Episode 80: Know Your Hidden Expertise with Brooke Taylor
Brooke Taylor is the founder of Hospitality Strategy Consultancy Personified. She is also the co-founder of Vendor Bootcamp, a brand and sales strategy workshop for hospitality, FF& E vendors. Brooke leverages the knowledge and insight gained over two decades in the hospitality industry to help her clients' businesses reach their full potential.
Her ability to simultaneously hold the helicopter view and the boots-on-the-ground perspective makes her an essential asset when searching for clear direction in a complex climate. She is regularly asked to speak at industry events, including BDNY and NEWH leadership conferences. She and her work have been featured in publications such as Hotel Business, Interior Design, Hospitality Design, Boutique Design, and Voyage LA.
I am so excited that I met Brooke and I am so excited to welcome her to the show. Brooke, welcome to Prospecting on Purpose.
Thank you for having me, Sara.
Oh, I'm so excited about our conversation because we met. When did we meet? Like a couple virtually last year or something. Well, yeah, exactly. Like LinkedIn, but with a lot of mutual friends.
Exactly. But now I've been learning more about you and your business and kind of your lens on how you handle things. I'm really excited to learn from you specifically about some of your areas of expertise. And how you've been building your business. So why don't we just start with give, give our audience a little bit of a background on your career journey?
And then what is the work you're doing with personified? Absolutely. So I was a hospitality interior designer for 16 years. And when I first made the shift. To focus on brand strategy, I really tried to distance myself from that designer background. Um, I kept referring to my past life because I really desperately wanted to be taken seriously as a strategist.
And I was self-conscious that my title had not been strategist before then. As I got into that role, I realized how much of an asset my hospitality industry experience was. And Kind of started to crystallize, like, wow, I have a lot of expertise in this industry. Even if I wasn't in this role, I know it backward and forwards.
And then when I went out on my own, it just supercharged that aspect because what I do now is I actually consult with the manufacturers that I used to specify. And so I'm helping these companies that I used to work with in one capacity. And I was their customer and now I'm helping them to relate to and resonate with their customer better.
So, I'm really leveraging that expertise in a way that I tried so hard to like distance myself from for a little while. Well, that's so fascinating. And I want, I have like three questions that came out of it. That that summation. So I would be interested to learn, like, was there a pivot point when you realized like, wait a second, I should be proud of my past because that's giving me this viewpoint here.
Like, was there something that happened that made you kind of flip the switch? Yeah. So when I shifted to brand strategy, I went to an agency that. Hospitality was one of the primary sectors that they worked with, and it was in working on, uh, repositioning of a hotel property from a flagged Hilton to an independent, uh, that I realized that my understanding of the operations of hospitality and, uh, Even, even just the design process was really valuable on a team that while they were very skilled and experienced in strategy and marketing, they didn't have the deep hospitality experience I did.
And so I was able to just understand the client's needs better tacitly. Just without like having to even ask because I understood the process. And it was very early on, fortunately, that I realized Oh, I am bringing something to this that I didn't even realize. Like was your strength. Cause I think that that's probably very common.
I have always served and sold into the luxury segment, but I'm not. A luxury person, you know, I feel pretty like, you know, Beverly hillbillies in some ways, like it just not in a self-deprecating way, but you know, you're selling to a luxury clientele when you don't live that lifestyle. It can be really hard to feel confident in your abilities.
So I very much resonate with what you're saying. Like if you didn't have the background of a strategist, you're kind of like switching gears and hiding the past life. But I really appreciate that you instead like brought the past into the future state and made that your strength. Thank you. Yeah, yeah, it was a big mental shift for me because I definitely was seriously suffering from imposter syndrome. That could be the subject of many podcasts, but it really, helps me just shift my mindset to know you're not an imposter whatsoever.
Yes, you are doing a new role, and therefore. You are out of your comfort zone, which just means you're growing, but you have all of this behind you that you are leveraging and bringing to this that no one else on the team has. Right? That's cool. Like you're not starting from scratch. You're starting from experience.
Exactly. Okay. That's cool. So tell us a little bit about what, um, what you do at personified. Yeah. So, um, I focus on brand strategy for companies in hospitality and really specifically in the design and FF& E world. I work both with properties. Like I, like the one I was referencing where we repositioned it to be an independent property, but also with manufacturers.
