How Do the Top 8% Build Successful Brands?
Building a brand that can be recognized can be a tough endeavor if you don’t know where to start. With the amount of channels and tools that are available, it is easy to get distracted or to miss the mark.
Many professionals attempting to build a brand start with how. They look into channels, media, graphics all hoping to create a brand that feels like them. I would challenge you to focus on who.
The first place you should start, you need to define your audience. Without a clear definition of who you are trying to reach, you will struggle at getting a message through the noise.
I had the opportunity to sit with Cody Askins, founder of The 8% Nation, to share what it takes for advisors and agents to succeed at scaling their company brand.
One of the first things that stood out in the conversation is when Cody said “building a brand is – who do I want to speak to? If you don’t know who you want to speak to, then you’re going to speak to everybody and it’s not going to resonate with anybody.
All too often speaking to agents and advisors I hear loose or undefined audiences they are trying to reach. They have mastered their craft, but not taken enough time to evaluate their ideal prospect in order to build a truly defined customer persona. If you wish to have a brand that resonates with your ideal prospect, you need to start with them, not you.
What do your top clients have in common? Do they have similar concerns, how about aspirations?
A great place to get your best data when it comes to creating an ideal audience is your current client base. You can run simple polls through email, or ask some discovery questions during your next review. Some offices have seen success using a paraplanner to “interview” the firm’s top clients as a way of gaining direct feedback.
Some questions to think about asking:
- What originally attracted you to working with us?
- After X years of working together, what do you value most about our relationship?
To hear some more tips and tactics I defer to the expert, Cody Askins.
Cody knows his audience, he has been able to build a massive following of agents and advisors over the years by continuing to provide actionable sales and marketing training. He hosts massive industry events each year that continue to grow with new and repeat attendees. He has his branding and audience dialed in, so I felt confident that interviewing him could bring true value to readers and listeners.
You can hear the full interview on the podcast Be Advised.
Cody details his approach to referrals, hiring, coaching, and training to help insurance professionals succeed.
Listen to the full episode HERE.
Brad and Cody discuss:
- The value of tailoring your brand to a specific market
- The truth about brand representation
- Ways building a brand tied to SEOs benefits your business marketing
- Cody’s ideal client base and the core training he and his team can provide to them
- The importance of storytelling
- And more!
Resources:
Connect with Cody Askins:
Connect with Brad Swineheart:
About Our Guest:
With over a decade of insurance sales knowledge, Cody Askins knows what it takes for agents to succeed in the insurance industry.
Cody started in the insurance industry when he was just 20 years old while attending school full-time and playing college basketball. He made a goal to make 6-figures during his first year, and in only eight months, Cody made over $117,000.
During his first year, Cody developed a system to set more appointments and get the most out of his leads. Now, it’s Cody’s mission to help agents build skills and learn the necessary mindset to achieve any goal that they’ve set for themselves.
Cody offers a variety of private and group coaching courses. As the creator of Telesales Mastery Members, the CA Sales System, and Success Society, he also creates custom Lead Generation Consulting.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
