August 1, 2023 • 27 mins
Are you ready to unlock the power of your narrative and transform it into a brand that resonates with your audience? This episode is a goldmine, revealing how to leverage your unique story to build a brand persona that does more than just look good; it echoes deeply with your target audience. It's time to learn how a well-crafted brand identity is a game-changer, setting the stage for successful business replication, amplifying your earnings, and boosting your savings.
Our conversation pivots to emphasize the pivotal role storytelling plays in captivating branding. We delve into the human psyche, exploring how emotions and relatable tales are the magnets that pull customers towards investing in a product or service. We guide you on how to craft irresistible offers and adopt effective pricing strategies that mirror your brand. We also probe into the ingenious approach of selling less for more to maximize your profits.
As we steer towards the end, we unpack practical steps you can start implementing today to build your brand. We illuminate the seven storytelling essentials and how taking the lead in action can thrust you ahead of your competitors. And guess what? We're inviting you to join us at 'Do the Damn Thing Live' for an in-depth dissection of brand-building strategies. This episode is bursting at the seams with insights and actionable tips to help you sculpt a successful brand through the art of storytelling. So, are you ready to turn the page and start a new chapter in your brand's story?
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, you welcome to Build the Damned Thing, A place
where myself, tiffany Largy andour amazing Do the Damned Thing
coaches show you how to use yourstory to build it all.
Whether it's your first sixfigures, your next layer of
multiple six figures, or maybeyou're on your way to a minute,
(00:22):
and if it's not, that it's thelife of your dreams when you are
free, you are strong and youare whole.
First, we're going to show youhow to use your story to build a
strong foundation, and then,next, we're going to show you
how to use your story in salesand marketing to clean up the
cracks.
And last but not least, we'regoing to show you how to use
your story to gather people,because the truth of the matter
(00:44):
is that there's nothing strongerthan being connected to people
who just understand you as youare where you are, so you can
stop explaining yourself.
I want to remind you that, nowthat you're here, you are home
and I officially welcome you toour family.
All right, let's get started.
(01:04):
Money, money, money, money.
What do I do with it?
How do I make it?
How do I make more of it?
You're in the midst of a moneyseries.
I want to say one word and oneword to you only brand.
As wild as it may seem.
And you might be thinking toyourself well, tiffany,
shouldn't you be talking aboutsavings accounts and where to
invest my money, and all of theabove?
(01:25):
Yeah, but as I was gettingready for day two of this series
, I said to myself you know what?
What is so true?
That most people think that itis their ability to do the next
creative thing that is going toget them to the win, and the
truth of the matter is that ithas nothing to do with the next
creative thing.
You know what?
It has everything to do withthis word called brand.
(01:47):
Let me say this and say thiscleanly Brand is the name of the
game.
Building a brand is whatallowed me to jump from here to
there.
Building a brand is how I leftknocking on 45 doors a day
myself, and then I was able toattract other people who would
(02:09):
be willing to learn how tomaster the sales game and to
knock on 40 doors a day as well.
Brand is what will fix yourhiring problem.
It will fix your scalingproblem.
Brand will fix your retentionproblem.
Brand will fix your pricingproblem.
Brand will fix your dot, dotdot.
(02:31):
You fill in the blank.
I can't tell you how many peopleor CEOs come to me and they're
like, tiffany, we're doing fouror five million dollars, but I
feel like I am drowning and I'mlike, oh, I know how that feels,
tiffany, I have all thesethings going on, but I'm still
doing 70, 80 hours a week andI'm like, oh, I know exactly how
that feels.
And as tempting as it is for meto say, let's go build all the
(02:52):
systems, all of the systems arethe problem, are the answer, all
the solution?
No, not at all.
If I had to bet on one thingthat has changed the game for me
and I'm going to say this wordfinancially but I want to be
transparent.
Financially is not just indollars for me right now.
Financially also has to do withmy health, has to do with my
(03:17):
mental sanity, has to do with medoing this and lifting all by
myself.
You really want to buildsomething bigger than yourself,
or you want to build more?
You want to build faster?
You want to fix?
Whatever it is the name.
Let me put this where.
I want to make sure you can seeit, because I don't want you to
be like Tiffany.
You didn't tell me.
Yes, I did tell you.
It is brand.
(03:39):
Every CEO has two things.
So I know this is a whole wordin me fixing, changing,
challenging what's happening infront of you with money.
There are two brands that everysingle CEO needs to be aware of
.
Okay, the first brand is thecompany's brand.
The company's brand.
The company's brand I'm lookingfor a box.
(04:01):
Yes, so the company's brand.
Now, here the company has anidentity and in this identity it
says this is who we are to themarket.
We think that that's a logo, wethink that that's some visual
items, but you know, it's not.
It is so much more than that.
I built a seven figure business.
Thank you so much.
(04:21):
I built a seven figure businessin a state where I was not even
entertained.
A black woman was definitelynot the coolest kid on the block
.
A black woman was definitelynot the most interesting.
She was not the most palatable.
Can I even say that when we sitdown as I say that word,
(04:42):
because they're all even readyfor that A black woman is not
palatable.
Well, you know what?
She might taste good, butactually she might taste really
good.
Have you ever had chocolate?
Let me just go.
I'm sorry, you guys are notready for this.
We are on Tuesday, we're onjust on Tuesdays, not even night
school.
So the realities that I went tothe state.
I'm from Florida, I head toNorth Carolina and I said to
(05:03):
myself holy smokes, what am Igoing to do?
All of these people are tryingto run me from this state.