So combination, you know, different versions of what they're selling with the manufacturers, though, there's an extra level of expertise, of course, because I was their customer and so who better to help them. Understand that customer and get traction with them more than someone who knows the inner workings. Uh, very, very well for just, just for clarification for the audience.
Can we explain what FFNE means? Yes, absolutely. So, um, it technically stands for furniture, fixtures, and equipment. In reality, most people wouldn't really put equipment under the FFNE heading anymore, but it's basically the things that the guest touches that go into a hotel that is. Not part of the operations like the daily operation.
So it's not that's a different category, which is operating supplies and equipment plates and glassware. Right? So that's a separate. This is like the furniture, the carpet, the wallpaper, the lamps. So your clients are, uh, companies that make those products or the actual hotel property itself. Correct. Cool.
Okay. So, talk to us a little bit about like, how, how did you position yourself as an expert in this space outside of obviously your design background and the fact that you're coming from the lens of the client, how did you start to really like, plant your flags in the ground with personified. Yeah.
So, the beautiful thing was being able to leverage my existing network, of course. And so I was fortunate in that had a strong network. And so they just, they knew that I had a good work ethic and good, like high caliber of professional. And. I was also fortunate in that, well, I saw that there was a gap in this field in terms of so many of the companies in this realm, while there are many multi-million dollar companies, they still have a very like, Small business or scrappy mindset.
And so they're not like big direct-to-consumer companies that are investing a lot in brand building and taking that approach to things. They're not really there. I mean, I think in general. It's somewhat known that the B2B world is behind B2C when it comes to brand and the prioritization of it and the investment in it.
And so I saw an, you know, an opportunity to bring that approach to this world. Because I was able to reference the experience that I had at the agency and then bring it to this world that I knew well. And give us, I feel kind of silly asking this question, but I'd like to just kind of talk through when we say brand strategy for a manufacturer, let's pretend that it's like a company that manufactures Furniture, chairs, tables, like, you know, lounges. Like, let's say this is your hypothetical client who comes to you. What are they looking for when it comes to brand strategy, strategy? What are some of the things that you're looking for when you meet new clients? And, I just kind of want to get our audience thinking from their own viewpoint, like how can they relate to brand strategy for what they're doing?
Absolutely. So as you can probably imagine, not many actually come saying I need brand strategy. Most of them are like, I need a new logo. I need a new website or we have this aspect of our business that is just not getting traction and we don't understand why they see the symptoms. Right? And so this is this is where the expertise comes in the sale.
I'm obviously selling services, but I'm helping my clients to sell their products. So I come at the. Expertise aspect, from both ways. So an example of like expertise on behalf of a client who came to me and said, we need a copywriter, we are, we need copy for our new website that we're working on.
And. I could have referred them just straight to a friend who does copywriting because that's not something that I do. But in talking to them and getting to asking them about their goals and what they're trying to achieve and understanding they did not actually have They didn't know what they were trying to say with this copy.
It was more of like, we need this functional thing, but they didn't have the thought and direction behind it to know what they wanted to get across. And so in that process of learning about their needs and their goals, that's, you know, I was able to tell them, listen, yes, you do need copy for your website.
But you have to figure out what you're trying to say first and to do that, you have to figure out who you want to be and how you want to be known and what your strengths are and all of these things that are going to contribute to, yes, those like seven words on your homepage. Like there's a lot of work that goes into those small sentences.
And so they recognize that they, I was able to explain it in a way that was, I see where you're trying to get to. There's just a gap to fill between here and there. And I can help you fill that gap. Oh, that's brilliant because I think that's 1 thing. When I started my business, I didn't realize it because I do more on the business development side of things.
But what's interesting and I feel like you just echoed what I have been experiencing. It's almost like you have to help people realize they have a problem 1st before You can position yourself as the expert to solve it. And that's one thing when I started my business, I was like, Oh, people don't realize that they're struggling over here.
And so that's been a learning curve for me too, as an entrepreneur. So I appreciate that you said that. And I liked that they saw and got it and then onboarded you. So talk to me, talk to me a little bit more about You know, this idea of what makes you valuable as a strategist to your client from a, I mean, I'm imagining if that client comes to you, they clearly didn't know that they needed that, right?
