Talking about branding is like talking about leadership. There are coaches and courses which purport to “teach” leadership, but as we all sense – that’s why we want so badly to learn it – leadership comes from character and inner qualities. It’s an extension of beliefs and values
person holds and then acts out in their life, an integral part of their personality. You can’t pick up “character” in a seminar. It comes from years of reading, work on yourself, exposure to great literature, great art and great people, and plain out experience. Leadership isn’t going to a seminar and coming back saying, “Let’s do a mission statement,” it’s being so devoted to mission yourself others can’t wait to get around you, find out what it is, and partake of it. Leaders lead because other people want to follow them. There’s no other reason. Not paycheck, not stick … just that feeling when we get with someone – “Hey, I want to go where they’re going. Count me in!”
Leadership isn’t a surface thing, and neither is branding. It’s what you stand for, your personality. It’s your soul and what you’re about.
Fiddling around with your logo and business card are superficial things. They make an impression on your consumer, yes, but they don’t have power; they only have “veto” power. No one ever booked your services because of your business card, but someone may have vetoed you because of it. There are some terrible business cards out there, and people DO form immediate and initial impressions. I’m thinking of therapist I know who – believe it or not – has a neon fuschia business card. This is not person I want doing therapy on me or anyone I know.
On other hand, I never looked at an attorney’s business card – they’re all same, even same font – and said, “This is man I want to represent me in court.”
The way you get your brand across is projecting your personality – who you ARE – in every aspect of your business. What your webpage looks like, wording, inclusion of quotes or not, graphics, way you handle your customers, how well you deliver products, promises and services. Your products and your style. We bond with businesses same way we do with people – through their personalities.
When I think about Dave, God rest his soul in peace, and Wendy’s, I think ‘just a comfortable place to be.’ Actually I knew Dave, our kids played soccer together, and he was just same way in person as he was on t.v. screen. Now THAT’S branding.
Branding means starting with your values and beliefs, projecting these into everything you do, and going forward from there.
EXAMPLE
When I went into coaching, I did so because I wanted to help people, but in my own way, according to my beliefs and values. Coaching is not therapy, but one thing that frustrates me about therapy is tight scheduling. You can be in middle of “And then man put a knife against my throat…” and your session is over.