Instead of me focusing on justbuilding systems and processes,
I actually went to try to builda brand and apparently I built
an amateur version of what I runtoday.
I knew that having a visualidentity was really important to
(05:25):
myself and to the customers andclients, but that's not what I
needed.
First, in order to save moremoney, in order to make more
money, I needed to duplicatemyself.
You cannot duplicate yourselfeffectively without saying to a
person out there in the worldsomewhere I don't care if this
is a VA, I don't care if this isa full time contractor across
the country, I don't care ifit's an employee walking in your
(05:47):
door every day, or maybe it'snot, maybe it's a family.
I know this sounds wild, butsome of you are running huge
businesses and it's a familymember that comes to save the
day.
I cannot tell you how manyfamily members have come to save
the day, and let me just putthis PSA for the person who's
like oh, I don't work withfamily, you're nuts.
I can't even begin to thinkabout what my life would be like
(06:08):
without building with family.
That's a different conversation.
My ability to build somethingthat allows me to build trust
out in the market is what hasallowed me to sell in multiple
layers, to have a physical brickand mortar space that we can
(06:30):
breathe in and out from, andwithout brand, there's nothing
for them to stand on, there'snothing for them to trust,
there's nowhere for them to go.
Let me just stay there just fora moment.
Brand allows you to create apaveway for you to go somewhere
and for other people to come toyou.
Now, today, one of thecompanies that I own or run is a
(06:54):
brand that is known in themarket as DTDT.
Right, and just in case wedecide to run paid traffic to
this, I have to leave the name.
I can't say the name, but youcan see what's here.
Now, this is one of the mostexciting brands that I've ever
been able to build.
Don't get me wrong.
(07:15):
It wasn't easy, because whatbrand does is it says to the
market.
This is who we are.
This is our promise.
Now, for me, that started withme asking myself what are we
here to do?
In order to sell higher ticket?
In order to make more moneyeasier?
In order to attract the righttype of employees and vendors,
(07:36):
et cetera, et cetera?
You have to have a brandpromise that's actually real,
that we can go and eat and goholy, that was delicious.
Our brand promise is prettysimple.
It says that we are here.
We solely exist to tap into theworld's untapped potential.
We exist to tap into theworld's untapped potential and
(08:00):
that is rooted in every singlepotential.
Now, if I could spell potential, it would be really, really,
actually, p-o-t.
I'm going to put an L at theend and call it a day.
I know there's an L somewhere.
So the world's untappedpotential.
Every time that I talk to avendor, a contractor, an
employee or someone I can'treally sell or position this is
(08:23):
where we are I really actuallyhave to say, hey, this is where
we're going.
My responsibility to the marketis to be clear on where are we
going, what are we doing once weget there and what is in it for
you?
Brand Now, brand comes in acouple of forms, but I'm going
to boil them to some questions.
(08:46):
So one of the first is voice.
What is your brand voice?
What does it sound like?
Does your brand voice soundlike 50 cent?
I have to say that for thepeople who may not be able to
handle the hood version of mesaying it, but there's a voice
there.
(09:06):
Does your voice sound likeMichael Jackson?
Does your voice sound likeOprah?
Does your voice sound like DrPhil?
Does your voice sound likeWendy Williams?
There's a big differencebetween Wendy Williams and Oprah
.
Your voice has to be clear, ithas to be distinguished, and I
(09:26):
want you to give it an award, Iwant you to give it an adjective
.
An adjective could be anythingsimple as nurturing, scientific,
it could be profound, artistic.
I want you to give to askyourself right now do you have a
clear voice, not a clearmessage, a clear voice.
(09:48):
And if you say yes, tiffany, Ihave a clear voice, I go Eureka,
fantastic, this is amazing,super awesome.
Next is does it have a message?
Every single business should beable, every person and every
business should be able toidentify what their message is
(10:10):
to the world.
That's first.
The second thing that I shouldbe able to do with ease is say
and tell their entire businessstory in three sentences.
Year today, I've probablytaught well over 100,000 people
directly and indirectly maybe amillion on how to actually tell
their story.
Here's this ridiculous idea outin the business world that we
(10:32):
create the brand, we create thestory first, we create the story
first and then we go back andbuild the brand.
I'm like what are you talkingabout?
Every time I hear brand story,is that the right thing?
I literally feel like I'm justgoing to run for the hills
because I'm like I've neverheard of something so backwards
(10:54):
and I can't wait for the personto challenge me.
I'm here and ready for it.
Let me tell you why.
It's not brand the story orit's not story brand.
You know what?
Let me be clear on the sequence.
You don't decide on what thestory is.
(11:16):
You own the story for what itis.
You don't decide on what thestory is.
You own the story for what itis.
And then, once you own thestory for what it is, then at
that moment then you go and saygreat, this is the message, the
tone, the essence of it, andhere's the brand we're going to
(11:37):
build around the story thatalready is Do not get, get,
don't miss the opportunity toown the story for what it is.
Every time that I hear in themarket that the market wants us
to create a brand, just have thebrand and then all of a sudden
we create the story to go withthe brand.
(11:58):
If I've never heard ofsomething so backwards Disney
came first.
It is his story.
It is Walt's story that camefirst and then we created a
brand around it.
It is Steve Jobs that comesfirst in his vision and view
with the world and then wecreated a brand around that.
(12:19):
Don't get it backwards.
I have built not only so manybusinesses, but I've hired tons
of people.
I have had to sell my knowledge, a product, a widget from
anywhere from five K to amillion.
