A few years ago, I was faced with a big decision. Take the pre-sales job offering me a relocation (back) to Brussels or the IT strategy role working for the company that was shortly to become Virgin Media.
For those that know what happened next, you may not be surprised to hear me say, I chose Virgin Media. Not because I was attracted by Sir Richard Branson per se, but rather because of what he stood for and what his Brand stood for. Having spent seven years dedicated to improving the customer experience we were delivering and making a real difference to the lives of many hundreds of thousands of people, I can say it was certainly the right choice.
Putting your employees first, so they in turn can take care of your customers, who in turn will help you keep your shareholders happy appealed to me at a fundamental level.
So, today, I want to ask you: what does your Brand promise? What do you stand for? What’s the ethos behind what you do?
This kind of soul-searching, which a company needs to do from time to time helps you gain real clarity of purpose. It helps you to understand and be able to articulate who you are trying to attract – both in terms of staff for your team, but also clients. And why!
Also, it’s really important to realise your brand promise, which you put out there in your marketing and advertising, plays an important role in setting your customers’ expectations too.
Aldi, the German supermarket giant promises: “We promise our customers quality products at the best possible price.” Very clear. Aldi really does deliver on that promise. I remember fondly the weekly shop my best friend Andy and I used to do when we were living on a pittance at University in Germany. Good quality products, affordable prices and lightening fast checkout staff. To this day, I’ve never experienced anything like that. They would pick an item off the conveyor belt, enter the price (from memory) and put the item down in the bagging area for you in a flash – literally!
Another prominent name on the UK high street, John Lewis has the leitmotif of “Never knowingly undersold“, placing quality, price and service front and centre of everything they do. They are renowned for their excellent range of products, competitive pricing and staff that genuinely care about you.
So, here’s the thing. How well does your business connect with your brand promise? Is your brand promise public knowledge? Do each and every one of your employees know and (more importantly) believe what you stand for?
Please leave a comment below and do join the discussion on Twitter. Remember to use the hashtag: #CHA30DayChallenge
Thanks for stopping by and see you for more tomorrow friends!
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