Having been in the franchising business all my life and understanding how hard it is to build a brand, I have probably read every other popular book on the subject. Some are good and most are excellent, as each one helps give you ideas on setting the stage for your brand marketing objectives. Branding on the Internet is somewhat new as before 1995 there was little if any Internet to speak of. One book I can recommend is:

“11 immutable laws of Internet branding” by Laura Ries.

This was a goods book. Where as I agree with MANY of the rules of thumb, I disagree completely with nearly all of the examples supporting their assertions. Most of the purported examples to prove their theories are outdated and out of context. I do not recommend this book to anyone and having personally called the author, I was a little concerned with the lack of business history and knowledge that went into the work. Too bad, it is a good subject. In my companies we are following most all of the basic marketing branding rules they consider relevant, and probably better than nearly all of the other companies listed or mentioned.

Internet Brand Marketing is important, but only a mere component of the whole. Sure it is important and you should pay attention to your strategy, but the customer will always vote with their dollar, so realize when reading such books that these people who write them actually are writing them to puff up clients they have and trying to sell marketing strategy services. They made errors in their assumptions of Microsoft, the reason for the Boston Market failure, their degree of confidence in Amazon.com, their domain name picking theories. I could nearly crush them in a debate on almost every single example they used to prove a point, as they cite case laws and business histories. On the points themselves they are plus or minus average in their correctness, and I would only challenge a few points, if any and only in certain contexts or situations. All in all however the book should be read with a grain of salt but definitely read by anyone who is in charge of brand marketing on the Internet, which by now should be every CEO in the country.

So, why would one recommend a book they disagree with? Because this book makes you think and question reality. You must constantly audit your brand image, you need to look at it from every perspective, trust me. So read this book and buy it online today.

“Lance Winslow” – If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs

Internet Branding – Information

Your opportunity to build a stellar client relationship starts with managing the gap between your perception of how things are going and your client’s.

Begin the process here . . .

–Know who your ideal client is.

Minimize problems from the get-go by targeting clients you want to work with and clients you would enjoy and have fun working with.

–Ask the right questions.

Craft questions that will help you manage client expectations early. If you offer a service, ask how the client will measure results, what criteria he will use.

–Trust and act on your intuition.

When you feel something is “off” with a client, confirm that feeling by engaging the client in conversation. If your intuition says this is not the client for you, be bold and refer him on to someone who would be a better fit.

–Get your needs met so you don’t need your clients.

Accept clients because you want to work with them, not because you need them to make your next mortgage payment. Build cash reserves so you can always make a choice.

–Challenge your assumptions.

Confirm your assumptions before acting on them. It will save you from making costly and potentially irreversible mistakes with your client.

–Survey your clients early into the relationship.

Check in after the first meeting to verify/clarify that you are on target then follow up often.

–Increase your knowledge base.

Learn as much as you can about your client, his business, his industry, his customers, his problems and concerns. Learn new ways of doing things, new techniques and technologies. Learn how to use new tools to serve your client better.

–Build trust.

Be reliable, honest and dependable. Keep your client’s interests in mind. Avoid political situations that could undermine your relationship with your client.

–Learn to negotiate.

Possibly the second most important skill in managing your business, mastering negotiation skills will give you a sense of power in constructing a client relationship that wins for both of you.

–Anticipate and initiate.

Look for opportunities to help your client achieve his goals. Include your client’s goals in presenting new ideas. Step back and see how your client might see a situation and respond accordingly.

The more you know about what your clients really want, the more effective you will be in managing the relationship.

Author: http://www.JamesBurchill.com

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