And it doesn't change the factthat I have a responsibility to
know what the story is and thenallow the brand to speak for it.
(12:43):
You do it the other way aroundand what you do is you present a
half truth into the world thatis incomplete.
That means you're creating acurated version of what the
story is and then you presentthat to the market.
And I'm not saying Fortune 500companies and Fortune 1000 and
(13:03):
so on and so forth.
I'm not saying that there's nota place for a piece of that,
but if we can just get back tobusiness 101 and I don't care if
you're Apple, it's irrelevantto me if you're the pizza shop
down the street People arebuying from people and no one's
going to make me feel different.
Humans are buying from humans.
And at the other end of everytransaction is some form of
(13:24):
human emotion, the human emotion.
We pay attention to that moreand we pick up all the things
opportunities leads in dollarsas we go, because that human
emotion is the decision, theperson or the thing or the
variable in the equation thatsays I'm going to buy, I'm going
(13:45):
to buy this product, I'm goingto take this product, I'm going
to go to this next level.
And if you really want tochange whatever is happening in
front of you in business andCEOs, listen, listen to me and
listen to me.
Clearly, it is not the next hire, it is not painting your walls,
it is not going to getting anew logo, it is not investing in
(14:06):
the next lean, six sigma personto come and show us how to do
it better.
It is the company's ability tostand on a story.
Translate that to a brand thateverybody in your environment
can communicate equally.
There is not anybody who isattached to this brand who could
(14:26):
not stand as strong as I do onany platform and walk you
through what the story is andhow the brand came to be.
But I don't mean regurgitatedfrom what's happening here.
I'm talking about what'shappening here Brand.
So we have voice, we have themessage and then what we have is
(14:52):
we have the you can't deny meOffer.
For me, it's the confidenceoffer.
One of the things that I respectthe most about Apple is that
(15:15):
any and I say this just as muchas I say one of the things I
respect most about, let's say,bentley.
You know I personally don'twant to drive a Bentley, however
well, I do respect that.
No matter what season it hasbeen, they have never put out a
coupon.
It's true pandemic, no pandemic, like 2008 or not, it doesn't
(15:40):
matter where the world is,bentley is never putting out a
coupon.
Nor are they putting on acommercial.
You can buy one, get one freeor an extra 400,000 miles.
Now am I saying that they don'tmake deals behind closed doors?
No, I'm not saying that.
But I am going to tell you thatthey are not marketing to the
average person, trying to getthem in based on the incentive
(16:02):
that they can do around price.
They have a very clear offerand a feeling that they're going
to give to the person who makesthe decision to buy.
You can't deny me offer.
Your pricing is a greatreflection of the brand that you
represent Trying to move theneedle and not leaving money on
the table.
It's like man.
If we're all going to come towork for the next 12 months, or
we're all going to come to workfor the next six months, or
(16:23):
we're all going to do whateverit is here and we're going to be
selling things, why not sell tothe highest of your company's
ability versus just selling aproduct?
I'd rather spend the next 30days swinging all the bats that
I possibly can, pushing thelimits of what I believe myself
or my team or the people who Itrust to represent the brand
(16:47):
that I'm involved in.
I'd rather push the limits andsee what we can do versus
settling what I feel like we canget.
Getting to the next dollar andchanging the revenue in front of
us and not leaving money on thetable has everything to do with
us selling what the product isworth versus selling what we
think we can get for it.
(17:08):
But, tiffany, what if we priceourselves out?
Will you price yourself out?
Go ahead right now to go aheadright now to your browser and
type in most expensive car.
The other day I was doing anexercise with some of the people
who flew into the DTDT studioin Phoenix, arizona, and I was
there and we got into a realmild discussion and out of the
(17:29):
gate it was like well, wait asecond, let's be clear on some
facts.
Right now, there are cars thatare millions of dollars Though
you and I may have access to alltypes of vehicles that will
allow us for under $200,000,almost make us feel like we're
flying to the moon but thenthere are cars today, under
$50,000, that are running magicout there in these streets.
(17:51):
Under $50,000, I get powerwindows, I get leather seats,
sunroof.
It doesn't change the fact thatin the market there are people
who are still selling productsfor millions of dollars Instead
of trying to spend the next sixmonths, and you want to make
more money or you want yourcompany to be more profitable.
So you're like we're going tosell more products than widgets.
What if you just sold lessproducts than widgets and you
(18:15):
sold your products and widgetsat a premium.
If you don't know what I'mtalking about, then ask.
If you're like Tiffany I don'teven know where to start
thinking about that then ask.
If you're a company and you'relike, well, sweet Jesus, what
are you talking about, then askman, if you're in the state of
Arizona, new Mexico, california,I don't know if I'm interested
in going to Utah there's alittle different over there but
(18:37):
if you're one of the threestates that I just said and
you're like I don't know how to,I don't even know what you're
talking about, then ask.
But it can't hurt to just ask.
And who do you ask us?
Brand is the non-negotiablepiece and it's the last thing
that I brought to the table.
I remember I had alreadycrossed seven figures.
(18:58):
I had about nine or 10employees and there was this not
quite brand agency, but theywere like it in North Carolina
and they kept telling me youneed to da-da-da, run your brand
.
I was like, oh, I don't knowhow much is it?
And I started thinking, oh, wedon't need that.
We need a systems, we need anoperations manager, all these
things.
I probably took me another twoyears to get to the table.
(19:21):
I went with a company thatwasn't in North Carolina and I
approached them and was like Iknow we have logos and stuff and
they're beautiful, but I reallyknow that we need a brand, we
need a visual identity.
