Strong brands may have attractive logos and packaging, but that does not make them successful. All strong brands are built on a clear belief system. The owners of such brands know it is the value provided—which reflects the values within—that people care about and the reason they become loyal customers.
Fedex, a company that still sets the standards in its industry, and Apple, now the most valuable company in the world, became iconic brands because they consistently deliver value to those who value what they deliver. Fedex is not the cheapest but it’s the most reliable. I once lost an important speaking engagement through giving a less expensive competitor the opportunity to deliver my speaker’s package. It got to the client too late. I was told they unquestionably would have chosen me if they had received my information. To save a couple of bucks, I lost thousands of bucks. Never again.
In 2007 the then-CEO of Microsoft, Steve Ballmer, dismissed Apple’s iPhone because of its high cost and lack of a keyboard. “There’s no chance the iPhone is going to get any significant market share,” was his prediction. Microsoft recently announced it is writing off nearly $8 billion dollars it has invested in trying to compete in the mobile market. The lesson here is that Apple knows what people value before they know it themselves. And Apple doesn’t disappoint them.
One of eBay’s stated values is: “We believe people are basically good.” What is profound about this value is that eBay’s business model and its very existence rely totally on employees and users buying into this belief and living it every day. How this affects performance should be a wake-up call to any business: eBay has one of the highest customer loyalty measurements in the world.
When an organization’s values are clear, they are shared with those within the organization and modeled by its leadership. The result of that clarity, commitment, and alignment is that customers respond and relate to those values on a positive, emotional level and come back time and time again.
Similarly, if you reflect upon an individual you respect and to whom you respond on a positive emotional level, you will notice that their influence on you is based on much more than their position, the way they look, or the car they drive. Ultimately, it is their values and the value they consistently provide to you—professionally or personally—that makes them stand out from the crowd.
A brand, therefore, whether it is a business brand or personal brand, starts to become strong when leaders or individuals decide on what they believe in and commit to acting on those beliefs.
“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what people say. I just watch what they do.”
—Andrew Carnegie
David McNally, CPAE, is the CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of TransForm Corporation (http://www.transformcorp.com). Elected to the Speakers Hall of Fame by the National Speakers Association (NSA), McNally is the author of the bestselling books, “Even Eagles Need a Push—Learning to Soar in a Changing World,” “The Eagle’s Secret—Success Strategies for Thriving at Work and in Life,” and “The Push—Unleashing the Power of Encouragement.” His co-authored book, “Be Your OWN Brand,” is used by many business schools to address the importance of building a strong personal brand. McNally’s books have been translated into 12 different languages and developed into corporate training programs that have been released in more than 20 countries. TransForm works with organizations to develop purposeful leaders who build inspired organizations and iconic brands. Clients include Ameriprise, Areva, Conway, Delta Airlines, Pulte Homes, and Thrivent. For more information, visit www.davidmcnally.com or e-mail info@transformcorp.com.
