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:
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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