They wrapped that thing up sofast.
It was so good to work withthem.
It was a husband and wife teamand they were the nicest people
and the truth is that I need tofind them today because I owe
(19:42):
them.
They taught me this about brand.
I went on, I slapped a brandtogether.
I say I slapped a brandtogether because I did not take
the time to go as far as I couldof and the emotional integrity
of what could be.
But it allowed me to not justget to a mill.
We then got to multiples.
Then it allowed me to go andbuy other companies.
(20:02):
I went and acquired three othercompanies after I sat down and
I built a brand.
Now, what gave the confidencefor the other company to go and
sell to me or to even entertainthis negotiated table?
Cause it wasn't surely the factthat I was a woman, it surely
wasn't the fact that I was ablack woman, because these were
two white guys.
What Two white guys are nottrying to come knock on no black
woman's door in the state ofNorth Carolina and be like, hey,
(20:24):
can we partner and do something?
That's not happening.
So if it were me and me aloneor my knowledge of my business
acumen, that wouldn't have beenenough.
But you know what was enough?
The brand that I had built.
As much as I wish I had learnedmore or taken the time to dive
more into brand at that time,I'm so glad that I didn't,
(20:44):
because it allowed me to takethat little knowledge to another
level.
Today I am in front of aworldwide movement called DTDT
Nation and it is definitely not.
It is like my living walkingproof of what brand can do in a
market where no one knows you.
(21:04):
You are brand new.
You don't have the market share.
You feel and look like theunderdog.
You don't have a office as bigas the other people, you don't
have a team as big as the otherpeople and all the other things
that we feel like that are inour way from getting there.
Brand me sitting down.
After the first two years of usbeing open and making some money
, I sat down and I can't takecredit for myself.
(21:28):
My best friend, my best friend.
Her name is Candice and whatshe did for me is invaluable.
I told her I was like you know,we got this thing, I got this
thing and I know that there'smore for me to go and build.
And she said to me she was like.
I was like how did you buildthese brands?
She had built two multipleseven figure businesses,
multi-million dollar brands, andshe sold them off to big
(21:51):
companies.
And I said to her what is brand?
I asked the right question.
Me asking the question of whatis brand was probably the thing
that allowed me to go.
Oh so, instead of focusing onmore team members and more
programs and products andofficers, and even like officers
, like offices, I actuallyturned my attention for a year
(22:14):
and a half and I focused onbrand.
It is what gave me not just theconfidence but the right to go
and approach bigger projects,bigger things, bigger
conversations.
Today now I have built dozens ofbrands for other companies and
infiltrated other industries,from the construction industry
to the religious industry, themedical industry.
(22:36):
What are the brands that Ibuilt that I really, really love
?
That like make my heartpitter-patter?
There's quite a few in themedical industry.
That's interesting.
Accounting industry, I say tomyself, for financial industry,
I say to myself that brand iseverything.
So, as we, as I wrap up, likewhat money don't I want you to
(23:03):
leave on the table today?
Like, what is the money?
Talk for today it is.
Do not leave brand behind.
Bring brand to the front.
Where is my brand?
My brand is in the midst of mytone, my voice, and then it goes
on to other things.
Look at this frame that we'rein right now Whoa, whoa.
So look at this frame thatwe're in right now and I'm gonna
wrap it up with this.
So right now I'm in a frame andyou see me.
(23:25):
I'm a bit dressed down.
I have not in a dress like Inormally would be on stage.
I definitely don't have anyDTDT gear on, but I am still
somewhat shaped from figure inbrand and every piece that is
around me is part of the energythat is flowing in the studio
(23:45):
that I'm in.
Right now I'm standing inStudio B Every part of what you
see and feel, from the tone thatis coming out to my mouth, to
how I physically look andeverything around us.
Now, if we were to send you apiece of material, you met one
of our awesome team members,you're going to see and feel the
exact same thing, whetherthey're black or white, or
(24:06):
female or male, or 28 or 52,like.
It doesn't change the fact thateach and every person is caring
and floating with the sameenergy.
It allows me to take the teamthat we have and do four to five
times what our competitors do,simply because of the fact that
we are moving as a unit, becauseof the brand that is woven
(24:27):
through us, not because of whowe are, or we're all this
demographic, or we're all womenor men or any of the above.
Not at all.
And for the person thinking, ohwell, tiffany, that works for
you, I think that I would daresay it works for all of us.
It's just if we're willing toentertain that brand goes first
(24:48):
and everything else goes second.
Brand first, offer second squadthird, sales next and systems
last.
That is the order in which wego.
Well, where do I start?
I don't want to leave any moremoney on the table.
So this part of our moneyseries was rooted in me saying
brand, like you want to changesomething, brand, and if you're
(25:11):
like I can't go and build it, Idon't know where to start.
Well, we do, period.
I can't wait to hear the nextquestion that comes in.
Tomorrow is gonna be so goodbecause I have someone who's
gonna be in our studio with ustalking about all things money.
It's gonna be the best Rossmoney conversation that there
(25:32):
ever was.
Okay, that's a wrap.
I hope that episode was amazingfor you and you are closer to
building the damn thing.
I can't wait to hear what yourthoughts were, what part you
loved and the action that you'regonna go take, because the
truth of the matter is that theperson who wins is not the
(25:52):
person who gets there first,it's the person who takes action
first.
Now I've got a gift for you, andit is at wwwstractpustlecom.
It is imperative that you runthere and you see all types of
goodies, starting with the sevenmust-haves that you've gotta
put when telling your story.
