Grow Sales Using Image Tactics

In my dreams, I envision being the marketing consultant equivalent of Oprah or Tiger Woods. Oprah, for her premise, "You're a woman and only you are responsible for yourself." Tiger Woods, for his ultimate dedication to the game. Respectively, this is what they're known for or what their personal value can be identified as; put another way, this is what their brand identities are.

Once you're known for something and people perceive value in "this something [your brand]," it's at this moment that you start to make money. Once you have perceived value, other entrepreneurs and businesses will pay money to be associated with the perception for which you're known.

To be an entrepreneur, the first decision you must make is, "Who do you want to be?" Or, put another way, "How do you want to be perceived by others?" The answers to these two questions are equivalent to the foundation that'll drive all of your future marketing decisions, from what advertising vehicles you'll use, to the type of customers and clients you'll target.

For example, would you like to be known as the world's most prestigious dietician? People all over the world seek you out and pay money for your advice on how to integrate more color into their diets. To build a foundation and reach such prestige, your image marketing plan might involve the following actions.

• Complete appropriate credentials such as certifications and higher education.

• Obtain and make visible reputable references including popular media personalities quoting you as an expert, current and past clients quoting specific things you did to help them, and a variety of print articles and electronic news bulletins in which you're quoted.

• Build credibility by hosting, writing or producing a weekly healthy-eating column called, "Got Colors, Get Healthy."

• Socialize and be seen with other health-related well-known experts or people who exhibit healthy behavior such as: other dietitians, diet book authors, athletes, personal trainers, physiology professors and food scientists. Why? Because a person can create an implied credibility about themselves simply by hanging out with other experts. Generally speaking, people assume that because the other experts let you hang with them, then you must be worthy of your "expert" status.

• Pick a unique clothing and makeup style and stick with it. A simple example, perhaps every time you leave your house, you always wear something purple, a scarf, pin, shirt, tie or nail polish. The repetitive purple creates a subliminal image, that, after awhile, causes people, when they see you in the news, at an event or in a magazine, to say, "I've seen her somewhere." And from this statement they extract that you're sought after, and therefore, you must know what you're talking about.

• Always evolve your image based on current trends. However, remember to make small changes, so as not to walk away from the image you've been working hard to build.

Every entrepreneur's image-building plan will be unique. In fact, it must be. It's the subtle differences about you as an entrepreneur that distinguish you from your competition. More importantly, it's also these differences that help your customers find you, since you'll be more able to effectively and affordably reach customers by selecting an image niche.

About The Author

Sharron Senter is a New England-based marketing consultant, speaker, writer and founder of Senter & Associates. She helps small and home-based businesses deploy affordable marketing strategies. She's well known for her free weekly emailed marketing tips and her "14 Image-building Dos & Don'ts," small biz survival report. Receive Senter's free marketing tips at http://www.sharronsenter.com.

marketing@sharronsenter.com

---

You Dont Love Your Kids if You Dont . . .

"You don't love your kids if you don't buy my... Read More

The Five Most Common Mistakes Salespeople Make

Over the decades that I've been involved in sales, I've... Read More

The Quickest Way To Increase Your Sales

The quickest way to increase sales is to make things... Read More

TheTop 10 Reasons Why Salespeople Get Outsold

In my business, it has been an interesting and very... Read More

Unleash Your Inner Sales Superstar & Win More Business Right Now!

It's a rainy afternoon on a typical mid week afternoon... Read More

Anticipating the Audiences Reaction

Obviously, you can not know all of the things that... Read More

A Great Sales Technique: Be Aware of Sales Myth #5

A myth can best be described as somebody or something... Read More

5 Steps to Selling Anything Technical

One of the most difficult things we deal with as... Read More

Customers - Always be Focused on Them

I was looking at some promotional literature and web sites... Read More

Secrets to Getting in Front of Your Best Prospects

As a salesperson, your ultimate goal, of course, is to... Read More

How Pareto?s Principle Impacts Your Sales Success

Pareto's Principle {the 80/20 rule) is vividly illustrated in the... Read More

Resistance Training for Sales People

What was the quickest rejection you ever got? 2 minutes... Read More

5 Specific Questions Your Sales Letters Must Answer To Achieve The Best Results

Here's a surefire method to guarantee you achieve the best... Read More

7 Ways to Cut Loose from Old Sales Thinking

Sooner or later, we all backslide into old ways of... Read More

Sales Skills are Life Skills

I love the art of selling. LOVE IT. When I... Read More

Got Sales Objections? Wheres Your Value?

A sales manager who reads this newsletter regularly suggested the... Read More

Selling Yourself - Its Not About You

I recently found myself suffering from a lousy cold; all... Read More

Increase Your Sales in 5 Minutes

Increase your sales-in five minutes. This article is the third... Read More

Youre Hired... I Think

I'm not a fan of "The Donald" and I had... Read More

If You Respect Them, They Will Buy -- Closing the Sale

We've all had the unfortunate experience of being convinced by... Read More

The Art And Science of Closing - How To Close More Sales Right Now

One of the questions I often get asked as a... Read More

Sales 101: Asking for the Order

"Ask, and you shall receive", a biblical principal that offers... Read More

Closing The Sale

Several weeks ago I asked my Newsletter subscribers to send... Read More

How To Stop Chasing Prospects Forever!

Perhaps the biggest challenge faced by salespeople is the problem... Read More

Are You a Sales Professional?

Many sellers like to describe themselves as professionals, but what... Read More

Get Over Your Resistance to Sales

I have found that there are two best ways to... Read More

Are You Risking The Relationship for the Sale -- And Then Losing the Sale Anyway?

Losing a sale can be disheartening, especially if you lose... Read More

The Power of Confidence

My experience has taught me that people want to buy... Read More

How To Become A Sales Superstar And Have Fun Winning More Business - Start Here!

One of the interesting things about being a coach and... Read More

How to Sell to the Devils Advocate

There is a car commercial running were a husband is... Read More

One Simple Persuasion Secret That Will Blow The Roof Off Your Sales

The next time you're shopping for clothes in a department... Read More

Get Tough

You deal with rejections, frustrations, disappointment, and possibly disrespect on... Read More

8 Must Questions to Ask in Every Sales Situation

Solving people's and organization's problems is ultimately what business is... Read More