Can you see the real me?

Recently, MCorp’s Harley-riding, blues-drumming Controller, Carl, and I were having a conversation about “personas outside the workplace.” The next day, Carl introduced me to a blog he likes called The Personal Branding Blog.

I don’t know about you, but I have always found it uncomfortable to “leave my personality at the door” just because I’m “at work.” I love the idea of the “personal brand” and I find it to be quite liberating.

The transparency of the “digital ID” makes it easier for real people to do business with real people. And I like doing business with real people, don’t you?

Meet the new boss

Remember when you had an interview and you Googled the CEO (or whoever your new boss might be) and all you could come up with was the corporate headshot and a boring paragraph of nothing but work-related stuff? Weren’t you really looking for something interesting, like hobbies or a glimpse into his/her life outside of work?

What if you Googled your prospective new boss and you got to see a video of her first snowboarding experience (and it was hilarious)? Or the CEO who works weekends at the local animal shelter and has posted a photo album full of pictures of himself bottle-feeding tiny foster kittens?

Wouldn’t you rather work for a person than a corporate headshot? And if you are the CEO, wouldn’t you rather have your organization filled with diverse, interesting personalities? You don’t really want your people to leave their uniqueness “at the door” – do you?

Tom Peters has been telling us to look differently at hiring criteria for quite some time now. Here he is in Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age:

I champion the idea of weird for only one reason: These are … Weird Times. Therefor (simple logic): We desperately need an Eclectic/Weird/Peculiar Talent Pool. (Not a bunch of clones.)

I think we can extrapolate from the above that someone who is “weird” (in corporate-speak) is someone who indeed brings their personal brand to work.

Are you ready to see your COO’s monster truck rally videos on YouTube?

A couple of the ideas that I found especially intriguing in Personal Branding Predictions: The Top 9 for 2009

1. Video as primary personal branding tool.

It’s a great medium because it allows you clearly communicate your message while showcasing your personality and creativity. Look at the popularity of YouTube and you can see how video will become an even more important element in your personal media plan.

and

8. More widespread adoption of the term personal brand.

‘Personal brand’ will be standard term inside companies to describe colleagues – as in “He’s always late, that’s part of his personal brand” and on an annual review “your personal brand attributes of creative and clever make you an exceptionally valuable part of the team.” Now that personal branding has become a part of the talent development curriculum at many companies, the term has taken on a life of its own.

What do you think?

Do you think that encouraging the development of your employees’ personal brands (in and out of the workplace) will have a positive effect on your company’s brand? Tell us about it!

Will Dunder Mifflin win?

In the most recent episode of NBC’s The Office, Michael offers to gather intelligence on a neighboring competitor by posing as a potential client.

Michael happily schemes to annihilate Prince Family Paper, but then finds himself in a moral dilemma when the rival turns out to be a family-owned Mom and Pop business. And they couldn’t have been nicer to Michael, who is posing as an interested prospect.

The owner of the business even gives Michael their client list.

After the “meeting”, Michael ends up having a problem with his car, and “Pop” fixes his car. While he waits, “Mom” brings him a cup of coffee.

Getting Personal

Now that there is a very human face on the competition, Michael doesn’t want to hurt these people by turning the client list over to his boss. Unfortunately, Dwight manages to take the list away from Michael after an amusing foot chase around the office and parking lot, which forces Michael to turn the list over to his boss.

Armed with the Prince Family Paper’s client list, the conventional thinking is that Dunder Mifflin can now put Prince Family Paper out of business.

Or could they?

It’s pretty easy to take a closer “look” at this situation for the customer experience perspective. It is highly likely that the companies on the Prince Family Paper client list are already aware of the larger company, Dunder Mifflin. Let’s say it’s common knowledge that the larger company’s prices are lower than the Mom and Pop operation.

So why would these companies authorize paying more to work with Prince Family Paper?

“People who need people”

Based on what we saw in the episode, my guess is that Prince Family Paper has a loyal following that values customer service over lowest prices. Like many small businesses that have a loyal following, highly personalized service is the cornerstone of their brand. Prince Family Paper understands that people do business with people. And as long as they adhere to this principle, their clients are unlikely to stray merely in pursuit of lower prices.

As we go about our sales activities, let’s keep this classic quote from American Business woman Mary Kay Ash in mind:

Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ”Make me feel important.” Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life.

What do you think – can a “Dunder Mifflin” win? Could your customers be lured away by lower prices? What are you doing to make sure your customers want to stay with you?

And, if you were armed with your competitor’s client list, what would you do?

From the “Duh” File: Brands Matter in B2B Markets

I read an article recently on a respected marketing-focused website, which I responded to like a daytime soap opera viewer: “It made me laugh, it made me cry.”

Brands matter in B2B markets. I laugh, because the notion that someone would think otherwise (or that a writer would posit this opinion with such dignity and a straight digital face) is so surprising it’s actually funny.

