There’s an understanding in sales that a confused mind is indecisive and always says, “No.”

Well, when you are a small business, you don’t want that to happen to your customers. You want to hear “yes!” come from their lips, right?

Eliminate confusion from the get go

You might think that being clear in your sales offerings and pitch is what to concentrate on, but the reality is that you have to be clear in your branding first! And the essential element of clarity there is consistency in your message and branding. There are many factors in achieving that clarity consistently:

  • Consistency across the look you project includes the colors of your marketing pieces, the logo and the type of photographs you use in the public eye.
  • Consistency in the message you want to deliver. That could include the values of your business, the qualities that are most important to you; whether you are basing your offerings on price, quality, a guarantee or even how you work, such as on-time, clean or quickly.
  • Consistency in the performance of your employees, products and services. Do employees always greet clients or answer phones with a professional statement? Can customers rely on the same kind of service and performance of your products?
  • Consistency with the image you present in the marketplace. Do your employees show up neatly uniformed, are your vehicles clean? When someone walks into your workplace is it neat, warm and welcoming?

Think of it this way: Branding isn’t just an image of golden arches. Branding includes the fact that you know you’ll find a clean bathroom and acceptable hamburger, too. Hopefully from a smiling cashier at a reasonable price. You see, it’s the entire package.

And because it is the entire package, you have to observe your business from a bird’s eye view, objectively and globally. You create the message, the purpose, the look and the delivery and align it all with color, words and performance, on- and off-line.

Consistent branding is the difference-maker

I have worked with many clients in aligning their branding and delivering it consistently. It works. In fact, it sometimes works so well that the company has to readjust and broaden their scope because of client demand. What I’m saying is my clients tell me that business starts booming when they are intentional about consistent branding.

Take a look at your business from a customer’s viewpoint. If you have any confusion or mixed messages, or raise your eyebrows about your observations, you’re probably sending customers away. You can fix that. I’d be happy to help if you have questions.

Clarify your message, be consistent with your brand and grow your business!