SCORE Small Business Blog

Be Catchy, yet Credible

As I mentioned in an earlier post, my best tips come from shamelessly copying smarter, more experienced pros than myself – especially in sales. I recently interviewed two articulate, organized – and successful – professionals, Zach Karr and Joe Pessetto. Zach and Joe are Financial Advisors who run a Financial Services Practice within Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC providing high quality financial services to executives, business owners, and their families.

Zach and Joe have a tough job. The financial advisor field is crowded, competitive and often confusing. There are many qualified advisors, skilled in the technicalities of stock trading and personal wealth models. Everyone in the field claims this knowledge base (and has the credentials to prove it). But Zach and Joe have found distinct, and memorable ways to stand out from the crowd, while communicating trust and credibility:

• They stand out with a weekly call-in radio show (The Zach and Joe Show now branded as “Two for the Money”) on matters of personal finance. Financial advisors are highly regulated, especially in the area of giving public advice. This has resulted in most financial firms being extremely conservative and limited in their outward communications. The Zach and Joe Show not only directly generates sales leads, but also creates a memorable characteristic that stands out from other advisors. The show title also makes their names memorable and easily searchable.
• Zach and Joe project strength of reputation and resources through their affiliation with a large, well-known company (Wells Fargo Advisors). Through their association with Wells Fargo Advisors they tap into a breadth of products, branding and reputation. Other credibility indicators are the use of professional meeting rooms, and sponsored events with well-known experts.

Your Next Best Three Steps?:

1)      Copy Successful Sales Pros. Buy coffee or lunch for someone who you know is successful at sales in an industry similar but non-competitive with yours.  You will get techniques and wisdom faster (and with less pain) than your own trial and error.

2)      Be Referable via a Catchy Tag Line. What makes you different than your competitors? Look for that expression of interest in a new contact at a networking event. Listen for how others describe you. Then work on distilling this into a phrase, or slogan so others will remember, and refer, you. And don’t forget to work this into all your marketing materials, business cards, website and search engine keywords.

3)     Communicate Credibility Markers. Trust is critical but intangible and tough to convey. Use markers that speak indirectly to your experience and success. Capitalize on the brands of well known past employers, clients, vendors, universities, etc. by referring to these credibility sources both verbally and in writing.

How do you make yourself be catchy, yet credible? Share in the Comments section below.

Next Week: Part 2 Sales Tips from Zach and Joe, Getting Leads from Multiple Sources. And sign up to get sales tips at the upcoming SCORE webinar December 2nd.

Jeanne Rossomme – President, RoadMap Marketing Jeanne uses her 20 years of marketing know-how to help small business owners reach their goals. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she held a variety of marketing positions with DuPont and General Electric. Jeanne regularly hosts online webinars and workshops in both English and Spanish. www.roadmapmarketing.com | @roadmapmarketin | More from Jeanne