Ideas for Branding at Zero Cost

Are you worried about copy cats who might steal your customers?  DON'T!  That is what Branding saves you from - ideas are worth nothing; their value lies in how they are executed.  Branding is about your uniqueness and here are 3 tried-and-tested ideas for how to maintain your brand:

1  Use social media as much as you can to share about your business. A page on Facebook is a great way to attract and engage follower, but retaining them will take some commitment of your time. It is well worth investing your time on this as you can get good feedback as well as loyal customers, without spending any cash.
2  Keep your followers engaged in your journey, by sharing photos and video clips about what you are doing. Your mobile phone is your friendly reporting tool and the more interesting your shots are, the more followers your brand will gain.
3  Offer good ideas and advice when you can and soon you'll be attracting attention from those who want to learn from YOUR experiences, which no copy cat can speak credibly about.  Your journey is your own and that is its value.

Take the music industry as an example. Notice how great guitarists sustain their brand whether they go solo or join other groups? And it doesn't apply to creative industries only - even managers have their own brand which attracts staff to follow them where ever they go!  Think about Apple - it showed us that when its Essence was lost, it plunged in value and approached bankruptcy until its Founder returned and revived it with his vision.

Yes, Branding is about the users' experience of the essence on which your products and services are based. Would you like some help in clarifying the essence of your brand?  Call me at 6-03-21697704 or email evelyn@atheneumgroup.net.

BRING ME THE BRAND AND I'LL INCREASE ITS PROFITS!

Is the Custodian of your Brand worthy?

Whisper "You'll be hearing an announcement soon"!

Honestly, my heart sank as I heard the death sentence heralded with gleeful triumph.  Why?  I had noticed the new CEO's body language at his introduction, and matched it with the history of that company and wondered if he was going to be a sacrificial lamb. Sigh.

Months later I heard about increased in-fighting among their Heads of Department. Uh-oh. One starry-eyed newcomer who was a very bewildered HOD referred to 'firmly entrenched warlords' and 'little napoleons' guarding their turf. Well you tell me now - what do you think the CEO was up against and could do?

More months later one of the groups complained that its members weren't being heard and asked to see the captain of the ship and offer their help to contribute to solutions. His response?  "Go through the proper channels" i.e. the CEO. Hmmmm. REALLY?????

But you know what peeps? I saw something similar happen not so long ago elsewhere too, and the name of the game is "I'll not upset my personal gravy train".  At the expense of the income-generators of course. Ai yai yai yai yai :(

As I write, both those ships - carrying established international brands which are perceived with much respect, look like they can't bail out the water fast enough to contain the leaks while being buffeted by a highly competitive economy.

No, if the chief Executive is not empowered to act, then the owner of the Brand is its custodian and must act to align the Brand to maintain its integrity and sustain its Brand Image in the marketplace. It is true when they say you must nip trouble in the bud or prepare to lose the fruit!

Perhaps you are facing operational difficulties and find that you are fighting fires to keep afloat?  What are your options?  Being so close to the daily grind, there may be some you've not thought of and I'll be glad to hear your out and offer some viable ones for you to consider.

Cheer up?  Give me a call at 6-03-21697704 or email evelyn@atheneumgroup.net.

BRING ME THE BRAND AND I'LL INCREASE ITS PROFITS!    

Delivering the Brand's value

The skilled young man was protesting at the potential incomes in place as opposed to the lush opportunities being presented at a roll-out of a new ecosystem for entrepreneurs. Indeed, why IS brand delivery valued in some places more than others?  Here's a classic example of why:

Mum needed replenishments for her pain relievers etc, so I went to the usual store, but didn't see what I was looking for. Hmmmmm. "Do you have brand X gel?" I asked.  The cheerful, smiling new hire said "We don't have that".  "But I bought it here before - please check with the pharmacist?" "Oh - he's not coming today". (Mentally I thought 'so?').  "Is there anyone else who is familiar with the stock?" Shuffle; shuffle and another pleasant person appears.  We three trooped to the brand's display shelf and both just looked at me puzzled. I explained "these are the capsules which you swallow, I'm looking for the gel to apply on the skin" Aha! Light bulbs came on and voila! a tube of the gel was retrieved. WHERE was the gap and WHO was responsible for closing it? WHO was going to profit from the sales?

Back to that roll-out I was telling you about. The investor explained that the quality of staff did not justify higher salaries because they weren't willing to work hard enough to make the investment profitable!.  Dead silence. Then, applause from business owners.  Do staff expect to be paid for merely showing up?

