Branding from the inside out

Here's a thought. Are you trying to build your brand from the outside in? Relying on your ID and your marketing to somehow magically create a positive perception of your brand? If you are, I bet that it's really hard work and it never quite gives you the great results you hoped for.

The outside in brand is like a smile at a party. You know the one, Hi there, I'm fine, life's great everything's tickety-boo. the smile through gritted teeth that says "don't press me, because actually everything is far from alright". That's the way we're wired. We know in a social setting that very often, the "how are you" is not a request for any real information, but a surface level conversation starter.

Here's the thing though, when your clients ask the question "how are you" of your business, they actually want to know. In fact they are probably only asking because they suspect that everything is not OK. The party smile then becomes something that is incredibly dangerous. It's the start of the cover-up. And that is a slippery slope.

When you flip the outside in brand so that it becomes an inside-out exercise, you can begin to safeguard yourself and your customers. Why? Because the inside out brand is one that is based on who you really are, not just on what you'd like people to think you are. The inside out brand has its foundations in involved and engaged people. When the team all operate with a shared vision and purpose, the natural outcome is exceptional customer service.

Why not turn your brand inside out and see what an incredible difference it can make to your business.

3 reasons not to cut investment in brand during a recession

Research conducted by MORI, amongst 187 senior board directors of the UK’s leading companies, concluded that “94% agree that the asset which offers the greatest protection during an economic downturn is a strong brand”.
There are three reasons for this:

1. Confidence - Loyal customers retain confidence in a strong brand even when the going gets tough. Confident customers are less likely to switch brand.
2. Risk - Potential customers, staff and shareholders are more risk averse during a recession. Strong brand mitigates risk in the mind of the stakeholder.
3. Value - Company value is more likely to remain buoyant in an economic downturn when it is supported by a strong and profitable brand.

Don’t be tempted to stop investing in strengthening your brand, even when all around are losing their heads. By neglecting your brand, you risk exposing the business at a time when recovery is much more costly and much less certain of success. Brand profitability is the ultimate goal but it takes investment. Short term budget cuts may lead to immediate relief of pressure, but they will surely lead to long term heartache.

Satisfied or Delighted?

When I hear reference to Customer Satisfaction surveys, it makes me cringe. I hate that word - Satisfaction - it's just so bland. Are your customers lukewarm because for you and your people good enough is good enough?

When I was at school, I can clearly remember the disappointment I felt when a piece of work came back with "satisfactory" written at the top. That word for me says "average, just about OK, good enough to scrape through". When I hear Customer Satisfaction, the same list pops up in my mind.

Perhaps it's the British disease, but I think it's time to change the way we think. Let's not settle for satisfactory any more. It's time to aim for nothing less than "customer delight".

So how is it done? The answer lies firstly in the way that we think about the business. The traditional top-down, do as you're told, process driven model is fundamentally flawed. We live in the age of the interactive. Your people aren't happy to just be spectators in the business, they need to be involved. If your people are involved in the direction and purpose of the business - they will be engaged. Engaged people prvide consistently exceptional customer service. Exceptional customer service leads to high levels of customer delight.

Get your people involved, get them engaged and they will deliver customer delight for you.