If you want to be successful in your business, you need to put strong focus on establishing your brand first. Too many times, new owners want to toss out their products and then don't understand why their products don't sell. Well, nobody knows you.
Let me ask you something. If I went out to an expo and put up my Dedicated 2 Life sign and set up a glorious table display of makeup and hair products, you might think that sounds pretty impressive. Let me go on and tell you the rest and see what you think. On the left of me is another booth and guess who is there? AVON! They have makeup everywhere, boxes where they are doing a massive giveaway and are also providing FREE makeovers for those who want one for a public demonstration. On the other side of me is....are you ready for this? Redkin Hair Products! They are doing spa treatments and also styling hair. NICE! OK, in all reality, I actually mean that except for the fact that I sell almost nothing through the entire expo. You probably already know why. What incentive does a customer have in purchasing makeup and hair products from Dedicated 2 Life when they can purchase these products from two already well branded companies that are highly reputable for these products already. I don't know about you, but if I was at the Expo, I would stop at Avon for some face cream before I stopped at Dedicated 2 Life.
Now I want to change this scenario up for a minute. What I didn't tell you is that this expo is a women's expo and it is filled with all types of booths that cater to women on all levels of health/wellness and development. Here is where Dedicated 2 Life is about to Make Life Happen for themselves. Although I am a personal and professional development company that in all reality could market our own line of make-up and hair products, much focus in my company up to date has been focused on coaching, leadership and development. Instead of putting make-up and hair products on my booth, I have aligned my booth area with resource and product information on personal development. I offer promotional resources on personal development topics such as getting fit, living healthy, aging, coping with stress and anxiety, depression, reaching goals to live a more fulfilled life, learning to love yourself, etc. I also have on display many of my professional development packages where women can learn about how to develop their own business, motivational CD's, books, coaching packages and marketing and consulting packages to help women in leadership to succeed.
One of the things I have on display is my TV displaying a video of Dedicated 2 Life and what we do. It also shows the customer testimonies with our previous clients and a sneak preview into any new upcoming events or products that they may have first access to learn about. While they are there, they also see that my company is hosting a drawing to win FREE Products or even win a FREE trip to one of my upcoming events to attend as a VIP guest and registrant. I also have available the opportunity to register at this expo for one of the company's upcoming events at very discounted prices. Pretty motivating and powerful. So, the marketing is all set up and I know that I will have no problem getting women to stop at my booth even though I am right next to two fabulous brands like Avon and Redkin.
Do you know why I am not competing with these brands now? Dedicated 2 Life has already established it's own brand as one of credibility in personal and professional development. I can sell products at this event in the area that I am known for. You see this would not always have worked. When I first started Dedicated 2 Life, I had wrote a personal development book in 2009. I did a little promoting in 2010 but really had no clue why the book didn't sell well. Do you know why? I hadn't established my brand for what it is worth. No one knew the story behind Irish Carter of Dedicated 2 Life. I spent alot of time in 2010 creating a better business plan. Then I spent 2011 writing diligently about my area of expertise. In mid 2011 and 2012, I focused strongly on creating my brand and allowing others to learn about the quality of services that Dedicated 2 Life did in fact offer and provide. In 2011, I gave away a FREE Personal Development course for anyone who wanted it. I even gave professional development services away for free as a promotional campaign to a small group for 12 weeks to allow others to continue to learn about my work and expertise. I marketed my company through an aggressive social marketing campaign and continued to build upon a strong network. Only then did I begin to focus strongly on launching more products. In 2012, Dedicated 2 Life launched its professional development eCourses, newsletters, coaching services and more. More products were launched in 2013. However, most importantly, the brand is now established where it is able to gain customers and has credibility to its name. There is mega growth in the business plans in both personal and professional development that will take place over the next year. How did all this happen? Simple! A brand was established first. The products came second.
Why am I sharing this with you? I strongly believe that if you want to succeed in business, you have to be consistent and committed to developing your brand. When you accomplish this one thing, you will begin to see the growth you are seeking in your business. This is when you can start to move more products at a much faster and more productive pace.
I hope this post has helped you in your planning for business development. What have you done to establish your brand? We would love to hear your personal story. Please remember that if you have any questions in professional development, I welcome your emails and would love to help you. You can reach me via email at IrishCarter@dedicated2life.com or you can call me at (517) 974-1777 to schedule a consultation. Best of luck and I know you can do great things. Make Life Happen!
