Like the Who said “Who are you.. who who… who who?” How do people know you? How do you get known? How do you become “The Pro”? It’s called Branding. What do you do when you meet someone? Do you ever “Google” their name? I think this is happening more and more as Social Media goes mainstream.

I have over 30 years experience on the insurance company side, mostly marketing for property-casualty carriers. The frustrating thing about our industry is that nearly everyone sells the same product, same coverage, but with a few bells and whistles. Everyone is selling the service of the agency that they work for, but to the buyer it sounds all the same. It is really hard to set yourself apart from the competition especially with so many agents competing on the same account.

Most of you have taken sales training where you know that your customer buys with emotion and they do business with whom they trust, respect and like. So, why not try an edge and use the internet to your advantage?

Brand your name. Show that you are an insurance expert on a website of your name. If you have a particular area of expertise i.e. insuring contractors this is where you can show your prospect that you are an expert in their field. Most of you join some association to network. Add a personal website to your business card so that your prospects can check you out. On your personal website you can have articles that relate to common insurance problems for contractors, insurance coverages that are important etc. Now when someone “Googles your name” a professional website about you, as the insurance expert comes up.

New producers would benefit especially by branding their name. They need to build credibility, plus most are young and they already using Social Media. Sending a prospect to their site that shows that they know their business and could make a difference in making a sale. This would give them an edge in making a sale.

What about when you are calling for an appointment with someone that does not know you? Send them to your website so that they can learn more about you. Perhaps they will find that they have something in common with you. Additionally, your prospect would be pre-positioned that you are more than just a “salesperson” – you are an insurance professional.

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Perhaps some of you might feel that there is no value to this, but I feel that this will be a growing trend among professionals to brand their name. We all can be “micro-businesses” by branding ourselves. Just “Google” your name and see what comes up. Whenever I ask someone who is their insurance agent, they never respond with the agency’s name. They relate to your personal name so I think you can see the value of branding your name on the web.

Did you know that according to Mashable.com, an online guide to social media, over 55 million people log onto social networking sites on a regular basis? That is just under 1/3 of the US population. Additionally, the fastest growing demographic segment of social networkers are baby boomers discovering the value of joining such sites. Think about how you want to position yourself for success. In addition to your own personal website you will want to integrate with the following:

Linkedin Profile – This is a combination of a resume, cover letter, references and a database of your network. Join targeted groups online and post your articles to establish your reputation as an expert.

Facebook Profile – Over 160 million people have profiles, but almost none of them have branded themselves properly using this medium. Your friends are a source of referral business for you. Posting your articles to your Facebook can show your friends that you really do know what you are talking about.

Twitter Profile – You can connect with more people using Twitter effectively so this up and rising medium show not be overlooked.

The tasks involved in branding yourself include:

* Creating a web presence which includes a website and a blog
* Maintaining a blog where you provide useful information to prospects
* Connecting with prospects on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook
* Learning SEO/SEM techniques that ensures you appear in the search engines for search terms that drive prospects to your website
* Writing and submitting articles to article directories for distribution to relevant websites that target your preferred audience
* Posting articles on relevant blogs as guest posts to gain additional exposure

If it sounds like a lot, it is and can easily be overwhelming to a person who has no experience with branding. In fact, if I had to guess, this may be the primary reason why you never did it before. Another reason may be that you just don’t have the time. In between working with your existing clients.

One easy way to create your online presence is with a Personal Branding System that registers your domain name, creates a custom website with hosting, fully integrates with your Social Media and provides professionally written articles in your established field. Putting the time and effort into your Personal Branding will pay off over the long run and starting now will

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For every artist, there comes that moment when the work of art is finished and you can finally exhale. You take a step back and you look upon your now-completed work – the culmination of endless nights awake and working – for the first time. You find yourself smiling. Then you dab your paint brush into that damp towel one last time, preparing to run a familiar stroke along the edge of the canvas…triumphantly, you sign your name. Your signature marks your territory; it lays claim to your most intimate reflections. It is a crucial addition to your art. Art within art. You deserve congratulations for being an artist, and you deserve thanks for contributing your creations to our history. But let me give you one piece of advice…

Stop merely signing your name, and start branding your art.