(26:12):
There is so much deliciousnessawaiting for you.
I would love nothing more thanfor you to go ahead and give us
a thumbs up and a five starreview on not just this episode,
but this entire series of howdo you build the damn thing.
Like always, if there'sanything that we can do to make
your weekday or month better,please let us know.
(26:34):
And, more importantly, I can'twait to see you live, whether
it's at Do the Damn Thing Liveor in one of our communities, or
maybe you're just hanging outwith us on social media.
What I know to be true is thatI am meant to connect with you
somewhere, and I can't wait forthat day to happen and, more
importantly, I can't wait to seewhat you build.
Hey, you welcome to Build the Damned Thing, A place
where myself, tiffany Largy andour amazing Do the Damned Thing
coaches show you how to use yourstory to build it all.
Whether it's your first sixfigures, your next layer of
multiple six figures, or maybeyou're on your way to a minute,
(00:22):
and if it's not, that it's thelife of your dreams when you are
free, you are strong and youare whole.
First, we're going to show youhow to use your story to build a
strong foundation, and then,next, we're going to show you
how to use your story in salesand marketing to clean up the
cracks.
And last but not least, we'regoing to show you how to use
your story to gather people,because the truth of the matter
(00:44):
is that there's nothing strongerthan being connected to people
who just understand you as youare where you are, so you can
stop explaining yourself.
I want to remind you that, nowthat you're here, you are home
and I officially welcome you toour family.
All right, let's get started.
(01:04):
Money, money, money, money.
What do I do with it?
How do I make it?
How do I make more of it?
You're in the midst of a moneyseries.
I want to say one word and oneword to you only brand.
As wild as it may seem.
And you might be thinking toyourself well, tiffany,
shouldn't you be talking aboutsavings accounts and where to
invest my money, and all of theabove?
(01:25):
Yeah, but as I was gettingready for day two of this series
, I said to myself you know what?
What is so true?
That most people think that itis their ability to do the next
creative thing that is going toget them to the win, and the
truth of the matter is that ithas nothing to do with the next
creative thing.
You know what?
It has everything to do withthis word called brand.
(01:47):
Let me say this and say thiscleanly Brand is the name of the
game.
Building a brand is whatallowed me to jump from here to
there.
Building a brand is how I leftknocking on 45 doors a day
myself, and then I was able toattract other people who would
(02:09):
be willing to learn how tomaster the sales game and to
knock on 40 doors a day as well.
Brand is what will fix yourhiring problem.
It will fix your scalingproblem.
Brand will fix your retentionproblem.
Brand will fix your pricingproblem.
Brand will fix your dot, dotdot.
(02:31):
You fill in the blank.
I can't tell you how many peopleor CEOs come to me and they're
like, tiffany, we're doing fouror five million dollars, but I
feel like I am drowning and I'mlike, oh, I know how that feels,
tiffany, I have all thesethings going on, but I'm still
doing 70, 80 hours a week andI'm like, oh, I know exactly how
that feels.
And as tempting as it is for meto say, let's go build all the
(02:52):
systems, all of the systems arethe problem, are the answer, all
the solution?
No, not at all.
If I had to bet on one thingthat has changed the game for me
and I'm going to say this wordfinancially but I want to be
transparent.
Financially is not just indollars for me right now.
Financially also has to do withmy health, has to do with my
(03:17):
mental sanity, has to do with medoing this and lifting all by
myself.
You really want to buildsomething bigger than yourself,
or you want to build more?
You want to build faster?
You want to fix?
Whatever it is the name.
Let me put this where.
I want to make sure you can seeit, because I don't want you to
be like Tiffany.
You didn't tell me.
Yes, I did tell you.
It is brand.
(03:39):
Every CEO has two things.
So I know this is a whole wordin me fixing, changing,
challenging what's happening infront of you with money.
There are two brands that everysingle CEO needs to be aware of
.
Okay, the first brand is thecompany's brand.
The company's brand.
The company's brand I'm lookingfor a box.
(04:01):
Yes, so the company's brand.
Now, here the company has anidentity and in this identity it
says this is who we are to themarket.
We think that that's a logo, wethink that that's some visual
items, but you know, it's not.
It is so much more than that.
I built a seven figure business.
Thank you so much.
(04:21):
I built a seven figure businessin a state where I was not even
entertained.
A black woman was definitelynot the coolest kid on the block
.
A black woman was definitelynot the most interesting.
She was not the most palatable.
Can I even say that when we sitdown as I say that word,
(04:42):
because they're all even readyfor that A black woman is not
palatable.
Well, you know what?
She might taste good, butactually she might taste really
good.
Have you ever had chocolate?
Let me just go.
I'm sorry, you guys are notready for this.
We are on Tuesday, we're onjust on Tuesdays, not even night
school.
So the realities that I went tothe state.
I'm from Florida, I head toNorth Carolina and I said to
(05:03):
myself holy smokes, what am Igoing to do?
All of these people are tryingto run me from this state.
Instead of me focusing on justbuilding systems and processes,
I actually went to try to builda brand and apparently I built
an amateur version of what I runtoday.
I knew that having a visualidentity was really important to
(05:25):
myself and to the customers andclients, but that's not what I
needed.
First, in order to save moremoney, in order to make more
money, I needed to duplicatemyself.
You cannot duplicate yourselfeffectively without saying to a
person out there in the worldsomewhere I don't care if this
is a VA, I don't care if this isa full time contractor across
the country, I don't care ifit's an employee walking in your
(05:47):
door every day, or maybe it'snot, maybe it's a family.