You may also like these professional development posts:
Let me ask you something. If I went out to an expo and put up my Dedicated 2 Life sign and set up a glorious table display of makeup and hair products, you might think that sounds pretty impressive. Let me go on and tell you the rest and see what you think. On the left of me is another booth and guess who is there? AVON! They have makeup everywhere, boxes where they are doing a massive giveaway and are also providing FREE makeovers for those who want one for a public demonstration. On the other side of me is....are you ready for this? Redkin Hair Products! They are doing spa treatments and also styling hair. NICE! OK, in all reality, I actually mean that except for the fact that I sell almost nothing through the entire expo. You probably already know why. What incentive does a customer have in purchasing makeup and hair products from Dedicated 2 Life when they can purchase these products from two already well branded companies that are highly reputable for these products already. I don't know about you, but if I was at the Expo, I would stop at Avon for some face cream before I stopped at Dedicated 2 Life.
Now I want to change this scenario up for a minute. What I didn't tell you is that this expo is a women's expo and it is filled with all types of booths that cater to women on all levels of health/wellness and development. Here is where Dedicated 2 Life is about to Make Life Happen for themselves. Although I am a personal and professional development company that in all reality could market our own line of make-up and hair products, much focus in my company up to date has been focused on coaching, leadership and development. Instead of putting make-up and hair products on my booth, I have aligned my booth area with resource and product information on personal development. I offer promotional resources on personal development topics such as getting fit, living healthy, aging, coping with stress and anxiety, depression, reaching goals to live a more fulfilled life, learning to love yourself, etc. I also have on display many of my professional development packages where women can learn about how to develop their own business, motivational CD's, books, coaching packages and marketing and consulting packages to help women in leadership to succeed.
One of the things I have on display is my TV displaying a video of Dedicated 2 Life and what we do. It also shows the customer testimonies with our previous clients and a sneak preview into any new upcoming events or products that they may have first access to learn about. While they are there, they also see that my company is hosting a drawing to win FREE Products or even win a FREE trip to one of my upcoming events to attend as a VIP guest and registrant. I also have available the opportunity to register at this expo for one of the company's upcoming events at very discounted prices. Pretty motivating and powerful. So, the marketing is all set up and I know that I will have no problem getting women to stop at my booth even though I am right next to two fabulous brands like Avon and Redkin.
Do you know why I am not competing with these brands now? Dedicated 2 Life has already established it's own brand as one of credibility in personal and professional development. I can sell products at this event in the area that I am known for. You see this would not always have worked. When I first started Dedicated 2 Life, I had wrote a personal development book in 2009. I did a little promoting in 2010 but really had no clue why the book didn't sell well. Do you know why? I hadn't established my brand for what it is worth. No one knew the story behind Irish Carter of Dedicated 2 Life. I spent alot of time in 2010 creating a better business plan. Then I spent 2011 writing diligently about my area of expertise. In mid 2011 and 2012, I focused strongly on creating my brand and allowing others to learn about the quality of services that Dedicated 2 Life did in fact offer and provide. In 2011, I gave away a FREE Personal Development course for anyone who wanted it. I even gave professional development services away for free as a promotional campaign to a small group for 12 weeks to allow others to continue to learn about my work and expertise. I marketed my company through an aggressive social marketing campaign and continued to build upon a strong network. Only then did I begin to focus strongly on launching more products. In 2012, Dedicated 2 Life launched its professional development eCourses, newsletters, coaching services and more. More products were launched in 2013. However, most importantly, the brand is now established where it is able to gain customers and has credibility to its name. There is mega growth in the business plans in both personal and professional development that will take place over the next year. How did all this happen? Simple! A brand was established first. The products came second.
Why am I sharing this with you? I strongly believe that if you want to succeed in business, you have to be consistent and committed to developing your brand. When you accomplish this one thing, you will begin to see the growth you are seeking in your business. This is when you can start to move more products at a much faster and more productive pace.
I hope this post has helped you in your planning for business development. What have you done to establish your brand? We would love to hear your personal story. Please remember that if you have any questions in professional development, I welcome your emails and would love to help you. You can reach me via email at IrishCarter@dedicated2life.com or you can call me at (517) 974-1777 to schedule a consultation. Best of luck and I know you can do great things. Make Life Happen!
You may also like these professional development posts:
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