Posts Tagged ‘branding’
Competitive Advantage: Know Thyself
This saying from ancient Greek, “know thyself”, is often used as a warning against boastfulness. That’s good advice when it comes to describing your competitive advantage. You don’t want a value proposition that merely says you are better than the competition. Indeed, you don’t want a value proposition that talks about your competition at all. …
Read MoreWhy Should I Care About Branding?
A question I have heard many times, though expressed in different ways. It might be: “A brand is a logo and colors, right?” Or else: “I am my brand, what else do I need?” It is not always clear what a brand is, or why it matters to a business. Branding is everything you do…
Read MoreBranding: Personal or Business
What are you branding when you brand your business? Is it the product? Is it the culture? Or is it you personally? Yes, yes, and yes. There are degrees to branding: all of what I mention above deserves separate consideration in terms of branding. When you are a small business owner, it starts at the…
Read MoreFive Words to Avoid
Words do not exist in isolation: words exist in context. Consider that the English language word “recommended” is positive, whereas the Italian word “raccomandato” is an insult. The word is the same, with the same meaning, but what changes is the context (in this case, English versus Italian cultural norms). Below are five words that…
Read MoreBe The Best Option – A Case Study
People have options. The content in this blog is about finding ways to always be the best option. To be the best option, you must be targeting the right clients and then solving their particular problems. I saw this happen recently with a CPA firm. The problem They were serving anyone. Everybody needs to file…
Read MoreInformation – Knowledge – Wisdom
Information is knowing what you are. Let’s say, you’re a CPA. Saying “I’m a CPA” demonstrates that you have the correct information. Knowledge is knowing what you do. “I complete your tax return and do your monthly book keeping”. This demonstrates that you know what the information means, you know what being a CPA entails.…
Read MoreValue: It’s Not About You
Last week we looked at how price and service are intrinsically linked, because service determines value and price is the manifestation of value. Value is a key area where my business mantra applies: It’s not me, it’s you. There are two key things to know about Value: It is subjective It is what clients buy,…
Read MoreConsultant Corner – Introduce Yourself
Don’t be that person… handing out cards and selling insurance. How to introduce yourself for maximum effect. Are you ready to launch your freelance consulting business? See my course for your step by step guide to launch. https://www.udemy.com/how-to-start-a-…
Read MoreQuality – What’s In A Word
You see it all the time: a website, a brochure, a speaker, promising that their company’s number one mission is to provide “Quality” of product or service. And I have to ask: what is the alternative? If the best you can promise is quality, you have not given enough thought to what makes you good…
Read MoreHow do you differentiate yourself from your peers?
A fairly common question. And an important one. I answered this on an online forum recently, and it is worth sharing those thoughts here. As with much of what I say: start by being deliberate about who you are, what you do, and how you do it. The Answer Start by asking yourself: What do…
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