Just because you’re marketing to businesses, doesn’t mean you have to hide your personality. Many solution providers tend to de-emphasize personality. They shy away from using their CEO, president or some other spokesperson in their organization. I’m not sure why perhaps it’s because they believe, incorrectly in my opinion, that it is (more…)

When discussing marketing, you hear people talk about “branding.” Usually, what pops into mind is the color of a company’s logo or some bells & whistles on their website. To me, this is not branding so I discourage clients from using this phrase until they understand what branding really means.

Branding is more than little visual tricks that identify your company. It’s a way of saying who you are, what you are and what you do—it’s how you can position your company in the marketplace. If you’re spending millions of collars on marketing and advertising, then you can worry about the cosmetic—the colors and shape of your logo or packaging. But if you’re a small or medium sized tech company or solution provider, your brand is all about (more…)

Every street smart solution provider should see themselves as an expert—and position themselves that way in the eyes of their clients. Not following this strategy is one of the biggest mistakes you can make.

Instead of trying to become the expert, too many SPs rely on (more…)

Today’s video is about “Focusing on Positioning vs. Prospecting?”

How do your prospects and clients see you? Do they see you as vendor who supplies them with products or basic services? Or do they see you as an expert, trusted advisor who can help them solve their problems?

There are lots of solution providers who have spent thousands of dollars and countless hours acquiring technology expertise. That’s a great investment but in order to fully utilize this differentiator, you need to exploit it in your marketing and sales. Today I discuss a strategy that if done correctly, can help position you as a Trusted Advisor, ease the pain of closing a customer, and attract customers so they come to you.

Please watch and share this video. You can also view this at our YouTube channel. I’d love to get your feedback so make sure to post your comments below or email me directly at rvela@StreetSmartSolutionProvider.com.

I really love when I see a business think out of the box and take a new twist on something old. That’s how I felt when I read a recent piece from Joe Kovar titled “VAR Turns Table, Certifies Vendors.” (more…)