Brand Matter

Scroll back to listen to Part 1 on how to be authentically yourself and why it is important in business.

Do you find yourself shape-shifting into a person you’re not just for people to like you?

You’re not alone!

It’s human nature to strive for validation, be prone to worry, and want people to like us… but that’s something that we need to let go of if we want to be the healthiest, happiest versions of ourselves.

Hosts Vince and David bring on business development and marketing managers of Element Three, Joe Mills and Reid Morris to talk about finding your self-worth, seasonality, and the importance of developing meaningful relationships—and, of course, how all of that relates back to brand.

Listen in as we dive deep into these topics.

Key Takeaways:

[Sales]: Your responsibility is to not be liked or to manipulate people, but to speak truth and ask them questions to help them uncover their own truth.

[Marketing]: There is power in business when knowing that the special things are relationships, memories, and moments in time. It’s more healthy, but it’s also better business.

Resources:

Check out Joe & Reid’s podcast, 1,000 Stories, here: https://elementthree.com/resource_types/podcast/

Learn more about Element Three: https://elementthree.com/about-us/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-mills-0ba62b42/

Connect with Reid: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidmorris/

“Are you posting because it really moved you or are you posting because you want that to be a fragment of your identity? There is an element of fear in us on how we think people are going to react to who we authentically are.”

In part 1 of this 2-part series, Vince and David bring the business development and marketing managers of Element Three, Joe Mills and Reid Morris, onto the show to explore the cultural desire for authenticity and challenge conventional wisdom.

Join our hosts in the journey to reclaiming your personal power and learning to lead with empathy amidst a culture of face cards and fake personas. And stay tuned for part 2 of this conversation.

Listen in to learn:

[Sales:] Keep this in mind when being an authentic salesperson: You’re not for everybody, not everybody can work with you, and you don’t want to work with everybody. This will help you overcome the hurdle of rejection when being authentically yourself.

[Marketing:] It’s easy to get caught up in the “I made this, I made that” mentality, but we need to throw our individual ego’s away and create an environment where we are better collectively while being our authentic selves.

Check out Joe & Reid’s podcast, 1,000 Stories, here: https://elementthree.com/resource_types/podcast/

Learn more about Element Three: https://elementthree.com/about-us/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-mills-0ba62b42/

Connect with Reid: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reidmorris/

As we enter into 2023, Vince and David take some time to reflect on what they've learned about brand—and their own perceptions of it—through the voices of their past guests. Revisit some of the top moments from episodes featuring Bill Caskey, Rachel Downey, Dr. Kate Price, Eric White, Mike Harmon, and John Wechsler, and hear Vince and David's surprising discovery that ties all of their conversations together. Follow Vince and David on LinkedIn as they undertake the #BrandMatter30DayChallenge!

Vince's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vince-freeman-55ba152/

David's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schweisthal/

Is there a magic key to unlocking how brands (and people) can show up authentically online? Well, today’s guest has a hunch. And it involves something very simple: storytelling. The (podcast) master of storytelling, Rachel Downey joins Vince and David for a chat about authenticity, storytelling, and the importance of brand in every part of your customer journey.

Rachel is the founder and Executive Producer at Share Your Genius, a podcast production company that creates outcome-driven shows. Rachel has been creating podcasts for over 5 years, and she shares the insights and impact she’s seen created from the podcasting and storytelling angle for brands. Stories create connection and depth—what better way to express your brand?

Listen in to learn:

[Sales]: What are the potential benefits of a podcast? It includes shortened sales cycles and increased empathy. [Marketing]: The marketplace is crowded—there are over 2M podcasts. Make sure your show is tied to an outcome.

[Marketing]: The marketplace is crowded—there are over 2M podcasts. Make sure your show is tied to an outcome. Connect with Vince: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vince-freeman-55ba152/

Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schweisthal/

Resources:

Brand Matter featuring Bill Caskey: https://link.chtbl.com/dDaAxx3v

Listen to Voicemails with Rachel: https://link.chtbl.com/ZY3ZvYFf

Is personal brand a dying concept? After reading a controversial blog on the topic, Vince and David dive into all things personal brand. Is it important? Why does it matter? Should you care about your personal brand as a marketer? As a salesperson?