I know this sounds wild, butsome of you are running huge
businesses and it's a familymember that comes to save the
day.
I cannot tell you how manyfamily members have come to save
the day, and let me just putthis PSA for the person who's
like oh, I don't work withfamily, you're nuts.
I can't even begin to thinkabout what my life would be like
(06:08):
without building with family.
That's a different conversation.
My ability to build somethingthat allows me to build trust
out in the market is what hasallowed me to sell in multiple
layers, to have a physical brickand mortar space that we can
(06:30):
breathe in and out from, andwithout brand, there's nothing
for them to stand on, there'snothing for them to trust,
there's nowhere for them to go.
Let me just stay there just fora moment.
Brand allows you to create apaveway for you to go somewhere
and for other people to come toyou.
Now, today, one of thecompanies that I own or run is a
(06:54):
brand that is known in themarket as DTDT.
Right, and just in case wedecide to run paid traffic to
this, I have to leave the name.
I can't say the name, but youcan see what's here.
Now, this is one of the mostexciting brands that I've ever
been able to build.
Don't get me wrong.
(07:15):
It wasn't easy, because whatbrand does is it says to the
market.
This is who we are.
This is our promise.
Now, for me, that started withme asking myself what are we
here to do?
In order to sell higher ticket?
In order to make more moneyeasier?
In order to attract the righttype of employees and vendors,
(07:36):
et cetera, et cetera?
You have to have a brandpromise that's actually real,
that we can go and eat and goholy, that was delicious.
Our brand promise is prettysimple.
It says that we are here.
We solely exist to tap into theworld's untapped potential.
We exist to tap into theworld's untapped potential and
(08:00):
that is rooted in every singlepotential.
Now, if I could spell potential, it would be really, really,
actually, p-o-t.
I'm going to put an L at theend and call it a day.
I know there's an L somewhere.
So the world's untappedpotential.
Every time that I talk to avendor, a contractor, an
employee or someone I can'treally sell or position this is
(08:23):
where we are I really actuallyhave to say, hey, this is where
we're going.
My responsibility to the marketis to be clear on where are we
going, what are we doing once weget there and what is in it for
you?
Brand Now, brand comes in acouple of forms, but I'm going
to boil them to some questions.
(08:46):
So one of the first is voice.
What is your brand voice?
What does it sound like?
Does your brand voice soundlike 50 cent?
I have to say that for thepeople who may not be able to
handle the hood version of mesaying it, but there's a voice
there.
(09:06):
Does your voice sound likeMichael Jackson?
Does your voice sound likeOprah?
Does your voice sound like DrPhil?
Does your voice sound likeWendy Williams?
There's a big differencebetween Wendy Williams and Oprah
.
Your voice has to be clear, ithas to be distinguished, and I
(09:26):
want you to give it an award, Iwant you to give it an adjective
.
An adjective could be anythingsimple as nurturing, scientific,
it could be profound, artistic.
I want you to give to askyourself right now do you have a
clear voice, not a clearmessage, a clear voice.
(09:48):
And if you say yes, tiffany, Ihave a clear voice, I go Eureka,
fantastic, this is amazing,super awesome.
Next is does it have a message?
Every single business should beable, every person and every
business should be able toidentify what their message is
(10:10):
to the world.
That's first.
The second thing that I shouldbe able to do with ease is say
and tell their entire businessstory in three sentences.
Year today, I've probablytaught well over 100,000 people
directly and indirectly maybe amillion on how to actually tell
their story.
Here's this ridiculous idea outin the business world that we
(10:32):
create the brand, we create thestory first, we create the story
first and then we go back andbuild the brand.
I'm like what are you talkingabout?
Every time I hear brand story,is that the right thing?
I literally feel like I'm justgoing to run for the hills
because I'm like I've neverheard of something so backwards
(10:54):
and I can't wait for the personto challenge me.
I'm here and ready for it.
Let me tell you why.
It's not brand the story orit's not story brand.
You know what?
Let me be clear on the sequence.
You don't decide on what thestory is.
(11:16):
You own the story for what itis.
You don't decide on what thestory is.
You own the story for what itis.
And then, once you own thestory for what it is, then at
that moment then you go and saygreat, this is the message, the
tone, the essence of it, andhere's the brand we're going to
(11:37):
build around the story thatalready is Do not get, get,
don't miss the opportunity toown the story for what it is.
Every time that I hear in themarket that the market wants us
to create a brand, just have thebrand and then all of a sudden
we create the story to go withthe brand.
(11:58):
If I've never heard ofsomething so backwards Disney
came first.
It is his story.
It is Walt's story that camefirst and then we created a
brand around it.
It is Steve Jobs that comesfirst in his vision and view
with the world and then wecreated a brand around that.
(12:19):
Don't get it backwards.
I have built not only so manybusinesses, but I've hired tons
of people.
I have had to sell my knowledge, a product, a widget from
anywhere from five K to amillion.
And it doesn't change the factthat I have a responsibility to
know what the story is and thenallow the brand to speak for it.
(12:43):
You do it the other way aroundand what you do is you present a
half truth into the world thatis incomplete.
That means you're creating acurated version of what the
story is and then you presentthat to the market.
And I'm not saying Fortune 500companies and Fortune 1000 and
(13:03):
so on and so forth.
I'm not saying that there's nota place for a piece of that,
but if we can just get back tobusiness 101 and I don't care if
you're Apple, it's irrelevantto me if you're the pizza shop
down the street People arebuying from people and no one's
going to make me feel different.
Humans are buying from humans.
