Having a faceless company will make yours just like everyone else’s. There is one perfect example of how personifying your brand can pave the way for major success – look at Sir Richard Branson and the Virgin brand – he is integrally involved in the Virgin concept – and his easy going friendly ethos is exemplified in how Virgin is perceived.
A great mentor of mine, Nigel Botterill, when I started my big push with the Diamond brand, basically told me by creating Brand Kate I would leap frog my company in front of the competition. Now once upon a time (believe it or not) I would have happily been the equivalent of the Wizard of Oz – tapping away on my computer screen behind a curtain. But in order to push my company towards the stratosphere we needed to start creating the personality of the company and find a way to push those ethics and values into the limelight. And Brand Kate was a viable way to gain quick traction.
Here’s the top 3 points that helped;
Strong Values
Our ‘Shared Success’ philosophy provides the backbone to everything we do here at Diamond. It means a partnership – with Clients, Suppliers, our team here at HQ and our Franchises. We focus on mutually beneficial agreements which mean our business relationships are win win. We recruit in this vein, we purchase in this vein, and we supply in this vein – and this Shared Success stamp goes on everything we do.
It is the COMPLETE opposite of many UK businesses and distinguishes ourselves from the competition. It makes decision making easy – either it contributes to or pulls away from ‘Shared Success’ and if it is the later, we don’t do it. It’s very simple, easy to communicate, and EVERYBODY we work with understands it.
Be different.
I have a major advantage in being a girl. Particularly in transport. Now there are 50% of you out there that can’t do anything about this element (except perhaps at the weekends!!) but the point is I am something different in this industry. And EVERYONE can find something about themselves to stand out for. Whether it’s your mission statement, your commitment to charity, your support of others – there are ways and means of distinguishing yourself. We are all as unique as our thumb print – so find a way to stand apart from the competition and shout about it.
Have substance
Both the above points are absolutely useless unless you act, behave and have the track record that supports this. I have 22 years of service delivery, a successful multi-site operation that delivers its promises every day and a reputation for being honest. There is a degree of longevity needed in this – which makes it difficult for start-ups. This can be overcome by using past experience in other ventures to reassure your potential audience of the substance you have accrued elsewhere. Track record, testimonials, and reputation are invaluable.