Your signature is much more than a source of personal gratification. It is a source of revenue and source of protection that all artists – including you – must take advantage of. As an artist, you have the right to claim your art as yours. After all, you are the one who created it, the one who dreamed it. Your art is everything to you. You wouldn’t allow someone to walk into your studio and steal your paintings right off the wall, would you? That’s what I thought. Copyright and trademark laws were developed specifically to protect artists and art. It is time to understand those laws and to learn how to maximize on their benefits.

Under copyright law, your artwork is protected against unauthorized copying. But that only lasts for the life of the artist plus 75 years. Another facet of copyright law provides you with the right to attribution, which affords you the right to have your name on your art or to prevent non-authors from putting their names on your art. But that only lasts for the artist’s lifetime. Unfortunately, that means that copyright law will not protect your name or signature when you’re dead (a time when your art can be the most valuable). But don’t despair – trademark law is here to help.

Trademark law protects an artist’s name, signature and logo. And it can last forever. That’s why it’s vital that you take a few smart steps now, so that you can take care of your art for the future. Once you own a valid trademark, you can begin enjoying its many benefits, such as a legal presumption that you are the trademark owner, a legal right to enforce your trademark against anyone who uses the same or confusingly similar mark, and even a right to have counterfeits of your work seized and destroyed by customs.

Signatures on Art: Minimal Protection

Every artist’s signature communicates a great deal of information to art consumers. Not only does it tell art buyers who the creator is, but it also reveals the quality of the art, the history of the art, the origin of the art, the price of the art, and the investment return the art will provide. Because of the powerful messages relayed by your signature, the law regards it as a protectable trademark . . . sometimes. Regrettably, it is difficult and costly to obtain a trademark registration for your signature unless you are famous.

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The reason for this obscurity is that the Trademark Office does not favor granting monopoly rights for surnames. If fictitious artist John Smith signed his oil paintings as J. Smith, and attempted to register his signature with the Trademark Office, the Trademark Office would likely refuse his application because Smith is a common last name. It would therefore be imprudent to prevent all other Smith-named artists from using their own last name on their art. If your last name is something as common as Smith, then you might even appreciate the reservation exercised by the Trademark Office. But what if your last name is unique?

In order to overcome a surname rejection like the one described above, you will need to prove that art buyers readily associate your name or signature with your specific artworks (versus artworks belonging to artists with the same name or a similar name). For the average artist, this will be a hard fact to prove because you will need to use consumer surveys as evidence, a process that is extremely costly and time-consuming. If you are a famous artist, then you will have an easier time proving this association because even those working at the Trademark Office would recognize your name. For example, renowned artist Marits Cornelis Escher was granted a trademark right to his signature for M.C. Escher without any extra proof of consumer association since he was already famous when his estate applied for the trademark.

But even if you were born into a common last name, you should not risk losing such powerful trademark rights. There are several ways to avoid dealing with a surname rejection altogether. For instance, since a pseudonym is not a surname, it is somewhat easier to register a pseudonym than your real name. One artist who applied for a trademark – in her pseudonym Ysabella – was approved simply because she used a pseudonym. Another option is to use a single name only – e.g., Smith – rather than a first initial and last name combined. The difference is that a single name will not be regarded as a surname since it can be argued that it is merely a first name, nickname, middle name, etc. Picasso, whom you may have heard of, signs his paintings with his last name only.

Logos on Art: Maximum Protection

Though it may come as a surprise to you, the most assured way of avoiding a surname rejection is, simply, not to use your name at all. Let me explain…

The stronger your trademark, the more you and your art will be worth. The strength of your trademark depends on the distinctiveness of your mark. The more unique and arbitrary your mark is, the broader your protection will be. A logo will always be more distinctive than a plain signature. So, no matter what stage of your art career, switch your current habits to a more rewarding strategy that involves branding your art. Although a logo is useful in obtaining full trademark protection, you do not need to abandon your signature altogether. If you are a habitual artist, you can continue to sign your name on your art while simultaneously branding your art with a logo. This dual protection will certainly tie up any loose ends and ensure maximum protection of your art for years and years to come.

Some artists prefer to brand with a monogram, which is formed by combining the initials of a name, in which the last name initial sits in the center and is in larger type. But tradition does not need to guide the modern artist. Instead, you can design a monogram that defines you. Step outside the box and craft a fanciful, decorative, and contemporary monogram. This shouldn’t be too much of a challenge; after all, you are an artist.

