Business Sense: Want to Increase Your Revenue & Be Unforgettable? - June 21, 2010

Every year hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs will close their doors because they didn’t have enough business. Don’t let your business be one of them.

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“Brandologist” Judy Winslow answers some questions for entrepreneurs in Part 1 of getting you on the path to the business of your dreams.

1. You are called the “brandologist”. Can you tell us about branding? Why is it so important to “brand” your biz?

“I consider branding to be the soul of your business (more about that in my book). Think about it. In many ways your business is like a small child. The process of brand development allows you to determine and see the cellular structure of your business, like DNA, and then you can see how to give it the characteristics to offer the best chance of thriving. Further, a clear brand identity holds all the clues you’ll need for future development which means less stress, more ease, and a guided M.A.P. (motivated action plan). There’s many benefits, but seriously that would take at least a day to share with you! We’ll take on some of those aspects through questions to come.”

2. What’s this talk about being unforgettable. Why not just follow a well-known path?

“I love this question, and I hear it often! What I’ve noticed is that we all want to be seen, heard, remembered, visible and valued. If you think about any company that you admire or are loyal to, they are Being Unforgettable to you. Ask yourself, what are the attributes that make them so, then notice if you aspire to having those qualities as well. Being Unforgettable ensures top of mind positioning, and allows for a ‘tribe’ that gets you and values you.”

3. You’ve mentioned elevator speeches and clear & consistent messages. Can you tell us more about this?

“Part of my mission is to eliminate the fear and misconceptions around ‘elevator pitches’. Seriously, think about what it’s like to be in an enclosed space with someone spouting what they do. Ugh!

How about we start by being interested in others, learn to listen for real clues and know, really know what we’re about so we can share appropriately about how we can either assist them, OR share in a voice they’ll relate to so they can remember us and refer in the future?

So what I mean is that what’s more important is that you get clarity around who you are and what you offer. But in a very particular way. I like to tell the story about McDonalds and ask, what business is McDonalds in? (Hint: It’s not food). There are some key questions to ask yourself to get at the heart of this investigation, which are too lengthy to share here, but to get you started begin to listen more closely to conversations and see how you can take what people are already talking about, and relate it to what you do.

Create thirty to fifty answers to the question: ‘What do you do?’, and see what is revealed. You may be surprised.

Let me leave you with this. Clarity is key. For communication, for the ability to be heard, for consistent messages, to attract the correct audience, to be compelling to that audience and for the opportunity to be Unforgettable.

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Judy Winslow has worked with Madison Avenue biggies including top cosmetics companies, Cover Girl and Clairol; fashion designers Yves Saint Laurent and Alexander Julian; and small financial institutions like the NY Stock Exchange. Her career spans over 25 years, including a stint at Women’s Day Magazine, where she met her first partner in business. They began on a shoestring and went on to build to $500k the first year out.

Winslow also helped to write the book on branding, literally. ‘The Guide To Getting It: Branding & Marketing Mastery’ is a small but powerful handbook, that gets great feedback, and inspires those who read it to take action. And while former clients have included Fortune 500 businesses, she now works with the small business and entrepreneur because of their spirit, enthusiasm and potential to create an Unforgettable Brand.

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