The next time you are in a major airport, spend some time looking at major business magazines at the newsstand. Apart from those that are news oriented, most of the general publications talk about "branding." And they talk about it as if "branding" is a radically new 21st century idea. Yet nothing could be farther from the truth. What is a "brand?" It is the image your customer connects with your company. Many components -- emotional, sensory, rational, experiential -- make up this association, but the most important thing about your brand is that you don't own it: Your customer does! That point isn't made clear very often. Most talk is about what you can do about branding -- and the most you can do, unless you are starting up a new company, is influence what the customer already thinks about you. First of all, you sell a product or a service, and that product or service exists in a category: shoes, coffee, razors, banking -- the list is endless. These categories evolved as human needs and wants evolved and created a demand. Today a strong brand identity reflects what you are able to bring about in the mind of your customer. Perception has replaced fact-finding as the way people form opinions. Information-gathering has expanded to include emotional response, actual experiences -- either the customer's or that of a close associate, visual appeal, the moral and ethical reputation of the company, and other factors that are difficult to pinpoint. All of these need to be taken into consideration when you talk about strengthening your brand. So what should you know about branding? 1. Your brand is represented by your entire organization. Every contact your customer has with your brand should reinforce a positive image -- not just your product, but your salespeople, your customer service people, your receptionist, your technicians. You cannot afford a weak link. 2. Branding is a long-term commitment. The image in your customer's mind is a cumulative one. Marketing textbooks always refer to the "New Coke" as a case study in not knowing the customer. However, Coke still leads its category because Coca-Cola had the sense to tell customers they made a mistake. 3. You can brand everything and anything. It simply means that you are differentiating. Starbucks branded coffee, Nike branded athletic shoes, and Intel branded microchips. You simply apply customer-focused principles to the area you wish to brand. 4. Self-knowledge is important. Ask your loyal customers to help you understand the assets and liabilities associated with your brand. Capitalize on the good things, and work to downplay and eliminate the negative associations. For instance, if you are known to have a good products but poor customer service, make sure that improving customer service becomes part of the brand focus; you might want to create a tag line that spells out your commitment. 5. Categories are usually dominated by the big brands. This doesn't mean that you can't compete. If you are number two or three, find the weakness in the leader's position. If you are smaller but are coming to the market with a well-defined niche product, use guerrilla tactics to outsmart the big guys. 6. Brands are emotional. Think about shampoo, soft drinks, and preferences in mass discounters -- there is an emotional component to your customer's choice. Customers prefer one brand over another for reasons that often escape logic. Perhaps a revered grandmother used it or the implied benefit -- for instance, wealth or sex appeal -- that comes from using the brand gives them hope. 7. Your brand is a work-in-progress. You can never be finished growing your brand in the customer's mind, unless, like some of the auto manufacturers, you "retire" brands -- and even that often brings an emotional response from the customer. 8. Maintain design and message consistency for your brand. Have a similar look and feel to everything that comes from your company. 9. Your brand should be relevant to your customer. When you know who your customer is, don't make the mistake of trying to be all things to all people. If you sell high-end power tools, for instance, don't aim for mass distribution to weekend handy people. 10. Brand licensing often weakens your brand. Consider fashion designers like Halston who entered into licensing agreements too quickly and lost prestige with their primary customers. The same can be said for brand extensions -- when you put your name on products to play off the goodwill of your brand, you are taking a great risk. Everything you do must be focused on the positive positioning of your brand in the mind of your customer -- because your customer, not you, owns your brand! BONUS: ====== How can you strengthen your brand? - Understand where you are right now in the minds of your customers. In order to do this, you need to engage in dialogue with your customers. Try a customer survey; enclose a coupon with the survey designed to increase and improve your face-to-face meetings with your customers. Focus groups need not be elaborate; provide lunch to a group of customers and have a candid discussion about how they perceive you. Share new ideas with them and ask for feedback. - Decide who you want to be. List positive attributes you want to strengthen, negative ones you want to soft-pedal, and new attributes that you want to add to your customers' experiences. After you get insight into where your customers place you, you will know what perceptions of your company ought to change. Are you too pricey? Are your service people incompetent? Are your salespeople too aggressive and not consultative enough? Are your business hours inconvenient? Is your "hold music" annoying? At the same time, remember to "accentuate the positive" and remind customers of the things they like about you -- for instance, your stability in the community or your product reliability. - Get buy-in from everyone in your organization. You want to be distinctive, and you want to communicate your unique message to your customers with each contact they have with your company. The way your phone is answered, the way your collections people handle their jobs, the look of your monthly statements -- all these things need to be consistent. Your receptionist, your bookkeeper, and your salespeople all must agree on the perception you want your customers to have. Would you like to learn more? For more information about how you might benift from coaching contact Greg at (760) 294-2117 or greg@zencoach.com. Greg Clowminzer is a Business and Life Coach serving the needs of individuals in their desire to live a higher quality of life with a deeper sense of meaning and purpose. Greg Clowminzer www.zencoach.com greg@zencoach.com (760) 294-2117

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