Meanwhile, other artists have ventured far away from history and painted their own legendary tale . . . with logos. Unlike monograms, logos allow you complete flexibility in design because you don’t have to use any letters. Just make sure that your logo is distinctive – it can’t already be in use by someone else; it can’t be the same or similar to another artist’s logo; it can’t be generic or common to the art industry (i.e., a paint brush). Envision your logo as a piece of art within itself. In today’s world of Coca-Cola and Google, logos form the focal point of the business world. Your art is your business. You are the master, working hard to create something important for society, for the world. So brand your art with your soul. Then, when you’ve passed into artistic immortality, your logo will be the only living connection between you and the art you left behind.

Simple Steps Toward Branding Your Art Today:

As you may already know, the explosion of online media sharing sites has affected the art world in strange ways. For one, it’s easier than ever to access art without ever sharing physical space with it. Art enthusiasts no longer need to fly to Paris, stand in line, and peek over the tall man’s shoulder just to squeeze in one tiny glimpse of the Mona Lisa. The internet brings art directly to the viewers. But it’s dangerous, too. Because the internet also provides direct access to potential forgers, placing art buyers in questionable positions. Art consumers rely heavily upon your brand. By protecting yourself as an artist, you will in turn protect your devoted fans from falling victim to counterfeiting schemes. Consequently, you will gain their trust and loyalty forever.

Follow these simple tips to ensure that you protect your art for the future:

• If you sign, sign the same way each time.
• If you want to brand, design an arbitrary and fanciful logo or monogram.
• Sign or brand every single work of art.
• Date every single work of art.
• Sign or brand on the visible (i.e., front) side of the art.
• Embed your signature or brand into your art.
• Finally, register your signature or brand with the Trademark Office!

The Apprentice Season 7 playlist; www.youtube.com At a shopping mall in the City of London, Lord Sugar points out to the teams the wide range of successful fast-food chains and tells them to invent their own outlet, develop a unique cuisine, open it to the public and pitch the concept to him and experts from the fast-food industry. The teams get two brand new sites in the centre of the West End to turn into protoype fast-food outlets. One team goes for Mexican meals, the other for British pie and mash. Both teams split – one half to cook, the other to make the branding match the concept. The Mexican restaurant gets called Caracas because it sounds like maracas, while the pies get named after historic Britains; except that, once the branding has been done, Nick casts doubt on the British credentials of Christopher Columbus. When the restaurants open to the public the customers wait for fajitas and nachos to emerge from the kitchen – cold! Pies, mash and gravy served piping hot in cardboard boxes causes a rethink on presentation, and by the time the two-hour trial run is over there is plenty to fix before Lord Sugar turns up. The teams pitch to the experts who mark both business concepts out of ten in four crucial categories: customer service, the meal, branding, and whether the idea could work on the high street. Marks are revealed in the boardroom. The winners go straight to the final. The losers face the firing line, and their concept gets shredded. In the end, Lord …

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From large corporate conglomerates and global organisations, to small High-Street stores and independent retailers, the one thing they all value besides their customers is their unique brand identity.

Having a familiar, recognisable brand is priceless in consumer culture and really can’t be underestimated. Given a choice between a known brand and a new brand, a consumer will invariably go with the one they are familiar with.

Of course, the bigger organisations have whole departments dedicated not so much to promoting individual items, but to promoting the entire brand and ensuring its reputation and integrity is protected. But these are organisations that have millions of pounds at their disposal, and can afford television, radio and magazine advertising campaigns.

So, where does that leave the rest? How can the smaller organisations get their message out there and create a brand identity?

Well, there are many promotion and marketing strategies that can be employed that won’t need a blank cheque to fund it. The key is to simply get their name in the public domain, whether it’s on flyers, websites or newspapers. The more exposure a brand has, the more familiar the public will be with it and subsequently the more likely they will be to use their wares at some point.

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Branding promotional products such as pens, bags, keyrings and other commonly used items is a good way of getting a company’s name widely circulated. And producing promotional mugs, in particular, is an effective way of getting a company’s name onto the desk of existing or potential business partners.