The key solution lies in tying performance management ie delivery of the Brand Promise, with profitability! Firstly train staff in conversational skills and product knowledge thoroughly with role-plays.  Then have a pay-for-performance package which rewards them for bringing ideas and innovations to the workplace.  The result? Business owners increase their profits and staff get paid more too :) Train and assess.

Want help with designing a systemic approach to put this in place and build the value of your brand? Just call me on 6-03-21697704 or email evelyn@atheneumgroup.net and I'll be glad to customize a plan for you.

BRING ME THE BRAND AND I'LL INCREASE ITS PROFITS!  

Interpersonal skills impact Brand Delivery

Shhhh!  I think I'm going to resign too, you know.  OH NO!

Sigh, she is SUCH a nice person who goes out of her way to please, BUT her complaints were only echoes of what others had said :(  Can you believe that until a year ago the staff had been one big happy family, joking and sharing their comments about music, clubs etc. with customers?  And then POW! They began resigning one by one.  Some left quietly; others became sullen before leaving, yet another - bless her heart - wrote on my bill that it had been paid when I don't remember having done so. Ooops!  And now this disappointing whisper in my ear.

So what's the AXE factor?  Yes, you guessed it - a new manager.  Now, I can tell you that he says and does the right things but, not pleasantly.  He doesn't connect with the customers and he irritates the hell out of the staff - hence the series of resignations.  WHY does the owner keep him?  No prizes for guessing: he can push products - it's all about the immediate $$$$$$ and not about customer loyalty or recommendations.  Owner hasn't got it that it is more expensive to acquire customers than to retain them. (The upside to this is they treat me like platinum because I'm one of the few regulars.  It's an ill wind that blows no good eh?)  Owner's latest tactic is to install elegant coffee machines on the premises to keep us happy. Fancy that!

Definitely a Branding problem wouldn't you say? Owner himself is warm and chatty (great that he loves watching my tv show) but doesn't get that his manager needs to be the same to maintain consistency. But WHO is going to bell the cat and sound the alarm?

Well Owner has asked me to train his staff (it's the tv shows that sold him) so there's an opportunity there to improve his Brand.  What will it take?  It involves a subtle feedback system for Manager to discover that he needs to improve his relationship skills to deliver the Brand in an appealing way.

Do you have a valuable staffer who needs some gently but constructive feedback?  Delivering the essence of your Brand WILL increase its @ value.  I'd be glad to help: call me at +6032169774 or email evelyn@atheneumgroup.net?

BRING ME THE BRAND AND I'LL INCREASE ITS PROFITS! 

Major cell phone players get a 'mystery shopper'

Oh no! The kiosk isn't there - now what?!!!! My brand N bluetooth headset was acting up and I stopped by my usual friendly service centre only to find their space had been replaced. Hmmmmm WHO would help me? Am virtually crippled without the use of a hands free way to keep in touch with clients.

Aha! I spotted the store of Brand H and asked where the kiosk had gone.  His face was stony -obviously, Iwasn't a potential customer.  "Don't know"; his body language said "don'tcare either".

Across from him I noticed that my Brand N was setting up a new store BUT there was no indication of where its customers could get service before it opened. Not good!

What's this?  Brand I - a major competitor - has a store just a few feet away?  What do I have to lose?  "Hello? Would you please be able able to fix this for me even though it's not your brand?"  You know what?  He was a sweetheart and smilingly sorted the problem out for me and BINGO! I walked away with a functioning headset again.

Hmmmm being a non-techie, getting good service is critically important to me, so guess where I'll be trying ut new purchases?  Yes, that staffer has attracted new business by representing his brand well.  Brand H is one I shall avoid like the plague as customer service doesn't seem to be a priority, and brand N will be getting an earful about not giving customers directions for where else to be serviced when there kiosk moved!

One of the modules in my workshop 'Branding as a Business Strategy' is titled 'Who is telling your Brand's story' and it is about identifying how Brands are perceived to be delivered.  The activities are about ensuring that those who are delivering your brand are attracting repeat business for you.

Would you like my help in identifying how your informal Brand Ambassadors can do more for you?  Call me on +603-21697704 or email evelyn@atheneumgroup.net and we'll chat about it, shall we?

BRING ME THE BRAND AND I'LL INCREASE ITS PROFITS!

Service culture? It's a MUST!

"I'm sorry we cannot process your order" he said with- would you believe - a smile??? Aaargh! I nearly choked at his incompetence!!!!! Did his supervisor know he was turning a sale away?

