| "body"> | | | | create the end-product for your customers. |
| Nearly every small business needs a Brand Check Up. | | | | Get the Brand Check-Up in the hands of the man |
| Certainly most of your competitors do, but most | | | | that sweeps your floors and the woman that cleans |
| won't invest the time and effort. Here's your chance | | | | your bathroom. Give it to the person that handles |
| to pull way ahead of them. Remember, successful | | | | the bookkeeping and the person who locks up every |
| small business marketing can be understood as a | | | | night. If you outsource some of these functions then |
| triangle containing three essential elements: Brand, | | | | ask the company you contract the work with to fill |
| Package, and People. | | | | out your Brand Check Up. |
| Brand is your company's identity. But as a small | | | | Remember--no comparing notes. Some of you small |
| business owner your view of your company is just | | | | business owners may need to tell your employees |
| too intimate to be objective. You need to pull | | | | that nobody's being tested. |
| together the view of others both outside and inside | | | | Gather these completed surveys and then tally up |
| your company. | | | | your scores. There's no right or wrong here; no |
| Below are 15 words. Please circle the top 3 that | | | | master answer key locked inside the teacher's desk. |
| describe your business: | | | | Just see what your employees and maybe even |
| Quality, Caring, Value, Speed, Cheap, Fair, Good, Fast, | | | | some of your vendors think about your company. |
| Dependable, Expensive, Friendly, Loyal, On-Time, | | | | Next, get this survey in front of twenty or thirty or |
| Convenient, Honest. | | | | forty of your customers. Again, the goal is to collect |
| Okay, after you list your top three, then it's time to | | | | a random sampling, but the main thing is to just make |
| get this list in front of your customers in the form of | | | | sure you get the surveys completed. |
| a survey. A half-sheet of paper with big, legible type | | | | Then, compare the answers. Where do the |
| works wonders. Wording can be optional, but a | | | | customers agree with each other? Where do they |
| suggestion is: "Please help rate us. Circle the top three | | | | agree with your employees? Where do the two |
| of the following words that describe our company." | | | | groups disagree? Remember, this is only a start; a |
| Oh, and don't forget to supply a pencil. | | | | place you can build from. Like any good check up, |
| But before you send it out to the customers, do | | | | the Brand Check Up will be part of an on-going |
| something your competitors never would dream | | | | process in keeping your small business healthy. |
| of--discover the "view from the inside". Distribute this | | | | Remember, that Brand Banner you want everybody |
| Brand Check Up to five or ten of your employees. | | | | to carry for you? This quick survey exercise will |
| Please make sure they don't compare notes with | | | | provide you a snapshot of what it looks like, right |
| each other. Also, it's wise to select as random a | | | | now. |
| sample of your employees as possible. Don't just limit | | | | A Brand Check-Up doesn't need to be involved or |
| it to management and supervisors. And, your Brand | | | | expensive. Look for 80/20 results, gather business |
| Check Up won't be accurate if you only hand it out | | | | intelligence about your small company, and then use |
| to sales and customer service. Put this survey in the | | | | this new awareness of your company's Brand as you |
| hands of some of your staff who don't typically | | | | move forward with your marketing. Knowledge is |
| have front-line customer contact. These people are | | | | power; power you can use to out-market your |
| ultimately responsible for client satisfaction; they | | | | competitors. |