And at the other end of everytransaction is some form of
(13:24):
human emotion, the human emotion.
We pay attention to that moreand we pick up all the things
opportunities leads in dollarsas we go, because that human
emotion is the decision, theperson or the thing or the
variable in the equation thatsays I'm going to buy, I'm going
(13:45):
to buy this product, I'm goingto take this product, I'm going
to go to this next level.
And if you really want tochange whatever is happening in
front of you in business andCEOs, listen, listen to me and
listen to me.
Clearly, it is not the next hire, it is not painting your walls,
it is not going to getting anew logo, it is not investing in
(14:06):
the next lean, six sigma personto come and show us how to do
it better.
It is the company's ability tostand on a story.
Translate that to a brand thateverybody in your environment
can communicate equally.
There is not anybody who isattached to this brand who could
(14:26):
not stand as strong as I do onany platform and walk you
through what the story is andhow the brand came to be.
But I don't mean regurgitatedfrom what's happening here.
I'm talking about what'shappening here Brand.
So we have voice, we have themessage and then what we have is
(14:52):
we have the you can't deny meOffer.
For me, it's the confidenceoffer.
One of the things that I respectthe most about Apple is that
(15:15):
any and I say this just as muchas I say one of the things I
respect most about, let's say,bentley.
You know I personally don'twant to drive a Bentley, however
well, I do respect that.
No matter what season it hasbeen, they have never put out a
coupon.
It's true pandemic, no pandemic, like 2008 or not, it doesn't
(15:40):
matter where the world is,bentley is never putting out a
coupon.
Nor are they putting on acommercial.
You can buy one, get one freeor an extra 400,000 miles.
Now am I saying that they don'tmake deals behind closed doors?
No, I'm not saying that.
But I am going to tell you thatthey are not marketing to the
average person, trying to getthem in based on the incentive
(16:02):
that they can do around price.
They have a very clear offerand a feeling that they're going
to give to the person who makesthe decision to buy.
You can't deny me offer.
Your pricing is a greatreflection of the brand that you
represent Trying to move theneedle and not leaving money on
the table.
It's like man.
If we're all going to come towork for the next 12 months, or
we're all going to come to workfor the next six months, or
(16:23):
we're all going to do whateverit is here and we're going to be
selling things, why not sell tothe highest of your company's
ability versus just selling aproduct?
I'd rather spend the next 30days swinging all the bats that
I possibly can, pushing thelimits of what I believe myself
or my team or the people who Itrust to represent the brand
(16:47):
that I'm involved in.
I'd rather push the limits andsee what we can do versus
settling what I feel like we canget.
Getting to the next dollar andchanging the revenue in front of
us and not leaving money on thetable has everything to do with
us selling what the product isworth versus selling what we
think we can get for it.
(17:08):
But, tiffany, what if we priceourselves out?
Will you price yourself out?
Go ahead right now to go aheadright now to your browser and
type in most expensive car.
The other day I was doing anexercise with some of the people
who flew into the DTDT studioin Phoenix, arizona, and I was
there and we got into a realmild discussion and out of the
(17:29):
gate it was like well, wait asecond, let's be clear on some
facts.
Right now, there are cars thatare millions of dollars Though
you and I may have access to alltypes of vehicles that will
allow us for under $200,000,almost make us feel like we're
flying to the moon but thenthere are cars today, under
$50,000, that are running magicout there in these streets.
(17:51):
Under $50,000, I get powerwindows, I get leather seats,
sunroof.
It doesn't change the fact thatin the market there are people
who are still selling productsfor millions of dollars Instead
of trying to spend the next sixmonths, and you want to make
more money or you want yourcompany to be more profitable.
So you're like we're going tosell more products than widgets.
What if you just sold lessproducts than widgets and you
(18:15):
sold your products and widgetsat a premium.
If you don't know what I'mtalking about, then ask.
If you're like Tiffany I don'teven know where to start
thinking about that then ask.
If you're a company and you'relike, well, sweet Jesus, what
are you talking about, then askman, if you're in the state of
Arizona, new Mexico, california,I don't know if I'm interested
in going to Utah there's alittle different over there but
(18:37):
if you're one of the threestates that I just said and
you're like I don't know how to,I don't even know what you're
talking about, then ask.
But it can't hurt to just ask.
And who do you ask us?
Brand is the non-negotiablepiece and it's the last thing
that I brought to the table.
I remember I had alreadycrossed seven figures.
(18:58):
I had about nine or 10employees and there was this not
quite brand agency, but theywere like it in North Carolina
and they kept telling me youneed to da-da-da, run your brand
.
I was like, oh, I don't knowhow much is it?
And I started thinking, oh, wedon't need that.
We need a systems, we need anoperations manager, all these
things.
I probably took me another twoyears to get to the table.
(19:21):
I went with a company thatwasn't in North Carolina and I
approached them and was like Iknow we have logos and stuff and
they're beautiful, but I reallyknow that we need a brand, we
need a visual identity.
They wrapped that thing up sofast.
It was so good to work withthem.
It was a husband and wife teamand they were the nicest people
and the truth is that I need tofind them today because I owe
(19:42):
them.
They taught me this about brand.
I went on, I slapped a brandtogether.
I say I slapped a brandtogether because I did not take
the time to go as far as I couldof and the emotional integrity
of what could be.
But it allowed me to not justget to a mill.
We then got to multiples.
Then it allowed me to go andbuy other companies.
(20:02):
I went and acquired three othercompanies after I sat down and
I built a brand.
Now, what gave the confidencefor the other company to go and
sell to me or to even entertainthis negotiated table?