The great thing about such promotional methods is that they are relatively inexpensive to produce and it can all be organised and ordered entirely online with minimal hassle. With promotional mugs, for example, the type of mug (ceramic, china, glass etc), size of mug, colour of mug and quantity required, can all be requested online. The company logo and brand can be sent electronically to the supplier and they can provide a free digital proof, ensuring there is a clear understanding of what the final product will look like.

Of course, it isn’t only the smaller organisations that use such promotional items. All the big names in the business world produce such items in addition to their media campaigns to help maximise their presence and ensure their brand identity is preserved.

With so much competition in the consumer world, even the smallest of advantages that can be gained over a rival is worth every penny. Brand recognition is central to any successful business, so whether it’s keyrings, bags, pens or mugs, getting the brand name circulated widely is crucial.

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Restaurant equipment is the life blood of a restaurant regardless of its location, its size and the type of cuisine it serves. You may have commissioned the city’s most reputable architectural and interior design firms to bring to life your restaurant’s look and ambience. However if your restaurant equipment doesn’t hold up especially during peak rush hour times, trying to survive in a highly competitive industry; with nearly a million restaurants in the US alone, will be a major challenge. We recommend that you go into the restaurant business only when you have the requisite financing in place to purchase new, good quality, brand name restaurant equipment.

Why Invest in Brand Name Restaurant Equipment?

Brand recognition, brand value and brand equity aside, the most important reason a restaurant should invest in the best is because you can’t afford to take chances with your guests in the same way in which hospital emergency rooms can’t take a chance with their patients. Hospitals typically invest in the best quality technology and equipment money can buy simply because there isn’t any room for error. Similarly, in the restaurant industry, a disgruntled customer is a permanently lost customer who won’t return to your restaurant again and will ardently share the bad experience they had at your restaurant with ten other friends and business associates.  You can surely do with out the negative publicity this will generate. Success in the restaurant business is predicated on customer loyalty and sustained repeat business.  Here are a few concrete reasons why you should budget for new, brand name, restaurant equipment when planning your restaurant.

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The Latest Technologies

When you acquire new commercial food preparation equipment, you are investing in the latest technology available. This may include innovations in quality, design, performance, safety and flexibility. Although the pace of technology never tends to cease, you have the distinct advantage and benefit of being able to use the most current technologies for at least some time while serving your restaurant patrons.

The Durability and Sturdiness of Restaurant Equipment

Many brand name companies like True Refrigeration, Globe, Vulcan Hart and KitchenAid have developed a global reputation for the quality of their products. With such a track record, the benefits are sure to pass along to you and your restaurant in the form of uninterrupted service, minimal repair costs and consistent, high performance.

Going Green all the Way

Many brand name manufacturers of commercial kitchen equipment have introduced eco friendly products that are energy efficient and use reduced quantities of natural resources like water. When purchasing food service equipment from leading companies, be sure to look for the Energy Star logo, which is a hallmark of ergonomic design and energy efficiency. Manufacturers also provide detailed information on how to optimize their products from an ecological perspective.

The Warranty Factor

All new brand name restaurant equipment is covered by manufacturer warranties, many of which are extendable for up to five years. Your initial investment will be higher than what you would have made if you had purchased used or new, non-branded equipment. However, anxiety levels with respect to possible breakdowns will be considerably lower.  You can now focus on your core business rather than face distractions from equipment malfunctions or even failures.

Many More Financing Options

Commercial finance companies are more open to the idea of financing new brand name restaurant equipment as opposed to used equipment. Even the terms set by lenders are more favorable. In some cases, manufacturers can arrange financing for their products. Financing a part of your restaurant equipment can free up those much-needed funds required for operating capital.

Code Compliance

New brand name restaurant equipment is typically code compliant because they are designed and manufactured with city and fire codes in mind. Used restaurant equipment may not be able to fulfill these prerequisites at all times.

Conclusion

Manufacturers of brand name restaurant equipment have a track record and reputation to protect. Therefore, chances are that you will not be disappointed when you invest in quality brand names. We can certainly help you pick out the commercial food service equipment and supplies you will need to get started. Proper advance planning will allow you to focus on your customers, your cuisine and the overall dining experience you are intent on creating for your customers.