What is your Business Identity?

At lunch on Friday a client asked me "What is a Business Identity?"

It's not easy to define a business identity, but I'll give it a shot.

A Business Identity is the feeling or aura you create for your company. It is sometimes explained as a "personality." Your identity helps to communicate who you are and the nuts and bolts of what you offer.

A business owner usually works with a professional designer to create a Business Identity.

I don't consider a business to be fully grown until it has an identity. There are plenty of successful businesses who have never established an identity and many may think they don't need to, but I think they are wrong. These businesses are usually the ones who cut corners by not hiring a professional designer to design their identity, logo, and brand. This business owner may never get to the next level by maximizing their brand potential.

A professional Business Identity allows you to charge more, attract your ideal clients, maintain a competitive advantage, and maximize your business potential. It is a crucial component of Effortless Marketing.

What does my Business Identity say about me?

Prosperity Coaching LLC is a professional Business Coaching company.

The colors I have chosen are fun: Red, Purple, Green, Yellow - and the colors work well together.

My design is professional and expert.

My business personality is all about: Expertise; Entrepreneurship; Marketing; Success; Fun; and Creativity.

If you've never thought about your Business Identity, I urge you to consider doing so soon. You could spend time working through the process and come out of this recession with a new look. This is an INVESTMENT in your business, not an expense.

The best way to create your Business Identity is to get together with your staff and a professional designer and create a list of values you want to communicate. Then think about your personality.

• Are you fun or serious?
• Are you professional or laid back?
• What colors represent your business personality?
• What benefits do you provide your clients?

I recommend that you read this interview with Ken Peters about Branding which will give you a professional designer's insight into what makes a Brand successful.

Suzanne Muusers

Financial Advisor Business Coach

Branding Packages 

Using Toastmasters to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

I had the privilege of being the Toastmaster last Thursday at Airpark Toastmasters. If you’ve ever attended Toastmasters, you know that it’s a great venue for testing your willingness to step outside your comfort zone. Toastmasters allows participants to improve speaking and leadership skills in a supportive learning environment. I challenge myself weekly by attending Toastmasters and I use this as a way to stay sharp. I also use it as a networking opportunity.

As Toastmaster, you select the Theme of the Day, prepare opening and closing comments, and generally run the meeting. The theme I selected was “Personal Responsibility – Have We Become a Nation of Whiners?”

I believe we determine our own destiny by our attitude. To put it simply, if you are a positive person who takes responsibility for your own actions, you will create the life you deserve. If you are a negative person, who makes negative comments and focuses on what’s wrong with a situation, you will create a destiny of negativity.

The best part of being the Toastmaster is that you get to use the role as a platform for your ideology. And since I lean more to the right than the left, that’s what I did on Thursday.

Personal Responsibility – Have We Become a Nation of Whiners? What do you think?

This is a great country. It’s the best country I’ve lived in and The United States is my third country! Over the years, however, governments, both national and local, businesses and other institutions have made a name for themselves by helping others reduce the need for individual responsibility.

Didn’t save for retirement? No problem. Here’s a government program to help you. Have at it. Can’t take the pressures of providing a living for yourself? No problem. Here’s another program.

Love to eat but don’t like to work out? No problem. Here’s a surgery to take the weight off the easy way.

My philosophy is that "You are responsible for your own life. Being responsible is not a choice. It's a requirement for a strong society."

I want to give you an example.

For four years of my life I earned a paycheck from a business that was not my own. I worked for the largest and most respected mutual fund company in the nation. I loved my job, but I was astonished that most of my coworkers complained constantly about the company.

Health insurance costs went up each year and people complained. Health insurance is not a right it is a benefit. A 401k plan company match is not a right, it is a benefit. Vacation is not a right, it is a benefit.

If you don’t like your job – take responsibility for your own happiness and get a new job.

Don’t want to work for “the man?” Great. Start your own business. But please don’t poison your coworkers with your negativity.

Taking responsibility can transform your life from one of being a victim to having power over your own life. The stronger your attitude of responsibility, the more success you'll have in your life.

Please take responsibility for your life. Don’t look to the government, your employer, or your significant other to take care of you.

If you find yourself being particularly comfortable in your safe office, and you realize that you need a challenge, find a Toastmasters club and try it on for size. You’ll find that it will give you a competitive advantage in your industry.

