Leveraging Your Brand for Sales with Nick Bramley
Leveraging your brand for sales is the focus of Part 2 of our interview with Nick Bramley. In the first episode, we discussed personal branding. Here he goes into more detail for people with responsibility for sales (most of us). We are all responsible for bringing sales into the company.
How do you interact with prospective customers?
They will judge you on a personal and professional level. Nick tells the story about a new prospect. He watched their product video. They’d done research on him. Both parties were well familiar with each other before they had a phone call. Nick told them about his LinkedIn site and his website. They’d read his testimonials before he’d met them. In advance, he knew what they stood for and their experience.
On the phone call, Nick was able to complement them on their website video, because it instantly defined what they were all about. Equally, they’d checked him out and they wanted to work with him. The professional impact of his brand had elevated him to a position of opportunity. Way before numbers and commercials were discussed.
The Problem with Selling on Price
You will always lose, because someone will undercut you. People will not value you.
Nick rarely gets involved in anything that is free – not because he’s tight – but he believes that if something is free people don’t value it. You get no shows at free events.
Alternatively, if somebody is researching YOU to understand the value and quality of what you do, your price point is already supported by testimonials and evidence he has in the market. He will never be cheap because he is not a new-start guy who doesn’t know what he’s doing, the customer is buying 20 years of experience that is validated by other people, which reduces the risk to them.
Give prospects a chance to elevate their understanding of you and your business.
What should Sales People do?
When you are engaging potential customers, there are 3 key areas, when it comes to leveraging your brand for sales.
- The words you choose (Email)
- The tone of voice you use (Phone)
- The Body language you display (Face to face)
Every one of us has sent an email received in a way it was not meant to be. Emails might raise awareness, and maybe to close things off. But the impact of the words you use on influencing a positive outcome is just 7%. So if you are JUST using emails to sell, think again! The odds are against you, massively.
Elevate this to the next level with tone of voice. Tone of voice is powerful. If you ring someone with an awkward conversation, it is often much less awkward, because your tone can help you.
But, far the best way to influence people is FACE to FACE contact. That means body language, active listening, handshake etc. This accounts for 55% of influence.
How do Sales People Harness Their Brand?
Sales people use a fixed way of selling. They often bear no correlation to the brand. They think what the customer wants. But customers are buying on trust and warmth and values, along with a mutuality of interests!
Are these factors built into presentations? Not so much.
The deliverables, what you deliver, comes in once your consistent phrases have been emphasised and sold. Have a consistent journey, with a consistent personal and professional brand. So follow it through.
How do you select your FOUR Brand Phrases?
This is about leveraging your brand for sales. So select what you clients want and then associate those outcomes with your brand personality.
Nick told of a business with a quote-machine. The quotes are not being closed. They are exceptional. Nick thinks there will not be a positive reason to buy from them. Nothing about a brand promise. Your language will always reflect these promises.
Standards of Professionalism
Opinion and Opinionated.
Have an opinion about a position in your industry or company, is ok. But, opinionated, is about you forcing your view relentlessly.
What is your opinion about these headlines. Give an opinion.
- Devolutions for regions in the UK.
- Future funding potential post Brexit.
Is you opinion informed. Relevant. Informed. Are you well read. Do you have news feeds? Are you forming opinions that are supportive of your brand?
Are you looking for an opinion on Sales? Check Nick Bramley’s blog: http://www.impactus-group.com/index.php/blog/
You need to be able to read more than the headline. Being well read is useful if you are to have credibility in a discussion.
Taboos
If television is your only reference point. If there are 3 people talking and 3 people are interested, it doesn’t matter. But, the TV is bland if that’s the only thing you have to talk about.
So, if you are too busy selling stuff (or trying to), but haven’t allowed themselves time to research their industries. If you can then align that knowledge to a client’s risk points, then you may just be giving yourself a better outcome.
How to Build Initial Trust and Warmth
- Overall Attitude Displayed – the first impression of you. Are you energised and positive? Or have you a rain cloud above your head? Wherever you are. Misery likes company!
- Language Used – don’t be frightened to be positive. Fantastic, better than great. Absolutely brilliant! Champion.
- Responsiveness & keep you promises. Do what you say you do, promptly. Do what you say. Instead of creating a problem by saying you’ll do a proposal, say instead “When do you need the proposal?” Tomorrow or next week? Don’t self-inflict.
- Displaying the right values – what do you stand for? Enthusiasm, positive, expertise… You cannot display negative values. That’s not true to your brand values.
- No Face Transparency – that’s a dangerous thing. More women will have a transparent face than men. It shows exactly what you are thinking in your transactions. Careful not to roll your eyes, dropping your bottom lip. Do you have a resting bitch face? Be aware of it.
- HOW good is your handshake? V to V. Firm, not limp. It is hard to recover from a poor handshake. An insipid handshake.
Contact Nick Bramley
Nick Bramley
Director of Impact (CEO)
Impactus Group
Tel – +44 (0) 113 328 0384
Mob – +44 (0) 7885 463495
Email – nick@impactus-group.com
Web – www.impactus-group.com
LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/nickbramley
The next 100 days podcast is brought to you by Kevin Appleby and Graham Arrowsmith