But I cry because this seems to indicate that there’s still a question about the value of brands. While the author made several reasonable, if not inspiring points, (“Marketplaces are constantly changing.” “Companies have to adapt to stay ahead.”) the core notion that brands need to differentiate rings absolutely true.

Brands have always mattered.

No matter what you’re selling (Coke, Cornflakes, combines or computers), there is no inherent difference in the core process of building emotional attachments to your brand.

In larger-ticket business purchases, there’s more rational support required to support that emotional buying decision, but if there’s no connection, there’s no sale.

After all, people – particularly in the B2B market – buy from people, not companies. The emotional connections that are often made in a “Blink” (Thanks, Malcolm) can be created, nurtured and grown through your brand.

Yes, brands matter in B2B. Which means that what you stand for, how you’re positioned and what your people say and do, can make or break your business. Just as it has for the last 200 years….

Listen. Your customers are speaking

You may know it. I certainly know it. But many brand experts don’t know that customers can provide you with a myriad of intriguing insights into building your brand –– and boosting your business. You just have to offer them an open channel of communications.

After all, once you’re privy to what your customers are thinking through ongoing customer research, you can truly enhance their relationship with your brand.

• After inventing the minivan 25 years ago, Chrysler approached IDEO to re-imagine the minivan.
  

  Inspired by multipurpose family rooms, Chrysler’s popular Town and Country minivan features new interior configuration concepts that allow passengers to talk, work, eat or play together in transit, shifting the minivan’s image from a human cargo vehicle to one that enables quality interactions.

  The result? At this week’s 2009 North American Auto Show, a panel of 100 consumer-minded Detroit News reader-judges — rather than industry professionals — selected the 2009 Chrysler Town & Country as the best family vehicle at the 2009 North American International Auto Show.

• General Motors is listening, too. Check out GM’s blog, FastLane:
  

  Amid growing concerns about the economy, our long-term energy security, driving cars that have less of an impact on our planet, and ever-expanding urban congestion, we all seem to be coming to the conclusion that the automobile as we know it — powered by a combustion engine — must eventually go the way of the horse and buggy. It is simply not sustainable.

These are just a few examples of being able to measure relevant customer metrics over the long-term to gain accurate, actionable results. Brand research helps you understand more about your prospects, your customers, your shareholders, and others, so you can step up your sales pitch to the loyal ones and stop wasting your money on those who aren’t as faithful.

With the right tools and the proper step-by-step guides to improve your research practices, you can more easily capture, codify and interpret information to move your marketing strategy forward.

So whether you need to present perceptual brand attributes to a data-oriented board, to make a case to extend a product line, or to justify some long-delayed pricing updates, brand research can serve as the foundation to build your case, get better mileage out of your marketing budget, and enjoy more sales.

Vanilla latte with all the fat left in it

Something really cool happened on my latest visit to my neighborhood Peet’s Coffee.

I was handed a card that entitles me to receive “any coffee drink” free. Any coffee drink!

I received a similar offer before (from another coffee place) – but it limited me to receiving only a “free small coffee.”

If I wanted a small coffee, I’ll just make it at home. It’s not enough to get my attention. I mean, I recognize they are making some sort of effort – but it’s the cheapest thing on the menu. I never order the cheapest thing on the menu.

Back to my Peet’s visit. You know why they gave me the free coffee drink card? Because they kept me “waiting” while they made my coffee. (A medium vanilla latte with “all the fat left in it, please.” This means replacing the milk with half and half.)

I didn’t even wait a long time. I waited a normal amount of time. It was a pleasant surprise to know I could come back to Peet’s anytime (before 12/31/2009) and get a free coffee drink of my choosing.

Beneath all this warm fuzziness, the marketer in me is pretty sure that everyone who “waited” for their drink that day got one of these cards. But I don’t even care! I’m just looking forward to my next medium vanilla latte with all the fat left in it.

Branding Your Brand Equity

OK, let’s face facts. Managing your brand is paramount to any business. Right?
After all, it’s the best way to boost its perceived value to your customers so you can drive brand equity, boost business growth, and increase profitability.

It was launched by the brand geniuses at Procter & Gamble in the early 1930s. But in today’s über-competitive marketplace with an increasing number of media channels ––digital, print, broadcast and mobile –– brand management is more critical than ever to product and corporate success as organizations attempt to communicate promises, build preference, and create other barriers to competition.

But brand management isn’t just about enabling multiple brands from a single company to compete in the same product category. You know that. I know that. Heck, even my kids know that with the Apple iPods or the Abercrombie & Fitch clothes they buy with their weekly allowances.

But building brand equity is even more imperative to organizations with just one single brand that must overcome the odds and out-market their competitors to create stronger bonds with their customers. This fact is key to the relationships between your divisions or product groups who are constantly cross-selling, up-selling, and trying to corral as many customers as possible within a branded family.

So whether your organization is large or small, multinational or regional, statewide or local, we are here to provide insights, guidance and counsel as you contemplate the various ways to manage –– and grow –– your brand.