They open up about their own experiences with it too, leading to a 30-day challenge they’re doing together to kick off 2023—the Brand Matter Personal Brand Challenge. They’ll come back in February to discuss how posting on LinkedIn every day (for their personal brand) goes, from analyzing their posts to seeing what came of it, the good and the bad. Connect with Vince & David on LinkedIn to keep up. (And join in! #BrandMatterPersonalBrandChallege)

Listen in for…

[Sales]: Authenticity is key when it comes to personal brand—just like forcing a sale, forcing a personal brand won’t make the magic happen.

[Marketing]: Personal branding isn’t just for the SDRs—how can it benefit marketers? Shared language.

Connect with Vince: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vince-freeman-55ba152/

Connect with David: https://www.linkedin.com/in/schweisthal/

Resources:

Brand Matter featuring Bill Caskey: https://link.chtbl.com/dDaAxx3v

What connects your company's internal and external experiences?

Brand harmony.

Brand harmony is hard to achieve, but John Wechsler and Mike Harmon from Spokenote have figured it out. They’ve leaned into their core values to impact internal processes and external experiences. Creating, as John would say, brand nirvana. Consistent, meaningful brand experiences are key to creating sustainable growth.

Conversely, brand erosion can stop a business in its tracks. Listen in as Vince and David dive into the impact of brand harmony on a fast-growing company.

Key Takeaways

Sales: Your external experience represents what the prospect can expect if they become a client—how do you ensure these match up?

Marketing: Authenticity is key. Connecting marketing to the core values your company demonstrates is an integral step to achieving brand harmony.

No one wants to be sold or marketed to. How do you approach sales conversations authentically and naturally – while still closing the deal?

The age-old question.

David Schweisthal and Vince Freeman go back-and-forth in this mini-episode on authenticity, trust and creating long-lasting partnerships. You’ll walk away with advice to lead with empathy and make responsibilities crystal clear during the sales process.

Things to listen for:

• We all make mistakes. It’s how you respond to those mistakes that makes the difference with your client.
• No one wants to get sold or marketed to, but everyone likes to buy. Lead with empathy and solve the problem that’s causing them pain.
• Partnerships go sideways when uncertainty causes a chasm. Avoid sharing responsibilities at all costs.

Less than 3% of LinkedIn users actually post content. What does this mean for you? Well, you have the opportunity to fill the gap, help your customers find you, and make more sales. You just need to start posting.

Bill Caskey of Caskey Achievement Strategies joined Brand Matter to discuss how the skills of a salesperson have changed in his 30 years of experience coaching B2B sales teams. When a personal brand is aligned with the company brand, sales come inbound. It’s a beautiful thing.

Learn how to be consistent in your content creation and leverage the internet to grow your personal brand – and your wallet – with tips from this B2B sales and personal brand expert.

Listen in for:

• [Sales:] Your personal brand requires reps. The more you post, the more you create value for your audience, the better you’ll get.
• [Marketing:] With digital tools at your disposal, brand building is easier than ever. But for the same reason, it can be overwhelming. The first step is to focus on creating quality content.

Like it or not, you have a personal brand. But you also represent your company and services in the field.

Sales and marketing experts David and Vince suggest positioning yourself as an ambassador of your organization. In this episode, they reveal what brand ambassadorship truly means, and why you must trust in your company’s mission, culture, and offering first, before selling or marketing anything.

They also discuss how you can avoid mistakes when touting your personal and company brand to your customers.

Scroll back to listen to Part 1 on introducing change to customers and employees.

Brand erosion. Sounds messy, doesn’t it?

As time goes on, it’s natural for your products and services to slip from your customers’ minds. Your job is to avoid erosion and instead remain relevant and strong in the market.

Dr. Kate Price, founder of DKP Consulting, and Eric White, founder of Revealed, return for Part 2 of our conversation on brand and cultural change. In this episode you’ll learn why your brand and culture are partly out of your control, but how you can influence them to avoid erosion.