Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Quick - what's your brand?

In the course of our work, we encounter many professionals who don't understand their Brand. They maintain such dysfunctional ideas of what a Brand is that their Brands become meaningless.

Your company's Brand is more than a logo and tag line. It's more than the sum of your advertising and marketing. It also includes all the people on the front-line, the people who represent your business.

This includes customer service people, sales people, clerical staff, receptionists, repair team, you name it. Anyone who could possibly deliver an opinion about your company - they're all part of the equation, and everything that comes out of their mouths contributes to (or takes away from) your brand. But, the most important mouths are your sales people.

NOTE:  This post was published more than a year ago.  And, it remains as true today as then.  For example - we have new clients who have the wrong people in profoundly important jobs.  One of them has placed a highly analytical person in the front office to greet clients and prospects.  That is the wrong person for the job!  She cares much more about the data-related tasks she's performing than anyone who comes through the door and interrupts her.  The result is, prospects who come through the door see the company as uncaring, unfriendly and unapproachable.  How would you like for that to be part of your brand?

-- Michael Lovas