ENGAGE | September 2019

Sales, marketing, and branding are all part of the same machine. Historically, Sales and Marketing are competitive with one another because they vie for the same limited resources. It shouldn't be that way. Marketers can't market what they don't understand. Sales become much easier when people know about your product or service because marketing has had your back! It's a team effort all wrapped up in Brand. Branding starts with culture.

The art of the sale, like any art form, only grows with practice. We all sell every day, we just don't realize it. A sale is simply an exchange between two people of items or services of value. The art of selling is all about evolution and growth. The best modern salespeople have grown from the ground-pounding door-to-door guy, smiling-and-dialing telemarketer, crafty-car-salesperson, into the modern-day marketer and caring consultant. Why? Because in the United States alone, service has become a $9.8 Trillion industry.

Bill Gates, best known as the founder of Microsoft, nailed it almost 30 years ago. In an essay, Gates wrote about how success in the future would be built on those who could provide the strongest and most valuable content on a consistent basis. He was correct then and his observation still rings true today.

The only way to create the kind of cult following that means consumers come to you...

...is to create content. Gary Vaynerchuck, Founder of Vayner Media, suggests starting with a piece of "Pillar Content."

 If time is money and excuses are a waste of time, then excuses are a waste of money. If you are not where you want to be, you have no one to blame but yourself. If you are exactly where you want to be, you're not hungry enough! Just kidding, go ahead and give yourself a pat on the back. Own your victories... and your setbacks.