Good morning!

When someone tells me I need to “build a brand,” my eyes glaze over.

There’s just something about that concept that’s overdone, old, and frankly, boring. It just comes across as cliché. It’s one of those go-to marketing claims I think we all hear too often. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We get it.

It’s not that I don’t agree with the statement. I do! But while there are dozens of adjectives to consider when building yours, I encourage you to go basic, simple, and fundamental.

Building a brand is basically answering the question, “What do I want to be known for?”

As a sales person, there are plenty of options:
Problem-solver.
Resourceful.
Creative.

But let me throw one more out there you might not think of. I consider it to be a basic requirement, something that could get taken for granted easily and a trait not tied to those other bullet points above…

Responsive.

After my youngest daughter graduated from high school and prepared to leave for college in Shanghai, we sat outside by the fire, and she said to me, “Dad, you have always been immediately available to us. We always knew where you were. We always knew we could reach you or that you would get back to us immediately.”

I remember how emotional I got when I heard that. Is there any better brand you can build as a father than the safety of simply being there?

We all hate to wait. Two people ahead of us at a stop sign is annoying. That undecided customer at Starbucks staring at a menu board they’ve seen countless times can get the foot tapping. COME ON ALREADY!!!

If you are able to reply to emails immediately; if you pick up the phone when a call comes in; if you get right back to someone who has asked a question and you do it all consistently, you are more likely to be called upon in the future.

By customers.

By prospects.

By everyone.

Yes, it is helpful and important to be a problem-solving, resourceful, and creative person whom others count on for ideas, but if you are slow in replying, you are going to also have a “But I know I won’t hear back for a day or two” black mark that will cost you business.

We live in a world that favors quick. Build that brand and you’ll get rewarded.

Note: If I had to pick a second brand to build, it would have to do with what comes after that quick response. That is, reliability. Those who keep the promises they just made and follow through will further earn the trust of their customers. Funny how the price objection fades to those who have these basic traits.

And all you did was to be there.

Find ideas, inspiration, and grow your sales with The Sales Vault, a subscription-based website for sales reps and selling owners in the graphic arts. Go to SalesVault.pro or call Bill Farquharson at 781-934-7036.