Often when people discuss branding, they make it seem like it is only something marketing needs to worry about. After all, branding is essentially how a company – or individual – presents itself to, and is perceived by, the world.
There is a lot that goes into a business’ brand – everthing from logos, colors and fonts, to the voice or tone a company uses to connect with their audience.
Yes, much of your brand will be more visible in the work your marketing department produces, but your company’s brand goes beyond a set of rules.
Your brand is your business. It’s how you want your audience to see you, and it’s what sets you apart from your competitors.
And you have a role in that brand, because a brand means nothing if leads aren’t becoming customers.
So why would we ever want your brand to stop being showcased as soon as marketing hands off their leads to sales? The work doesn’t end with marketing, so don’t let your branding end there either.
The world of inbound sales is relatively new and uncharted terrain, and making use of your brand is more important now than it has ever been before.
So that being said, I would like to show you a few simple ways you can pull company branding into your sales process and keep leads and clients engaged with your brand.
Use Branded Documents
The simplest, and most tangible, way you can implement branding in your sales process is to use branded documents as much as possible.
This can include standardized email signatures, slideshow presentations, letterheads and, most importantly, the final deliverable upon sale completion – whatever it might be.
While they will take a little time to set up initially, templates are the most efficient way to be sure that everyone in your company is keeping their documents consistently branded across the board.
Now this doesn’t mean that every memo you send has to have a logo slapped on it, but nonetheless it’s good to keep in mind how you are presenting yourself at all times. Be sure you are always working to represent your brand to the best of your ability and resources.
Exercise Your Voice
No, I am not talking about how you sing loudly when you’re alone in your car. Or maybe that’s just me.
What I am talking about is your brand’s voice – how you portray yourself through your words. Usually this is something like the copy on your website, or the text in your email. But it can also be the tone you use when on a sales call.
Everyone has a different way of speaking, and even that is probably different from how they write. When it comes to using your brand’s voice, you’ve got to figure out how that differs from your own voice – you’d be surprised at how it can be different, even slightly – and adjust your writing accordingly.
For example, a company that sells pizza-shaped towels (yes, it’s a thing) may want to use a tone that is more colloquial, down-to-earth and maybe even a little bit sarcastic and funny.
On the other hand, a business that services more elite clientelle would want to promote a voice that is more sophisticated, well-read and definitely not so casual.
Likewise, keep an eye out for clients that fit well with your brand’s voice. Inbound is all about getting qualified leads to come to you, so your brand’s voice should already be one that would relate to your audience personas.
Don’t throw off great leads by using a completely different voice after they’ve already come so far in through the sales funnel. You could very well lose them as potential clients, or at least cause them to hesitate and hold up the buying process.
Deliver on Your Promises
When you have finally gotten your lead to the end of the sales process, don’t let things fall apart by presenting the final deliverable without your branding in place.
This can look like many different things depending on what kind of service or product you are providing, but it doesn’t lessen it’s importance.
Let’s say you are a sales executive at a business that sells a cloud storage app. If, after all the work of converting a lead to a customer, you sent them an unbranded email with a link to download the product, they might be a little put-off by what seems like a sketchy email. After all of the great branded content they’ve seen from you so far, they are bound to be a little surprised at the lack off effort made for such a great occasion as them becoming your customer.
Take it a step further: if the app itself is not branded to match your company’s brand standards, it might just look like it came from another company, and you could lose credibility with your new customers.
Inbound doesn’t stop after the sale is made. Customers are your greatest referral source, and are even a chance for future sales. Don’t let a little sloppy branding break the client-business trust you’ve worked so hard to earn.
Strive to Delight
Customer delight should be a part of any great brand.
Go the extra mile.
Look for ways to surprise and delight your audience – whether they are current or prospective customers.
When you get off a sales call, be quick to follow up with a thank you email. When you finish up with that in-person meeting, order a small gift to be delivered to them to really drive home the idea that you are thankful for their time.
Make a bigger impression.
Many of your greatest brand advocates are past customers, so give them a reason to finalize that sale, to stick with you or, at the very least, to refer you to their personal network.
Teach Your Brand
This last point is simple enough, but extremely important – especially in larger busineses.
Make sure that everyone else in your company understands the importance of a strong, consistent brand and how to implement it in their own work.
As a sales professional, this may just look like you walking through the company brand with your team, showing them where they can access any templates they might need and any brand style guides that are available.
If all else fails and you are at a complete loss trying to understand your brand, ask your team. A business’ employees are at the heart of it’s brand and culture, so there is no one better to consult with.
