, speak if necessary

- St. Francis of Assisi

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING!any questions?