Cause it wasn't surely the factthat I was a woman, it surely
wasn't the fact that I was ablack woman, because these were
two white guys.
What Two white guys are nottrying to come knock on no black
woman's door in the state ofNorth Carolina and be like, hey,
(20:24):
can we partner and do something?
That's not happening.
So if it were me and me aloneor my knowledge of my business
acumen, that wouldn't have beenenough.
But you know what was enough?
The brand that I had built.
As much as I wish I had learnedmore or taken the time to dive
more into brand at that time,I'm so glad that I didn't,
(20:44):
because it allowed me to takethat little knowledge to another
level.
Today I am in front of aworldwide movement called DTDT
Nation and it is definitely not.
It is like my living walkingproof of what brand can do in a
market where no one knows you.
(21:04):
You are brand new.
You don't have the market share.
You feel and look like theunderdog.
You don't have a office as bigas the other people, you don't
have a team as big as the otherpeople and all the other things
that we feel like that are inour way from getting there.
Brand me sitting down.
After the first two years of usbeing open and making some money
, I sat down and I can't takecredit for myself.
(21:28):
My best friend, my best friend.
Her name is Candice and whatshe did for me is invaluable.
I told her I was like you know,we got this thing, I got this
thing and I know that there'smore for me to go and build.
And she said to me she was like.
I was like how did you buildthese brands?
She had built two multipleseven figure businesses,
multi-million dollar brands, andshe sold them off to big
(21:51):
companies.
And I said to her what is brand?
I asked the right question.
Me asking the question of whatis brand was probably the thing
that allowed me to go.
Oh so, instead of focusing onmore team members and more
programs and products andofficers, and even like officers
, like offices, I actuallyturned my attention for a year
(22:14):
and a half and I focused onbrand.
It is what gave me not just theconfidence but the right to go
and approach bigger projects,bigger things, bigger
conversations.
Today now I have built dozens ofbrands for other companies and
infiltrated other industries,from the construction industry
to the religious industry, themedical industry.
(22:36):
What are the brands that Ibuilt that I really, really love
?
That like make my heartpitter-patter?
There's quite a few in themedical industry.
That's interesting.
Accounting industry, I say tomyself, for financial industry,
I say to myself that brand iseverything.
So, as we, as I wrap up, likewhat money don't I want you to
(23:03):
leave on the table today?
Like, what is the money?
Talk for today it is.
Do not leave brand behind.
Bring brand to the front.
Where is my brand?
My brand is in the midst of mytone, my voice, and then it goes
on to other things.
Look at this frame that we'rein right now Whoa, whoa.
So look at this frame thatwe're in right now and I'm gonna
wrap it up with this.
So right now I'm in a frame andyou see me.
(23:25):
I'm a bit dressed down.
I have not in a dress like Inormally would be on stage.
I definitely don't have anyDTDT gear on, but I am still
somewhat shaped from figure inbrand and every piece that is
around me is part of the energythat is flowing in the studio
(23:45):
that I'm in.
Right now I'm standing inStudio B Every part of what you
see and feel, from the tone thatis coming out to my mouth, to
how I physically look andeverything around us.
Now, if we were to send you apiece of material, you met one
of our awesome team members,you're going to see and feel the
exact same thing, whetherthey're black or white, or
(24:06):
female or male, or 28 or 52,like.
It doesn't change the fact thateach and every person is caring
and floating with the sameenergy.
It allows me to take the teamthat we have and do four to five
times what our competitors do,simply because of the fact that
we are moving as a unit, becauseof the brand that is woven
(24:27):
through us, not because of whowe are, or we're all this
demographic, or we're all womenor men or any of the above.
Not at all.
And for the person thinking, ohwell, tiffany, that works for
you, I think that I would daresay it works for all of us.
It's just if we're willing toentertain that brand goes first
(24:48):
and everything else goes second.
Brand first, offer second squadthird, sales next and systems
last.
That is the order in which wego.
Well, where do I start?
I don't want to leave any moremoney on the table.
So this part of our moneyseries was rooted in me saying
brand, like you want to changesomething, brand, and if you're
(25:11):
like I can't go and build it, Idon't know where to start.
Well, we do, period.
I can't wait to hear the nextquestion that comes in.
Tomorrow is gonna be so goodbecause I have someone who's
gonna be in our studio with ustalking about all things money.
It's gonna be the best Rossmoney conversation that there
(25:32):
ever was.
Okay, that's a wrap.
I hope that episode was amazingfor you and you are closer to
building the damn thing.
I can't wait to hear what yourthoughts were, what part you
loved and the action that you'regonna go take, because the
truth of the matter is that theperson who wins is not the
(25:52):
person who gets there first,it's the person who takes action
first.
Now I've got a gift for you, andit is at wwwstractpustlecom.
It is imperative that you runthere and you see all types of
goodies, starting with the sevenmust-haves that you've gotta
put when telling your story.
(26:12):
There is so much deliciousnessawaiting for you.
I would love nothing more thanfor you to go ahead and give us
a thumbs up and a five starreview on not just this episode,
but this entire series of howdo you build the damn thing.
Like always, if there'sanything that we can do to make
your weekday or month better,please let us know.
(26:34):
And, more importantly, I can'twait to see you live, whether
it's at Do the Damn Thing Liveor in one of our communities, or
maybe you're just hanging outwith us on social media.
What I know to be true is thatI am meant to connect with you
somewhere, and I can't wait forthat day to happen and, more
importantly, I can't wait to seewhat you build.
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