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A version of this article first appeared in MBNews in November, 2014.
Now that I have teenagers, I have a new respect for my parents. I know I made their parenting journey difficult- they tell me all the time! From a young age I have had a strong sense of exactly what I want to do and how I want to do it. Of course, that strong willed attitude gave my parents plenty of reason to worry.
I recall one particular evening when my father had had enough of my attitude. He sat me down and told me he was going to gift me with a piece of valuable advice. At the time I was not exactly excited to receive “the gift of advice”. But, as it turns out, I have held onto it as valuable all these years.
Perception Is Everything
“You are as you are perceived to be,” my father wisely stated.
“That makes no sense,” I snapped as I rolled my eyes and challenged him in disgust.
If he were frustrated with me, he didn’t show it. Instead he calmly repeated himself and grounded me from any and all fun until I could explain to him, with a legit example, of how this concept was true.
Now, I will say, I am just as stubborn as my father. And I don’t recall how long I chose to remain grounded before finally caving and admitting that his point was, indeed, true. Little did my fifteen-year-old self know when I finally caved, that dear old dad’s sage piece of advice would stick with me both personally and professionally for decades yet to come.
“You are as you are perceived to be.”
“Your business is as it is perceived to be.”
In other words, “Brand wisely”.
Brand Wisely
As a small business owner you have likely gone to great lengths to choose the right logo, the right look in your showroom, the right dress code for your staff and the right marketing materials.
In fact, you may have even gone to the trouble of finding the right “tone” for your customer communication points such as letters, social media posts and more.
But, why?
Because you want your clients to have a certain perception about you and your business. In other words, you want your clients’ collective opinion regarding your business to align with the opinion you intended to create.
And you do that by branding wisely. By creating perception.
What is Perception?
/pərˈsepSH(ə)n/
noun
Perception (from the Latin perception) is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information, or the environment.
Creating Perception
Branding is nothing more than creating perception. It is deciding how you want your business to be perceived and then creating a plan to accomplish it.
While the idea of re-branding sounds overwhelming, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, the best way to start re-branding your business is by following these two essential tips.
Tip #1: First Impression
We all know that first impressions are incredibly important. If both the store atmosphere and your personnel appear sloppy and disorganized, the client will perceive your business as such.
Conversely, if your store and personnel appear to be expensive, the client will perceive your business as such.
So, when thinking through re-branding your business, it is important to have a clear vision of what the client’s first impression of your business should be.
Tip #2: Start With Yourself
The thought of branding or re-branding your business may sound overwhelming. But it is made easier if you start with yourself.
As the business owner or manager you are the face of your business. And, because the “tone starts at the top”, it needs to start with you. Things such as the way you dress, the way you speak and the way you interact in front of clients are crucial. Think through them and determine where you can make changes to better support the impression you wish to make.
After you have identified the changes you need to make, experiment with them and see what works. Slowly you will find the right mix and create the first impressions you intended to create.
Change One Thing Today
In the spirit of starting small, what is one thing you can change TODAY that will help create your intended perception? Is it the way you greet a walk in client? Or maybe it’s the signature on your email? No matter what it is, identify one small thing each day and challenge yourself to change it. You won’t regret that you did!
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