You Can’t Educate and Sell Brand Strategy (at the same time)

“How do I sell Brand Strategy?”

The client doesn’t get it.

I should educate them on why it’s important.

Teach them why.

If they don’t buy it, anything visual I create is uninformed and ineffective.

I hear this a lot from designers - and here’s I had a light bulb moment this morning as to why its happening.

We are trying to educate the client and sell them at the same time.

If the client doesn’t understand the problem they are having, and the solution for the problem it’s much harder to get them to say yes.

Or maybe they kinda understand the problem but still don’t understand what brand strategy is.

There’s this idea in marketing that should be promoting businesses at the level of awareness right for our market.

Some of our clients are pain aware - they feel pain but don’t know why.

Some might be problem aware - they feel the pain and understand the problem.

Ideally the best clients are problem, pain and solution aware - they feel the pain, understand the problem and realize the solution is a cohesive brand identity (or however it is you describe your thing).

In an ideal world we are selling to businesses who get why brand strategy is important.

Understand how it relates to the visual identity solution.

Understand how it solves their problem.

Understand how it makes them money.

However not all clients are like that.

In my experience don’t try to educate and sell at the same time.

Instead, show the client succinctly and clearly how well we understand their problem

How brand strategy solves the specific problem they are having.

And what that means for their business.

Don’t try to educate your clients on why brand strategy is important.

They don’t understand or care.

All they care about is what that means for them.