There we were, my friend and I, finally making it to the store amidst her ever so busy schedule. She really, really wanted the package deal and try the products asap and was SO excited that THIS was going to be THE day!! So we did whatever was necessary and sauntered up to the counter, completed forms in hand.  That's when he dropped his bombshell.  No sale? His 'reason' ws that they didn't have any more stock. Duhh!

Well, my friend was not giving up after all her anticipation; we didn't take NO for an answer and merely went to a different section of the store to try her luck there.  Sure enough, this time her order was taken (though not filled) and she would be sent the products when they came in.  Now that is proper customer service.  True, it spoke well for the products that they were in such great demand that exceeded supply, but the counter clerk wasn't linking his response to profitability.  And you know what?  This was at the store of a huge, global market leader with a superbrand reputation - fancy that!

Had the company become complacent? Was the staff member incompetent, Were they focusing on products over service?  It could have been any of the reasons or even all of them.  But the reality is, excellent products can still lose out to a similar offering on the market if customers become displeased.

How can you avoid this in your business?  Getting feedback from mystery shoppers is helpful so are surveys that reward customers for their time and input.  BUT to be effective the feedback has to be tied in with managing the performance of delivery channels.  I'd be glad to help you plan something that boosts your brand in the eyes of your customers and keeps them loyal to you. Like that? Just call me on +603-21697704!

BRING ME THE BRAND, I'LL INCREASE ITS PROFITS!
 

PAMPERED PARKING

OMG!!! What am I going to do??????? Dash it!

A sign saying 'Parking full' is disastrous when going to meet a client, but then again it's become increasingly common :(.  So, I've taken to calling ahead to ask for advice on where to park.

Aha, guess what!  There's a new take on this town when someone says "just follow xxxxx then go yyyy and you'll come to spaces reserved especially for you" WOWEE!!! That makes it really easy to do business with such clients and creates positive branding for them too, doesn't it?

How often are we cheated of a customer just because of circumstantial hurdles and barriers between them and us? Sob, sob - we may not even know.  Sigh. Is there a way forward?

Well it is really a lot of fun to work out the process of doing business with someone, then coming up with ways of making it easier!  All it takes is a bit of brainstorming, lots of paper, a good dose of chuckles, some honest analysis and feedback and voila!  You too can build your brand by making it easier for customers to do business with you.  Nice way to reduce the competition, eh?

I'd be glad to help you chart it out, and to make innovative suggestions you can use too!  You know what to do - just call me on 603-21697704

BRING ME THE BRAND AND I'LL INCREASE ITS PROFITS!

Oh no!!!!! Big boys don't cry in public do they?

Gulp!  The big guy's eyes turned pink and teary as we spoke.  What now?????

There I was, listening intently to the man seated across from me.  He looked a toughie and was the owner of a chain of outlets which he and his wife had taken great pains to build, successfull too wey hey! Now they were ready to expand, and we were meeting to discuss enhancing their Brand.  What had set him off?

Well, I had asked "What is your tag line"  and suddenly he became very emotional.  His voice choked and his eyes filled with tears.  Wow! Talk about passion!  The couple had begun with a vision, stayed unwaveringly with it, built upon it, and now had a profitable niche to tap into.  When hfe told me their tag line, I saw immediately why they had been successful - they and their staff LIVED it!  And their clients were simply delighted.

So, why did they need me then? Weeeell, this couple had substance and strategic implementation, but their Brand was not widely enough known. That means they were undervalued, and found that expanding posed a few challenges because of that.

You know what one of the things I noticed was?  He knew their tag line (ahem, you'd be surprised that some business owners don't) implemented their tag line, their tag line reflected the essence of their Brand and kept attracting customers, BUT it appeared NOWHERE on their promotional material! Fancy that huh?

The pity is this is SOOOOOOO common among business owners!  We're so in love with our brand and know it so intimately that we forget to educate others on what our business is about. OUCH!!!!

I actually sat for hours facilitating some very senior planners from a financial institution once, and, they did now know what the essence of their Brand was, leaving them open to competitors. They knew their tag line, but not the essence of what their corporate culture was supposed to deliver.  So, they too were undervalued. :(

And you?  Do you know what customers see in you that makes your services desirable?  Can you identify the essence of your brand?  If you'd like my help to crystalize it so that you can shout it out, deliver it, and lock your competitors out, just call me on 03-21697704 :)

BRING ME THE BRAND & I'LL INCREASE ITS PROFITS!