An IT Specialist Must Brand Their Company

If you want to set yourself apart from the rest as an IT specialist, you need to brand your company. You need to sell your company name tied up in its industry twist.

Don't try to sell your certifications and vendor logos; you'll be reduced to a commodity! They can be part of your background information, but you can't make them the focus if you want to be a true IT specialist. You need to market your brand and the special industry-specific value you bring to your clients.

Are You Fulfilling Unfulfilled Needs?

Find an underserved local niche and dominate! Ask around for who needs your help, and find a way to provide real solutions.

Where is Your Industry Twist?

When you are out at networking meetings and events, talking to prospects or going to B2B expos, you need to keep your ears open for a big need that is unfulfilled. If you can think of a solution to a problem that a lot of people in your area are having, you can really set yourself apart as an IT specialist.

You and Clients May Not Agree

While you need to find a unique angle to brand yourself as an IT specialist, you can't sell solutions to problems that people don't know they have. Do you want to sell data security to someone that doesn't understand why it's important? Of course, you should spend time educating prospects and clients about security issues, but don't push too hard.

If you are in a meeting with a prospect for a half hour or more and he/she still doesn't get the big picture or is giving you serious barriers, there may be someone else down the street that DOES get it that would be more receptive.

Who is Your Competition?

You need to know your local competition fairly well. Look around and study your five biggest competitors. Look at Web sites and brochures to see what they are doing and figure out if they all look the same. What can you do to set yourself apart from them as an IT specialist?