Your 24/7 Branding Guide
by: Karen Scharf, Small Business Marketing
ShareI’m going to share a true, short story in order to set up today’s marketing tip. Bear with me here. All of the names have been changed to protect the ignorant:
My friend Brian is a corporate trainer for a relatively large, nationally-known, service company. He travels all over providing on-site training to the organization’s employees. And, because his training classes last the entire day, he usually takes “his students” out for lunch half-way through the day.
The classes generally take lunch breaks at the same locations al the time, just to make it quick and convenient. About 20 or so students, all wearing golf shirts with an embroidered company logo, pile into the local restaurant. It’s always very obvious that the group in from the XYZ Corporation.
Well, the other day, after Brian submitted his expense statement, he was “reprimanded” by his boss for leaving such large tips. Brian ordinarily leaves at least a 20% tip, pretty standard for groups his size. Apparently, his accounting department felt that was excessive, and he was told to leave smaller tips in the future.
Talk about stepping over dollars to pick up pennies! The XYZ Corporation is more concerned with the few extra bucks in a tip than they are in their branding and reputation. Remember, the entire lunch group was wearing their company logo across their chests. There was no mistaking that this group belonged to the XYZ Corporation.
Let’s take a look at what will happen in the future: During their next class, Brian and 19 other XYZ employees will pile into this local restaurant. The waitress will groan a little when she sees this large, motley group. But she will, no doubt, provide them with excellent service. Brian will leave a less-than-stellar tip, as mandated by his accounting department.
As the group walks out the door, the waitress will scoop her paltry tip off the table. She’ll immediately look under the crumbled napkins, looking for the rest of it. She’ll quickly glance under the table; maybe a few of the dollar bills floated to the floor as the guys were scooting out of the booth. She’ll be astounded and insulted when she realizes, there is no more.
The busboy scurries in behind her to clear the table. “Can you believe what these guys did?” the waitress fights back her disgust as she tells the busboy about her measly tip. The busboy’s eyes bulge, “No way!” He grabs the arm of another waitress walking by, “Hey, remember that party from the XYZ Corp that sat at this table? Guess what they did…”
Before you know it, the entire restaurant is buzzing with the news of the waitress who got stiffed on her tip. And believe me, they’re not saying “Wow, the XYZ Corp must be very diligent in their accounting procedures. I should consider taking my business to them!”
What does stiffing the waitress on her tip say about XYZ Corp? That they don’t value service providers? That’s a pretty bad impression to leave, especially since they’re service providers themselves! That the XYZ Corp employees are just plain jerks? Who in the world wants to do business with jerks? That XYZ Corp is in financial trouble? The last thing anyone wants to do is start using a service provider who is about to fail.
So maybe XYZ will save $3 on each future tip, but what it will cost them in the long run will probably be detrimental to their business.
Okay, enough ranting. What in the world does this have to do with your business? I’ll bet if you look hard enough (maybe not even all that hard) you can find several instances where you’re stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. It’s time to take a very objective look at not only your business life, but your personal life as well:
Look At Your Business Card
Are you using one of those free printing services that plasters their advertising on the back of your card? Don’t want to spend the money necessary to have a quality card designed and printed? What is that saying about your business?
Take A Look At Your Marketing Collateral
Are you using the same, tired, stock photography that a gazillion other businesses are also using? The same photography that appears in every blog, web site and power point presentation around the globe? What is that saying about your business?
Review Your Printed Materials
Do you use the cheapest, 20-pound, low-bright paper you can find. What is that saying about your business?
Look At Your Vehicle
Do you proudly display your company name and web address on a window decal, yet your car is covered in road grime because you won’t pony up the $14 for a car wash? What is that saying about your business?
What About Your Personal Appearance
You know that old saying “You can’t judge a book by its cover”? Well, forget it. The truth is, we DO make subliminal, snap judgments each and every time we see someone. Take an objective look at the little details about your personal appearance. Is your wardrobe out of date? Is your haircut a little shabby? Do your shoes need to be polished? What is that saying about your business?
What Does Your Office Look Like?
Even if you never have clients into your office, you still have to deal with the postman and the delivery driver and vendors, etc. Reputations travel fast. Is your desk in shambles? Does the carpet need to be vacuumed? Is the furniture dusty? What does that say about your business?
People – and that includes your prospects, your customers, your vendors, your employees – want to be aligned with success. And it’s the little details about your business that create the subliminal message of success. You might think you’re saving a few dollars here and there by not buying a car wash, by cutting your cleaning crew down to once a month, by only leaving a 15% tip, but in reality, you’re costing yourself business!
Action Item
Create a list of at least three ways you’ve been stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. Brainstorm a few quick and cost-effective methods for eliminating these barriers from your business.
Not sure what to say when you meet a prospect or media contact? This easy to use program can help you craft an alluring introduction in no time at all.
Now, go find some more clients!
Karen Scharf
April 1st, 2009 at 2:55 am
Good piece.