Whether you’re introduced face-to-face, on Zoom, or via social media, being ready to tell your brand story, in 10 seconds or less, can help you successfully connect with prospective clients.
You weren’t there on business, but you’re suddenly caught off guard: Hey, meet so-and-so, who may be interested in “what you do.”
Whether you’re introduced face-to-face, on Zoom, or via social media, being ready to tell your brand story, in 10 seconds or less, can help you successfully connect with prospective clients.
“We're conditioned to tune out sales pitches, but most of us are pretty intrigued by [hearing] stories,” says Alison Campbell, Director, Practice Management with Sun Life Consulting, based in Vancouver.
Developing your brand story is more than just a marketing exercise: it defines the distinctive value that you bring your customers, says Campbell. She has created a worksheet to help advisors tell their brand story, and recently led a workshop at the annual Sun Life Global Investments Women’s Investment Symposium.
“It's something you can use in conversation at that event when someone asks you what you do. It's also a tool you can use in your online presence or in marketing materials to position yourself quickly and concisely.”
“The success of a brand story relies on a formula that people are more likely to lean into rather than lean away from,” says Campbell.
Three steps to develop your brand story
Stories are more memorable than facts, stats or credentials in helping people understand what you do.
Any entrepreneur can use this technique to attract new clients and increase client retention, regardless of industry or profession.
Campbell highlights these three steps to help pin down your own captivating brand story:
1. Identify the problem you solve
It's not about you. It’s not about your company. It’s not even about your job title. A compelling brand story begins with who you serve and the problem they face.
“Too often, when people ask us what we do, we start by focusing on ourselves. What a brand story does is explain what you do in a way that puts the client you serve at the heart of the story,” says Campbell.
From cinema to novels, the most compelling stories are about a hero who faces an obstacle. If you can identify your client’s need, and what stands in the way, they’ll be more motivated to say, “tell me more.”
Of course, clients have many needs, so you can focus on just one to keep your story short and easy to understand, says Campbell.
In financial services, that need might be to live a dream retirement, or to secure a family’s future. In IT, your hero may need to safeguard critical data. In legal services, their priority may be to protect trade secrets.
What matters most to your clients or prospects can be your story's focus.
2. State your unique plan
The second part of creating a brand story is to define why your ideal client would want to work with you. How will you save the day to solve their problem?
“You want to call out that element that makes you unique in whatever industry or field that you are in. Maybe it's your personal characteristics. That you’re empathetic, or a really good listener. Or maybe it's your technical skills, or your methodical process,” says Campbell.
“If we were to ask your top four or five clients about you, what would they say? What is that experience like? What do they love about you? That can really help you think about what that unique value is,” says Campbell.
You’re not the hero of the story, but you’re the guide. You understand the problem and have a plan to overcome it.
“You don’t have to describe a specific plan in your story, you just have to let them know you have one,” says Campbell.
3. Show them what success looks like
Wrap up your brand story by highlighting what success looks like. Tell people about the positive results you create for your clients.
"If your brand story addresses a problem faced by your client, then it should also answer how it is solved," says Campbell.
“It leaves them with a feeling of optimism or hope by positioning a successful outcome to your work together.”
Here’s how that story might sound when the need is to save for retirement:
Many Canadians without a financial plan worry about how well they’ll live in retirement. I’ve helped many people get on track to save what they need and retire comfortably—the way they want to.
Put the 10-second rule into practice
Why practice saying your brand story, out loud, in 10 seconds? A conversational approach is about creating rapport rather than just downloading information, says Campbell.
An easy-to-tell brand story ensures you’ll be prepared for that next unexpected opportunity to connect with a prospective client—wherever that may be.
“One, it keeps your focus on what you want your client to take away. Two, it makes sure that you're not rambling on and on, so the person you're speaking to won’t tune out and lose interest.”
“It’s a quick snapshot to hook their interest and then open the door for a conversation,” she says.
If your audience sees themselves in your story, they’ll be more likely to listen, ask questions, and remember you as a potential, go-to advisor. That casual, 10-second introduction may spark a genuine connection with that prospective client in the time it takes to tell your tale.
Are you hitting the mark with your brand story?
For more tools and resources to help bring your vision into focus and craft your own brand story, contact your Sun Life Global Investments representative.
This content is provided for information and illustrative purposes only and is not intended to provide specific financial, tax, insurance, investment, legal or accounting advice and should not be relied upon in that regard and does not constitute a specific offer to buy and/or sell securities.
Information contained in this document has been compiled from sources believed to be reliable, but no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made with respect to its timeliness or accuracy.
Sun Life Global Investments is a trade name of SLGI Asset Management Inc., Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada, and Sun Life Financial Trust Inc., all of which are members of the Sun Life group of companies.
SLGI Asset Management Inc. is the investment manager of the Sun Life family of mutual funds; Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada is the issuer of guaranteed insurance contracts including Annuities, and Segregated Funds. Sun Life Financial Trust Inc. is the issuer of Guaranteed Investment Certificates.