Suzanne Muusers

Business Coach for Entrepreneurs and Financial Advisors

http://www.prosperitycoaching.biz

Branding – What makes a brand successful?

I recently met with Ken Peters, owner of Nocturnal Graphic Design Studio, to learn what makes a brand successful. My clients know that I have a passion for good design. When prospects and clients ask me “How do I attract high net-worth clients?” I always tell them to hire a top notch designer and make an investment in their brand. See for yourself what an expert in the design industry has to say.

Click on images to enlarge

What is a good brand composed of?

It’s much more than a logo and a catchy slogan. Brands are composed of consumer touch-points, and the perceptions they create. Every experience a person has with your company, products, or services, communicates a message establishing a perception that defines your Brand. A Brand is as much the perception of beauty in an attractive marketing brochure, as the perceived ease of navigating a user-friendly web site. It’s as much the tangible perception of quality craftsmanship, as the intangible perception of friendly service.

Because we each view life through the lens of our individual experiences, perception can’t be determined, only influenced. Influencing perception is the job of the Brand Identity. A Brand Identity is the visual articulation of the perception you wish your Brand to convey. Graphic Design is the craft used to create the Brand Identity. Marketing disseminates the Brand Identity. Advertising promotes and sells the Brand Identity. Together, they work to create, retain, enhance, sustain, and when necessary, recreate, Brand perception – all in an effort to elicit the desired consumer action.

Why is a professional brand identity so important for business owners?

Brand Identity is what differentiates your business in a cluttered market. It’s how you attract attention, communicate with consumers, establish emotional connections, create desire, and elicit action.

What are the top three mistakes entrepreneurs make when designing their Brand Identity?

1) Not working with professional graphic designers: Accessibility to computers, design software, fonts, etc., has created a proliferation of “off-the-shelf-graphic-gurus”. But, knowing how to use Photoshop doesn’t make someone a designer anymore than knowing how to scramble an egg makes someone a chef. Navigating the complexities and nuances of effective and compelling Identity design requires the acuity of trained, professional practitioners.

2) Cutting corners on quality: Graphic design, printing, photography, illustration, copywriting, materials, and overall consistency in visual tone and message each influence consumer perception. Skimping on these could communicate a lack of quality that will reflect poorly on your Brand. You might save pennies up front, but it’ll cost you in the long run.

3) Not following through: Designing your Identity is the first step, but it doesn’t end there. Building Brand equity takes time. Once your Identity has been launched it must be managed as your business grows and the Brand evolves. Communicating a consistent message, while being flexible enough to adapt to change, keeps your Brand from becoming obsolete. This requires constant attention. Trying to tackle the task yourself is a recipe for failure. Maximize your return on investment in Brand Identity by keeping it in the expert care of design professionals.

Is it more important to design an Identity to communicate an idea or is it more important to design an Identity that is visually eye catching.

Every Brand communicates an idea. The key is creating the right perception through an engaging Identity. That requires smart design. Design isn’t rocket science. It’s persuasion. And, persuasion is an art.

Please give us some tips on how to develop a successful Brand Identity.

1) Understand that working with a professional graphic designer is a capital investment, rather than an expense. Investing in quality up front generates greater dividends in the long run.

2) Work with a designer who excites you. Designing a creative and effective Brand Identity is a highly collaborative process. It not only requires imagination and skill, but also a spirit of enthusiastic give-and-take among people who inspire and challenge each other.

3) Be open to bold ideas, and willing to take risks. Creativity and imagination are still the most effective means of gaining an unfair advantage over your competition.

4) Remember that bad design is often as memorable as good design. You have to decide how you want to be remembered.

Ken Peters is the Owner and Creative Director of Nocturnal Graphic Design Studio, LLC, a Phoenix-based design firm specializing in brand development and corporate image for large and small businesses in all industries. To speak with Ken directly email ken@nocturnaldesign.com. To view samples from Nocturnal’s portfolio, visit http://www.nocturnaldesign.com/

Suzanne Muusers

Prosperity Coaching LLC
Branding Packages

Readers are Leaders - What it takes to make it as an entrepreneur

Today I was talking to a new client about building his business. He's a well established entrepreneur who wants to step outside his comfort zone and try new ways to market his business. When I asked if he likes to read he chuckled and said "It's not my favorite activity."

Business owners come to me to establish new behaviors. Truthfully, if my clients continued doing everything the way they've always done them, nothing would change. So why hire me?

