The document discusses the concept of verbal branding and its benefits. Verbal branding is defined as the spoken application of brand positioning that can simultaneously improve sales, culture, branding density, and business impact. It encourages focusing branding messaging around one or two positioning ideas that clearly differentiate the brand and make it easy to communicate verbally. Filling in internal "brand density" through a shared verbal branding framework is presented as key to achieving business benefits across an organization.

1. Simultaneous improvement of: Sales , Culture , and Brand Density  New Branding Applications  Verbal Branding

2. Ted Levitt: Harvard BS “ Differentiation is one of the most important strategic and tactical activities in which [organizations] must constantly engage. It is not discretionary.” © Copyright 2004-2010

3. What should keep you awake at night… Your brand being diminished… Every day , times … Every person , times … Every conversation © Copyright 2004-2010

4. Positioning: - How different and therefore better than the competition The Branding GAP !! - A true spoken application for Brand Positioning © Copyright 2004-2010

5. Verbal Branding is:  Spoken application for brand positioning  Redefined foundation for brand development  New platform for simultaneous business impact © Copyright 2004-2010 1 2 3

6. Conversational Dynamics: … but first © Copyright 2004-2010

8. Your name: (Stephen Melanson) - No one cares yet !! Your category: (Branding Consultant) - No one cares yet !! * BTW…are you selling on Category? © Copyright 2004-2010

9. Your name: (Stephen Melanson) - No one cares yet !! Your category: (Branding Consultant) - No one cares yet !! * BTW…are you selling on Category? No One Cares !! © Copyright 2004-2010

10. Your name: (Stephen Melanson) - No one cares yet !! Your category: (Branding Consultant) - No one cares yet !! * BTW…are you selling on Category? Selling on “Category”? © Copyright 2004-2010 If so, you’re losing opportunities every single day

11. Verbal Branding is:  Spoken application for brand positioning © Copyright 2004-2010 1

12. Conversational Dynamics: © Copyright 2004-2010

13. Conversational Dynamics: - Memory : “ No matter what you do, people will only remember a couple things – PERIOD !” * THE SINGLE most important philosophy for Verbal Branding ! © Copyright 2004-2010

14. Conversational Dynamics: - Curiosity : “ Creating curiosity through positioning is the first, best step to making a sale and establishing identity.” © Copyright 2004-2010

15. Conversational Dynamics: - Context : “ Like Gentle Dental , positioning context increases the value of commonly offered products or services.” © Copyright 2004-2010

16. Managing Interactions: © Copyright 2004-2010

17. Most important  to least   Everything about an organization… EVERYTHING !  A conversation of… ANY LENGTH ! All Details Pyramid : © Copyright 2004-2010

18. Most important  to least   Everything about an organization… EVERYTHING !  A conversation of… ANY LENGTH ! All Details Pyramid : © Copyright 2004-2010

19. All Details Different and Better © Copyright 2004-2010

20. All Details Concept 1 Concept 2 © Copyright 2004-2010

21. All Details 5 Seconds Concept 1 Concept 2 © Copyright 2004-2010

22. All Details 5 Seconds Concept 1 Concept 2 No Elevator Pitch Allowed © Copyright 2004-2010

23. All Details Answer Curiosity 3 Minutes Concept 1 Concept 2 © Copyright 2004-2010

24. All Details 2 Hours Capability Meeting Concept 1 Concept 2 © Copyright 2004-2010

25. Details are important if they relate to your differentiation… Or they aren’t important ! © Copyright 2004-2010

26. All Details Concept 1 Concept 2 Different & Better ! © Copyright 2004-2010 Misc. Details

27. Some spectacular news!! - POSITIONING ADDS VALUE to all the details. © Copyright 2004-2010

28. Important: - Describing …is not branding! The more you “describe” what you do, the more you sound like the competition. © Copyright 2004-2010

29. Marginalizing the competition: © Copyright 2004-2010

30. 95% Rule 95% of companies are 95% the same as each other © Copyright 2004-2010

31. © Copyright 2004-2010 “ Of Course” You can treat these common details this way: “Of course we do that…” therefore marginalizing the competition’s positioning Ask me to explain this in much more detail

32. Traditional Verbal Branding Brand Result © Copyright 2004-2010

33. Traditional No GAP in Density ! Verbal Branding (w/ Verbal Criteria) © Copyright 2004-2010

34. © Copyright 2004-2010 Presentation Selling Networking Partner Referral M A R K E T Traditional Gaps in brand from no “spoken” application

35. Verbal Branding is:  Redefined foundation for brand development © Copyright 2004-2010 2

36. Add a “Spoken” Criteria… © Copyright 2004-2010

37. Create “ natural ” understanding - Works for both Internal and External audiences © Copyright 2004-2010

38. © Copyright 2004-2010 M A R K E T Traditional Density Vision

39. © Copyright 2004-2010 Presentation Selling Networking Partner Referral M A R K E T Traditional

40. © Copyright 2004-2010 Presentation Selling Networking Partner Referral M A R K E T Traditional

41. Add a “Spoken” Criteria So Positioning can be said…naturally © Copyright 2004-2010

42. © Copyright 2004-2010 Presentation Selling Networking Partner Referral M A R K E T W/ Verbal Branding Create internal density first to fill in gaps

43. © Copyright 2004-2010 Presentation Selling Networking Partner Referral M A R K E T W/ Verbal Branding

44. © Copyright 2004-2010 Presentation Selling Networking Partner Referral M A R K E T Density Branding

45. © Copyright 2004-2010 Presentation Selling Networking Partner Referral M A R K E T Unifies Sales & Marketing (and Culture…)

46. The Plain Language test… (Name) (Category) “… but we’re different from the competition because 1) 2) © Copyright 2004-2010

47. The You’re Crazy test… (Name) (Category) “… if you don’t use us, you’re CRAZY ; here’s why… 1) 2) © Copyright 2004-2010

48. Verbal Branding is:  New platform for simultaneous business impact © Copyright 2004-2010 3

49. © Copyright 2004-2010 VB Platform One simplified platform to simultaneously improve 4 levels of operations

50. © Copyright 2004-2010 VB Platform Think Speak Internal Starts with understanding and the ability to say

51. © Copyright 2004-2010 VB Platform Think Speak

52. © Copyright 2004-2010 VB Platform Sales Culture Density (Mngt) Think Speak

53. © Copyright 2004-2010 VB Platform Sales Culture Density (Mngt) Think Speak

54. © Copyright 2004-2010 VB Platform Think Speak Sales Culture Density (Mngt)

55. © Copyright 2004-2010 Think Speak Sales Culture Density (Mngt) VB Platform One Platform

56. © Copyright 2004-2010 Density Culture Sales Think Speak ( Mngt ) VB Platform Occam’s Razor If it isn’t simple, it won’t work

57. Reminders… * No elevator pitches * One or two “positioning” ideas ONLY * Different and better * Internal “density” first © Copyright 2004-2010

58. Patrick Lencioni: Author “ If you could get all the people in an organization rowing in the same direction… you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.” © Copyright 2004-2010

59. Stephen Melanson Melanson Consulting Twitter: @ stephen melanson LinkedIn: stephen melanson consulting Email: stephen @melansonconsult.com melansonconsult.com 781-443-5017 © Copyright 2004-2010 Need A Speaker?