What does your “brand” say about you?  How is your company brand perceived in the community?  Is it perceived at all?  These are the questions that every business should be considering.

“Ford Tough”, “Chevy Strong” and State Farm being “Like a Good Neighbor” are all brands that millions of dollars have been spent to develop.  Of course, we don’t have millions to spend but that is no excuse for not paying attention to or caring what our brand is saying to the public.  Again, I go back to my initial questions.  How is your company brand perceived in the community or is it perceived at all?   The later is probably much worse.

I read a comment of a young man, who was lamenting about businesses that talk about building their brand.  His point was that you can’t “design” your brand.  Instead, who you really are “is” your brand.  He is absolutely right.  If you don’t care about your product or customer then it doesn’t matter how much money you spend telling them otherwise, your brand will be defined for you.  But this is not what you believe in.

I am sure that you are proud of your company.  If you are doing your best to meet the needs and expectations of your customers, you should be proud.  Now you should tell them about how good you are.  This is “branding”.

If you feel that your product or service does not meet what you want your brand to be, then you need to fix these deficiencies.  Your brand acts like a shortened version of your mission statement.  It is who you are.

So how do you go about building and communicating your brand to the public?  Well, there are three things that you need focus on to stand tall in the crowd.

1. Build your brand and build it with pride.  Demonstrate who you are inside.  How hard you work and how strong your abilities are.  And don’t forget about how your company is perceived to the community outside of your customer base.
2. Develop your portfolio so that it shows your brand in its best light.
3. Get your brand out there to be seen by those who count.

To build a brand that you can be proud of is not that hard to do.  You just need to demonstrate that you are focused and dedicated to working hard to satisfy the needs of your customers.  If you are a restaurant, you provide good quality food at a reasonable price.  If you are more of an upscale restaurant, perhaps you pride yourself in delivering good quality food in an atmosphere that is unmatched in town.  If you are a retail store or provide a service your pride could be in the quality of product, an atmosphere of customer service, or desire to help your customers get the “exact” product that meets their needs.

Developing a portfolio is something to which most businesses give little thought.  A portfolio is normally perceived as something an artist or designer uses to present examples of their work.  I am suggesting that every business needs to do the same thing.  Examples of your work and examples of your business philosophies are items to have in your portfolio.  You need a platform by which you can be presented to a prospective customer, from which they can gain a better understanding as to who you are.  This is the way you stand out.

And then there are the ways that you get your brand out there in the world and in front of the right people.  There are so many tools available now that there are no excuses for not taking advantage of them.

I hope you understand the importance of this and I am planning a discussion of each of the three focus areas in the upcoming posts.  Let’s start a discussion about how it might apply to you.  Leave a comment and we will all talk about it.

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Let’s explore what makes your store an awesome experience for your customers.  For this discussion, I’d like to use restaurants as an example but the same theory applies to all businesses.

There is the obvious difference of type of food but, what really sets you apart from the rest?  What is it that you provide your customers that they appreciate and enjoy.  Do you provide them with a better atmosphere, friendlier staff, better service or something else?

It is important for you to be aware of what it is your customer appreciates about your establishment and make sure that you and your staff continue to provide that for them.  It is just as important that you be aware of what your customers do not like.  The better the experience for your customer, the better the chances are of him or her returning.  New customers are great but the repeat customer is the one that is going to “spread the word” and that’s organic.

Ok, maybe you are unsure of what your customers enjoy about coming to your store.  If this is true, then maybe it’s time for you to get in touch with your customers.  While what’s happening in the kitchen and in the office are very important, without your customer you have no business.  Following are a few things to consider when evaluating your customers experience.

• What is the feeling your customer gets when walking in the door?  The first impression is very important.  Do they understand immediately what they are supposed to do (be seated, wait to be seated, etc.)?

• When they are greeted are they made to feel welcome?  The initial contact could set the tone for their entire experience, good or bad.

• Does the staff try to make a connection with the customer?  If the customer feels the waiter or waitress is enjoying working with them, the customer will have a better experience.  It will also be more enjoyable for the staff.

• Is the amount of attention paid to the customer the right amount?  This may vary by customer but it is important that the staff be intuitive enough to determine if their customers need more or less attention.

• When leaving, was the customer asked how their experience was, thanked for coming and invited to return?  The experience must be consistent from the time they walk in the door to the time they leave.

Well, I think you get the idea.  Again, while I used a restaurant as my example, this applies to all businesses.  No matter what your business is, you have a customer.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on this post and if I can clarify anything I have said, don’t hesitate to contact me.