To reach new heights of business success we all need to try new things. If you're not used to reading, you may want to get into the habit. What's on your reading list right now? I have a stack of books on my bedside table and I tend to go through about two per month. I also read quite a few periodicals including business journals, financial magazines, health related magazines, coaching related materials, and my all time favorite Entrepreneur Magazine.

Does all this reading give me a competitive advantage? You bet it does. I am always well versed in what's going on in the business world. I'm up on new tools and technology, and the latest techniques in my field.

So what's your entrepreneurial vision of where you want to take your business? Readers are Leaders. What reading materials could help you?

This is just one of the activities I encourage my clients to take make a part of their day so that they can make it as an entrepreneur. So, did my client decide to do more reading? Of course!

To learn more, click here to read an article I wrote about 10 Tips to Make it as an Entrepreneur

Grow Your Business and Prosper

Suzanne Muusers

Business Coach for Entrepreneurs and Financial Advisors

http://www.prosperitycoaching.biz/

Are you starting a business? Don't forget your SWOT Analysis!

I seem to be running into a lot of people in the process of starting a business. I've met a start-up technology entrepreneur, a pet sitting/groomer entrepreneur, and a brand new CPA, all during the past week. One thing they have in common is a burning desire for FREEDOM through owning their own business.

Several themes developed in my conversations with these aspiring entrepreneurs. What did they need to do to be successful each of them asked? What roadblocks would they possibly run into? What key activity do they need to perform consistently?

First of all, many entrepreneurs fail to do adequate research into their business idea. Is there actually a need for their product or service in the geographic area they have chosen? Who is the competition? Who are they competing against and what do they need to work on to improve their chances of success?

One often-overlooked way to accurately determine if you're on the right track is to perform a SWOT Analysis. Creating a SWOT will help you determine your market position.

1. What are the company’s STRENGTHS?

What unique advantages does your company have?
What do customers rave about?
What unique resources do you have access to?
What do others see as your strengths?

2. What are the company’s WEAKNESSES?

What could you improve?
What should you avoid?
What do others see as your weaknesses?
What do customers complain about the most?

3. What are the company’s greatest OPPORTUNITIES?

What opportunities are you not taking advantage of? Go on, admit you have opportunities you haven't taken advantage of. Most of my clients learn to leverage opportunities they were either too afraid to pursue or were consciously unaware of. This is one of the greatest keys to success.
What trends could you leverage?
How can you turn your weaknesses into opportunities?

4. What are the company’s greatest THREATS?

What trends could harm you? Is there a technology or new service that could come along and wipe you out?
What obstacles do you face?
What is your competition doing?
Are the required specifications for your job, products or services changing?
Do you have bad debt or cash-flow problems?
Could any of your weaknesses seriously threaten your business?

A SWOT Analysis is not only key for start-ups but for established businesses that haven't taken a good look at their competitive position lately. Could you benefit from this exercise?

Grow Your Business and Prosper!
Suzanne Muusers
Business Coach for Entrepreneurs and Financial Advisors
http://www.prosperitycoaching.biz/

Competitive Advantage – How Do You Get Yours?

I've just come back from my industry's annual conference in Long Beach, California. The ICF (International Coach Federation) put on a great conference this year with wonderful keynote speakers and inspiring break out sessions. On my way home I reminisced about why I take time out of my schedule to make the annual pilgrimage: COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE!

As a coach to entrepreneurs, I want to make sure I am offering the most knowledge and value to my clients so that they will blossom and grow. If I'm not out there exposing myself to new situations and knowledge, then I might be limiting my ability to learn more and add value.

Many in the coaching profession not only don't attend the annual conference; they are not even members of the ICF and are not interested in certification. Being that coaching is an infant profession with only 10 – 12 years of formal organization, it is important to me to belong to an organization with ethics and professionalism. At this conference I learned that I am one of 3200 certified coaches worldwide! This is certainly a competitive advantage.

Here are my top tips to creating your own competitive advantage:

1. Get certified in your area of expertise
2. Join your industry's flagship organization
3. Attend conferences in your field
4. Take seminars and workshops to improve your skills
5. Read at least one business book per month – to see a list of suggestions, click here Suggested Reading for Entrepreneurs

Grow Your Business and Prosper!
Suzanne Muusers
Business Coach for Entrepreneurs and Financial Advisors
http://www.prosperitycoaching.biz/