So it's almost like, how are you taking them through the process? If they didn't realize that they were going to go follow this path with you, like, give us some insights there, please. Yeah. So I think that it's, Something where it's like I started to talk about where they only feel the symptoms, right?
I heard a really great analogy that helps me remember what my role should be, which is you are not a waiter, you are a doctor, or you are closer to a doctor than you are to a server And that's so key because when we're talking about Professional services consulting. It's a little, it's not entirely different, but it is distinguished from just a straight-up product.
You can't just be the one taking orders, right? What your client and it can be easy to do because the client comes in and they know what they want. But. They think they know what they want and what they really need, whether they know it or not, is someone who is going to push back in a professional and frankly caring manner and say, I hear you, I hear what you are saying.
I am an expert at this, and I see that what you actually need is this. And that will result in solving the thing you're talking about, but there's, there's a little more diagnosis that needs to happen. And so thinking about diagnosing the problem rather than just taking their word for what the symptoms are and fixing that, that is one of the ways that you are showing your expertise and, really acting in that expert position, acting as their guide.
Yeah. And I feel like this would apply to so many different types of roles when it comes to, if you're selling a product or a service, you know, people might say, Hey, I need X, Y, Z product. And it's like, I like your analogy of the waiter and the order taker because I do think a lot of people just say, Oh, great.
Let me take that PO or let me take that purchase order. Instead of realizing, well, what are you actually trying to do? Maybe there's a lot of opportunity to add on other products, steer them to the correct product, and increase the sale of whatever is in front of you. Like, I think that that's a good lesson for everyone, no matter what type of industry you're in.
Instead of just saying yes or saying, Oh, great. Thanks for the thanks for asking me about my logo. Let me do it for you. It's almost like, why are you asking? Exactly. Well, that's why, so while I do it myself as a service. I guide my clients to do it in their process of selling their product because it totally applies whether you're selling a service and you're thinking like I do, or if you're selling furniture, custom furniture, especially in the hospitality, when we're talking the vast majority of things that are going into these hotels are custom designed for that hotel.
When we're in the upscale and luxury segments when someone Comes when a designer, for example, comes to a furniture company and says, okay, here's the design for the bed. You can make this, right? Yes, they are certainly looking for someone to make it and there will be companies who will just say, yep, we'll do it just like you said, but what they really want and need is the person who comes back to them and says, okay, I see what you're looking to do with this design.
Now, I have some things that I want you to consider when it comes to durability. Cleanability. You mentioned that you have a tight budget. So here are some things that I think we could do that are different from what you designed, but that is going to have the same effect and are going to be more cost-effective.
I think everybody wants someone who is going to take care of them like that through the process. Whether it's B2B or B2C, it doesn't matter. We all are looking for someone who is going to leverage their expertise on our behalf to get us what we really need because we, we think we know what we want, but, um, there's, there's usually, we can't know everything.
Well, that's really how you demonstrate your expertise by asking questions to get clarity on the vision and what are the goals and then lead them to the vision. And I love the fact that you and how you handle your clients, you're also guiding them to show them how to do the exact same thing with their clients.
So it's like business to business, to business, it's like there's multiple layers of complexity, but if you can run. The process that way, is going to be a lot cleaner, with less room, for miscommunication and errors and a deeper relationship. Cause, I'm imagining that the designer who's making this custom bed goes to manufacturer A who just says, sure.
Yeah, we'll make it. Here's your pricing versus the manufacturer B starts digging deep like you, how you just laid that out for us. Who is that person going to pick? Exactly. Manufacturer B. So I think that that's really important for all of us listening to this is like, it's okay to push back. It's okay to ask questions because that's going to show that you're the right person for the job.
Absolutely. And so, one of the ways that I work with clients as well is kind of in a coaching capacity, and it's something that I've been talking to one of my clients right now about, they are trying to make this shift. From a little bit more of an order taker to the one who diagnoses and prescribes and really holds that expert position and it's even coming into like the contract where they're doing these contract negotiations and the client is asking for things that.
The service provider, my client knows this is not the right way to go. And so it's a very tough role to be in, but this is where you have to push back. And there's this fear that you're going to be the pain in the ass. And, you're going to kill the deal because you're, you're being uncooperative or whatever inflexible.
