Put down that glowing red hot poker, and welcome to the inaugural Branded! blog. As in many endeavours in our lives, I wish I had started this enterprise earlier. My motivation at this time is ultimately to gain employment, but at the same time share my idea that it will be of benefit to all of us working stiffs- blue or white collar, newly employed or richly experienced- to establish a personal brand. As many of us have found out the hard way, attaching our loyalty to a company or business organization that is not our own is a one way street. Productivity in the US is way up, which means business will hire less people until growth outstrips productivity gains. In our current economy, overall growth is anemic, so people with talents like you and I, who could genuinely help a business, sit on the bench. So how do we move ourselves from the nine out of one hundred (approximate national unemployment rate) collecting a check from the state to collecting a paycheck from a company in return for our contribution to their bottom line? In today's realities, I believe it starts with a personal brand.
The term "branding" has not always had positive associations. Like me, you may remember the classic Chuck Connors show Branded which ran in the mid-60's, where as the sole survivor of a massacre, Connors is unjustly accused of cowardice and court martialed. He is stripped of his rank and kicked out of the Union Army, to seek personal redemption in the West. Brands can show ownership (e.g., cattle) or stigma (e.g., criminals in more medieval socities). However, negative associations with branding are in the past.
I distinctly remember my first encounter with personal branding. I was walking to class at my alma mater, Georgia Tech, when a 6'5" offensive lineman walked by with a huge Greek letter omega nearly covering his 20 inch bicep. I was intrigued, and later found he was a member of the esteemed black fraternity, Omega Psi Phi . What a powerful statement that brand makes! I want to establish a brand like this for myself, with the concomitant strength and unique identification (but without the mind numbing pain that I am sure was part of the process.)
When I was replaced at my last job, where I worked as a branch manager for a regional HVAC parts wholesaler, I told the company president that he was diluting his brand. We had worked hard in the Norfolk branch to create a space that would differentiate us from the six or so competitors with a square mile. What made us different from the competition? In other words, what constituted our brand? Foremost, when you walked through the door, we wanted your expectations exceeded. We were dogged in our customer service. If one of our team let go, the other was there to carry on. In the hectic daily business of a supply house, we always had time for special requests, rush deliveries, and research. We offered 24/7 service at no additional charge. Not virtual service, but call us anytime on my personal cell phone and we will get the part from the branch, or expedite from another location. You need a warranty part delivered on a Saturday to the job? No problem. In one of my favorite stories of personal aggrandizement, not long before I was downsized, I delivered a part to a customer and with it a large bottle of Nyquil for his flu-ridden wife. This was not a difficult decision, as taking care of customers comes naturally.
We offered a professional, non-smoking environment, where boisterous banter never got personal or overheated. I used to tell everyone we wanted to be the Cheers of the area supply houses. We offered at cost snacks and sodas. We frequently fed our customers, sometimes breakfast, sometimes lunch. We offered a book exchange. These efforts were organic, evolved over time, and were made to drive business. And guess what...it worked! We had a record sales year in 2010, up over 20 percent the previous year, with a slight increase in gross profit percentage, so the branch made a lot of money.
The foundation for my brand is customer service. I want to solve problems in an efficient, pleasant manner, and leave the customer anxious to return for more of the same. It gives me a sense of satisfaction and pride.
Until next time, thanks a lot for reading. Much more to come, and your comments are always appreciated!
SH
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