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But hold on a moment. Sales and marketing should never be viewed as completely separate and distinct processes. In the best of all worlds, they are fused in a way that makes the end product greater than the sum of its parts. In the case of a salesperson, the end product is the person. Yes, you. If you apply both sales and marketing to your work, your career, your business, you will increase your production dramatically. Let's hone in on this. Branding is often thought to be part of marketing, and furthermore reserved for corporations as opposed to individuals. But the fact is, this is myopic thinking. The top producers develop a personal brand that delivers a set of powerful benefits: • Distinguishes them from the competition by creating a key differentiator that reinforces their sales initiatives. • Establishes them, personally, as far more important than any commodity product they may offer. • Gives them a mystique that enhances their personal appeal and that drives referrals. • Establishes them as an expert in one critical area or another, helping to assure that they are never perceived as “just another salesperson."  At this point you may be thinking, "How do I establish a personal brand?" Consider the following five-step process:1. Identify skills or knowledge you possess that can establish you as unique or at the very least provide you with a competitive advantage. One of my close friends transitioned into the insurance business from a career in law. Having served clients in estates and trusts, his legal background proved to be the ideal foundation for building a brand as a master of estate planning. He took the credentials and credibility he gained from one endeavor and applied it to another. He wasn't an "insurance agent,” he was a professional estate planner who just happened to sell insurance as part of his advisory service. 2. Thrust your brand into the spotlight. Do so by turning your expertise into a speech or a magazine article that illustrates your knowledge in the area of specialization that makes you different and related to this that enhances your value to clients. The media is always looking for experts with interesting ideas. Write a letter. Make a phone call to the editor at your local newspaper. 3. Create a personal website that avoids the clichés everyone else relies on and that reinforces your brand by serving as a source of information on the area of specialty you want to be known for. At one point, my firm created a site for a group of agents focused on the theme or brand of lifestyle protection. While the competition was using the old "what will your family do if the breadwinner dies scare tactic," we developed their brand on the concept of protecting the standard of living people strove to achieve. The firm's website presented a methodology, the backbone of the brand, for achieving this near-universal goal. 4. Make a brand promise. All too often, a brand is thought of as a logo and a slogan, like the Nike swoosh and the battle cry, “Just Do It.” But the heart of all great brands is the promise they stand for. To be the best at something. To offer the epitome of quality. To be the standard of expertise. Your brand must make a clearly defined promise as well. And related to this: 5. You must live your brand every day. Speak on the subject with clients and prospects. Engage in continuing education so that you are and remain at the cutting edge. Keep in mind that if you honor and reflect your brand, you don't have to "sell." Your brand will do that for you. It's marketing and it is also the ultimate arrow in an agent's quiver. 
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