But as I had to remind them, they're hiring you for your expertise, even if they forget it sometimes and they always forget, why they hired you. But this is part of how you take care of them. This is not you just being inflexible. This is, you have done this for decades. You know what needs to be done for them to get the result that they're looking for and so you have to hold firm to that and explain why, of course, but this is part of how you take care of them.
It's not just in the, it's even in this contract negotiation where these terms, are important. Yeah, it's all in service of you doing the best job you can and you play that role and not just like, okay, well, you said this is how it has to be. So I guess that's how it has to be. No, you know better. And you have to, you have to actually leverage that knowledge on their behalf.
I had an example once, I don't think I've ever shared it on this show, but it was a big mindset shift for me where as a salesperson, you knock on a lot of doors and you get a lot of doors slammed in your face or just never open to you. So, I kind of got to the point where if somebody was slamming a door in my face, I wasn't going to keep pursuing them.
And so I had a project where something happened. They did make a mistake in their drawings. It was an interior design firm. Ran into huge issues and construction and all of a sudden it was like a flip for me because I knew that if this person didn't talk to me, they were going to run into issues and construction because it happened in a lot of other applications, clients, you know, but it got to a point where it's like, you need to talk to me.
Because you have a design that's not going to be building code and you're going to fail your inspection, but I know how to help you fix this. And I think just having that energy shift for me, I don't want to say like I scared them, but it was truly like you, we need to talk because you're going to run into issues in construction and someone who slammed the door in my face failed their building code.
Now you have to spend a whole bunch of money to fix this problem. And so I think it has helped shift me from an energy of I have something that I know will help you whether, you know, it will help at this point in time or not. And I think that was a helpful piece for me. And I could see you doing that with your clients too, and how you're setting those mutual expectations.
Absolutely. Well, and I think something that you mentioned earlier about like manufacturer A that just says yes and manufacturer B that pushes back. We are all regardless of what, whether we are a consumer or a business buyer, we are doing our research and looking at multiple options when we are trying to make any purchasing decision.
And there's a lot to navigate. It doesn't matter the category. Sometimes it can all look the same and one of the best ways to stand out is to actually be that expert on their behalf. We're all going to be more inclined to buy from someone who takes the helping approach and guides us through what we need to know.
I love that. Would you share a little bit more details or tell us a little bit more about how you guide your clients when you start working with them? Give us an example or some, maybe, maybe some tips for the audience on how we can continue to be guides to our clients. Yeah, I mean, I, when I'm thinking about, you know, part of it is.
Reminding them that they are the guide and so there's, for me, there's definitely a specific kind of service aspect that I'm kind of selling, but there's a lot of reminding them that. It's their customer that needs to be the center of it, not them. And you even talked about this last season by messaging yourself as the guide.
And I really focus on acting as the guide and remembering that while you are putting out this product. You're really excited about it. And that is your focus. You have to put yourself in your customer's shoes and remember that they don't know your product anywhere near as well as you do. They probably don't even know your category anywhere near as well as you do.
And so the more you can be that resource to them and. Be that guide that is going to build a relationship. They're going to see you as that expert. Um, and they're going to want to work with you because you have helped them to understand and make a more informed decision. Yeah. I love that. And I think we were talking at the top of the interview about the concept of imposter syndrome.
And I feel like you just said something that really resonated with me we as the sellers and whatever our expertise is, know more than the client does. Yes, we have to remember that because, you know, we think when we, you know, expert the term of expert scares people. So it's like, I'm not an expert. I can't claim that I'm an expert.
Yes, you can because remember who you need to be an expert for. It's not about comparing yourself to the people in your field who have been in it longer than you have. They're not the ones who need you to be an expert. Your customer is the one who needs you to be an expert and you almost without a doubt are more of an expert than they are in this particular thing.
And so it's, it's shifting that perspective of, it's not comparing yourself to your peers, your colleagues, your contemporaries. It's about comparing yourself to your customer, actually, when we're talking about expertise And you don't have to be a multi-decade veteran of a company or category to help someone who isn't in it at all.
You just have to be a little bit further ahead and leverage what you know on their behalf. Brooke, I feel like that was like a mic drop. I mean, I just kind of want to repeat it for clarity and to drive the point home because you said something around, I think everyone does this, myself included, where you compare your level of expertise to your colleague or your boss or someone who's been at the company for so long.
