Making a name for yourself by building your Web presence

The challenge is not just making a name for yourself or building your brand, it’s building the components that generate that name. How do you achieve more recognition, more notoriety, and a better reputation in your market and your community? Those are the elements that lead to a better name.

And to be clear, I’m talking about a better name for both company and individual.

There are no easy answers. And there are very few answers that don’t require commitment, planning and work — hard work.

Good news: Most salespeople are not willing to do the hard work it takes to make selling easy. So if you’re willing, you automatically move to the top 10 percent. And if you execute, you’re in the top 5 percent.

There are the things you must begin to put in place now. Below are the actions that lead to long-term name building that must be implemented, and built on.

• Create your own weekly e-zine that features valuable information and highlights your customers.

• Register www.(yourname).com today. It’s only $10. If it’s taken, put “The Great,” or “the one and only” in front of it. Get your Web address, your URL address, registered today. The world is on the Web. The Internet is never going away. It’s the growth and the future of commerce. Be on it, or be gone.

• Invest in a small but powerful Web site that looks like something people would read, admire, tell others about and maybe even buy from. Start with a one-page Web site that talks about, “how I treat my customers.” Make a list of the 10 most valuable things you are dedicated to. Later, you can add more pages, pictures, graphics and pizzazz. But start small and be compelling.

• Be 100 percent more proactive. This means hitting both the phone and the send button. Make 10 calls a day that have value, and send 25 e-mails that have meaning to the recipient. Build relationships and earn referrals.

• Write something that puts you in front of customers and prospects. Put an article in your trade publication or your chamber magazine. Writing leads to recognition. Writing positions you as an expert and an authority.

• Give a speech or three at civic organizations. Speaking leads to perceived leadership — especially if the speech is good.

• Blog to show your human side. Make your blog a family affair. Show your person, your personality, your passion and your fun.

• YouTube.com. Video your value proposition. Video your testimonials. Video your philosophy of sales and service. Post your videos. Your customers and prospects will find them, and find you more attractive than your competitors.

• Get involved in your community. Pick one charity or one civic organization to get involved with and assert leadership in.

• Get Google-able. Your customer is Googling you, just like you are Googling them. Your one-page Web site, your e-zine, your article, your speech and your community involvement will bring your name and your company’s name to the top of the Google pile.

• Be a value provider — not a beggar, a solicitor or a salesman. People will buy if they perceive your value. And they will spread the word and your name.