I know someone who absolutely loves her job. LOVES it. Even though she’d appear to be in one of the most boring industrues known to man, she talks about customer relationships, and solving problems, and being mentored by her boss. She’s like those ITT Tech commercials, where the graduate talks about how their new career has changed their life, given their family hope for a brighter future, enabled him or her to be the best he or she can be. I chuckle when I watch these commercials, because – on the outside – it looks like this person has just settled into another soul-sucking cubicle gig. But you can’t help but admire the pride in their work, the loyalty to their company and how they are truly the best brand ambasssador for which the firm could ever ask.
B2B companies especially really can suck the creative life out of you. Especially since many of them don’t give a lick about branding or connecting with customers. “We sell a product with more widgets than our competitors at the best price,” they boast. And the conversation and connection stops there.
But this recent post talks about this sad truth and how it can bite a company in the end. If the human beings making the purchase decision don’t understand what the brands of their suppliers really stand for, they might be in for a world of pain. It’s all fun and games to save as much money as possible or make the lowest-common denominator decisions until someone loses an eye – or a lawsuit.
What does your brand stand for? Why does your company exist? Do you go around talking about how your company saves lives, makes the air cleaner, supports sending employees to school, gives money to worthy causes or contributes to the local community? No? Maybe you need to rethink your mission and find your brand’s passion – or more importantly, rethink what ensures that your employees, partners and customers will jump up out of bed every morning and sing your praises.
It’s not enough for people to recommend your business or services when they are asked. You need to ensure they can’t wait to practively share – at their next cocktail party or in their next Tweet – something you do that utterly delights them and makes them proud to be part of your tribe.