And really that's not what it's about to be an expert and support your clients. It's just being, and I like, and we're saying compare, but it's not really a comparison between us and our client. Because we're already in like that, I think is what's going to maintain our driver's seat status.
Yes. Remembering that we're the expert compared to our clients at the knowledge of the industry product service, et cetera. Exactly. Cool. Yeah. So what other tips would you share with our listeners to really kind of stay in that driver's seat? Like, we're remembering we're an expert. Any other tips you'd want to leave us with?
I think it's really important to find writing and getting my thinking around the way I do things, why I do them, getting that out there. And the term thought leadership feels a little gag-worthy at times, but there is something to it, right? In terms of like, for me, especially I technically sell my thinking.
So for me to put my thinking out there, it makes a lot of sense, but it also just really helps to crystallize. Why you do things the way you do. And it's also just a great reference point for your customers to see like, Oh, you really know what you're talking about. You really know this subject. Or even for them to see, Oh, I really like how you think about that.
I think, there's a parallel when it comes to more product-focused things that I think about with my clients, and that's education, we can all be sharing more education. And that is just beneficial across the board, and it's such a great way to show versus tell your expert status. Obviously, if you just go out there like, I'm an expert, let me help you.
That's not going to go well. it's really, it really is about showing that you're the expert. Finding ways to educate your clientele and your customers is a really great way to do that. Because we all can benefit from whatever education you can share. I love that. We call it on the show, ABAV, always adding value.
But I really appreciate those extra tips. So in addition to reminding ourselves that we're an expert and being aware of who we're comparing ourselves to, we're not comparing ourselves to, um, writing things down and getting clear on where we stand, I think that's really a good takeaway for the audience too, is like, I'm going to do that for myself and just be like, okay, what do I stand for?
Where is this coming from? I think that that will be really helpful. And then, um, and then adding value, educating people. I mean, what if. Easy way to put those emotional bank deposits in. I think that's great. And especially in like, everyone's overwhelmed with stuff. Like, what a great way to stand out is just giving. Absolutely.
And it's, you're probably going to get a lot more engagement. Let's just say on a post that is that has an educational. Strategy and point of view, rather than like, Oh, look at this new product, people, people want to learn things. There's a lot of thirst for learning and understanding. It has so many benefits. You know, positioning yourself that way and goodwill and relationship building and all those things.
So, getting education out there from your point of view has so many ripple effects. Well, I really appreciate you coming to the show, Brooke. I love that. We started talking about your journey and your background and how it was something that you hid. And now it's really like your superpower and your strength.
I think that you gave us a lot of different nuggets that we can take with us no matter what industry we're in. So I'd really love to thank you for coming to the show. Is there anything else you'd like to, um, make sure that we cover before we wrap? No, this has been great.
Thank you so much for having me. I really enjoy talking about this and kind of approaching it from a little bit of that empowerment perspective of owning your expertise. You got this. You were our guide today and we all appreciate it truly so much. And where can people find you if they want to connect? Uh, LinkedIn, Brooke Taylor, and Instagram as personified creative. co.
Watch the episode here
About the Guest(s):
Brooke Taylor, the founder of Personified Creative Co. and co-founder of Vendor Bootcamp, brings over two decades of experience in the hospitality industry to her consulting work. With a background in hospitality interior design, Brooke leverages her expertise to help clients navigate complex challenges and reach their full potential.
Episode Summary:
In this engaging conversation with Brooke Taylor, the founder of Personified, we explore her transition from a hospitality interior designer to a brand strategist, highlighting the importance of embracing one's past experience and leveraging it to build expertise. Brooke shares valuable insights on her approach to guiding clients in the hospitality and design industry, emphasizing the significance of educating and positioning oneself as an expert in the field.
Brooke Taylor's expertise shines through as she explains the value of brand strategy for hospitality manufacturers and properties. By helping clients understand their goals and deal with challenges, Brooke emphasizes the importance of acting as a guide rather than an order taker, offering invaluable insights on how to demonstrate expertise and provide value to customers effectively.
#Expertise #BrandStrategy #HospitalityIndustry #CareerTransition #ProfessionalGrowth #BusinessSuccess #ClientGuidance #StrategicLeadership
Connect with Brooke
https://www.personifiedcreative.co/
Female Founders in Hospitality
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brookentaylor/
Connect with Sara
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@saramurraysales
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saramurraysales/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saramurraysales/
