Without a brand, you have to build a case, every time you get ready to make the sale, as to why you deserve the business.  That can be a thankless task.  Each time you go through the motions of a sale with a customer, you then get confronted with a series of questions that shows that they don't really trust you.

The differing forces that affect sales are predominately from the customer's perspective.  We are no longer in a market which is sales driven, rather, it is driven by the consumer every time.

A while ago I was asked to present to a group of people; some were just starting their journey in business and some had already begun. As well as giving them tips on all the tried and tested social media approaches, one of the tasks was to produce a PowerPoint presentation - not just for me to use to present, but also to produce something for them to take away afterwards and use as a template.