So, I walked up to a sponsor’s table at TEDxSMU, and I learned that a woman handing out free samples of her product calls herself a “brand ambassador.”

A “brand ambassador.”

I’m still thinking about this self-described (although, maybe company-wide) job title.  Not a “sales person,” not a “sales representative,” but a “brand ambassador.”  The company basically only displayed one product (a food product, in two flavors, if I remember correctly).  But, to her, the key phrase was “brand.”  And she was an “ambassador.”

Am I supposed to remember the brand, or the product?  For the record, I don’t remember either the name of the brand, or the name of the product.  I do remember the taste and flavor of the product – it was distinctive.  And I think I would recognize the packaging if I saw it in a store.  I might buy a bag.  (The free sample came in a small sample-sized bag).

But…  back to this “brand ambassador.”  I think this is what we all are, increasingly, in this social media world of ours.  Daniel Pink is coming out with a new book:  To Sell is Human.  It does not come out until December 31, but at this hour it is #1 on the Amazon Sales & Selling sub-category.

Here’s a hint about the book, from the Amazon page:

Yes, one in nine Americans works in sales. But so do the other eight.
Whether we’re employees pitching colleagues on a new idea, entrepreneurs enticing funders to invest, or parents and teachers cajoling children to study, we spend our days trying to move others. Like it or not, we’re all in sales now.

If we really do work in sales, maybe we are all ambassadors, all the time, of our favorite brands – “brand ambassadors.”

Ask me my preferences on any product or service, and I will tell you.  For a few, I will tell you before you ask.  (For “everyday Ice Cream,” go with Blue Bell – save the Graeter’s for the special splurges, when you decide that you can afford the extra calories…  Go with the iPad – forget those other tablets…).

So, the challenge of any and every brand is to turn buyers/customers into brand ambassadors.  Brands want customers to become more than just customers.  They want them to become “fans,” ambassadors who will go spread the word, through word-of-mouth and characters-of-tweet and image-on-Pinterest and like-on-Facebook…

We are all selling, all ambassadoring, all the time, aren’t we?

{By the way, have I told you about the wonders and the benefits and the coolness and the value of the First Friday Book Synopsis.  It is a terrific monthly event. You should give it a try this Friday!}