Views from the Hills by R. E. Stevens, GENESIS II (The Second Beginning) E-Mail views@aol.com
Giving our brands the same respect we ask others to give us
Have you ever taken the time to compare the benefits you bring to your employer
with the benefits your brand brings tot he consumer? After all, we are
selling our services to our employer while we are selling our brands to the
consumer. Do we take a different approach to the selling of our brand
and ourselves? I think so, consider the following.
If our brand is not selling fast enough, we hold a SALE and sell it at a
reduced cost. When times are slow at work, do we go to our employer
and offer to work for LESS MONEY? I doubt it.
When a person purchases our brands in volume, we sell them at a REDUCED
RATE. But when our employer asks us to increase our work time, we expect
PREMIUM PAY.
There seems to be a negative correlation at work. Is it that we think
too much of ourselves or that we do not value our brands?
I am not promoting:
giving up on sales
giving up on volume discounts
giving up over-time pay
instituting variable pay
Maybe I am saying we should develop brands in our own image. Maybe
create brands that are truly distinctive. Maybe create brands that serve
a real purpose, a purpose that is valued. Brands that rely on frequent
promotions are brands that have nothing special to offer the consumer. Quality
and price are relative terms. It is only when there is no REAL added
value that price comes into play.
I use the term Quality loosely. Quality comes in many forms ranging
from workmanship, components and meeting the functional need. Maybe
the real term is not Quality but VALUE. Or is the term really "VALUABLE,"
that is, valuable in the eyes of the consumer, jut as we expect to be seen
in the eyes of our employer?
We need to give our brands the respect they deserve. We do preventative
maintenance on our cars. We invest in the upkeep of our homes. We
invest in making ourselves more valuable. What have we done lately for
our brands?
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