Beyond Commodity: How to position your brand and stand out in a sea of sameness

Your business is what you do to make a living. And if you can make a living, you’ve got a business. But that doesn’t mean you’ve got a brand. To be clear, your brand is not your tagline, your website, or your logo. You need these things, but they’re not in and of themselves who you are or what you offer. So, what is?

In an increasingly commodified and connected world, there isn’t a single industry that can function in the same way that it always has. And the financial industry is no exception. That means it’s not enough to do a good, or even great, job. Now more than ever, the onus is on wealth managers and advisors to communicate the value of what they do to the people who stand to benefit the most from that service—before they walk into the room. It doesn’t mean you have to shout—but it does mean you have to sound different from everyone else.

In this keynote address, award-winning writer, speaker, and brand advisor Terri Trespicio will walk you through what a brand is, and what it isn’t, and how to change the way you see what you do in order to stand out from everyone else.

In this session, we’ll cover:

• The power of opinion (and why your goal is not to have everyone agree with you)
• Where most messaging falls short
• Why it’s critical to take issue with your own industry
• 3 steps to messaging that’s universal—and uniquely yours
• How to use messaging to filter out the wrong clients—and magnetize the right ones
• How to position yourself as a thought leader in this space