Dale Berkebile

So I have been kicking around changing our phone service. Our internet company has a bundel package deal and was preasuring me to switch. When I talked to my phone provider to look for opportunites to compete or lower our prices, somehow I got on a call with Preferred Long Distance. Maybe it was lucky timing or maybe they have some tie with my current provider, although they said they were an AT&T rep.

The key to building a brand is consistency.

You need to be consistent in your marketing message, your colors, your fonts, how you use your logo, but is there more? Yes! Your brand is more than just a logo and colors, it is your client’s and your prospect’s gut feeling about your company.

Don’t try this at home: The Hard Sell

I can really appreciate a good sales person and the selling or buying process when it is done well. As with most people though, I can and am often turned off by the hard sell approach. Wikipedia describes the hard sell like this: In advertising, a hard sell is an advertisement or campaign that uses a more direct, forceful, and overt sales message.

Are you selling value or are you selling a commodity?

Very often business owners or CEOs will complain that their product is becoming commoditized in the marketplace. You know there are 10 people on this block that say they do just what we do. So in a modern world where competitors are coming out of the woodwork, how do you compete? Well the first step might be to get out of the commodity game. I do not mean changing business models, what I am talking about is a mindset. If you think you only offer commodities, then it is true and prospects can sense this.