The reason service plays such a huge role in brand building can be best answered by starting with the basics. First my definition of a brand is simply two words:  the Promise and the Experience.  The Promise is everything you use to telegraph who you are, what you do, how you do it and how much the people you serve will love what you offer. It’s your website, social media; advertising; public relations; business cards; even you and your team’s attire, grooming, attitude etc. These things and the many others that precede you leave impressions whether you know it or not. One question worth asking is, are they leaving the impressions you want? If they aren’t then some Promise work is in order.

The Experience is the follow through on that promise. It’s your product or service, it’s the sales process, the customer service process, the technical support process, the billing process, along with the attitude, the tone the personality of the people you employ. It’s every interaction you and the others in your company have with the people you serve or wish to serve. If you are promising the moon and the sky, but delivering something short of that, then Experience work is in order.

Experiences can happen anywhere and everywhere. Cold Stone Creamery was my client for many years and based on the brand platform, the company was in the “Making People Happy Business.” I would often travel visiting franchisees as part our branding work. I would carry a Cold Stone Creamery briefcase and invariably someone would see it and say, “Hey, Cold Stone! I love Cold Stone!” In those days we encouraged everyone associated with the brand to give people who “showed the love” a Free Creation certificate right on the spot.

So I’d say, “Thanks!” or “Cold Stone loves you too!” and give the fan a free creation. It was a little thing, but imagine what a big thing it is to an airport security check-point worker who mostly deals with people at their worst. Imagine the unexpected surprise and the inevitable conversations that took place about this one little act of generosity.What I just described is a “moment,” a small instance of time, unexpected, that makes someone feel special. Moments generally don’t cost much, they just take understanding and creativity to first discover the company’s genuine brand, and how it is meaningful to the people the company serves and then how to make it different from the competitors. These three words: genuine, meaningful and different are the key to great brand moments that are unforgettable and get people talking. And it’s all that talk that creates buzz and buzz is what builds what we call breakthrough brands.

During the session, I showed attendees how to use our proprietary tool called Moments™ Maps. When HEASLEY&PARTNERS works with a company to build the Experience side of the branding equation, we develop Moments Maps to identify the right moments and infuse them into the sales, service, support, or whatever processes a company wants to bring to life. For most companies, that’s all of them.

The foundation for all of this is HEASLEY&PARTNERS’ Heart & Mind^® Branding, a five-stage process that takes a company from brand creation to brand planning to full execution. Through this process, businesses and people can finally connect heart-to-heart with the people they wish to serve. The heart is where buying decisions are made, after all. We put the “why” behind the “what” and systematize it so companies win through more engaged workforce, less employee turnover, increased productivity, more leads, happier customers, more referrals and increased sales and profits. This is the closest thing I know to a silver bullet in business and it took me decades to bring it to life. Lucky for you, it’s here now.

What is branding? Heart & Mind® Branding.

I belong to two movie club sites (gofobo and txtmovieclub) so I get the inside track on free local movie screenings.  Last week I went to a screening at the newly remodeled AMC Esplanade where I had the unforgettable “brand” experience of seeing a movie in a soft leather chair that reclined while eating a prime rib sandwich and parmesan fries both of which melted in my mouth.  When I was finished eating, my server brought me a hot, moist towelette to wipe my hands and a side of popcorn drizzled with what I think was white chocolate.  It was dark and all I knew was it was tasty.  As I exited the theatre the attendants wished me a nice day and offered me Ghiradelli wrapped chocolates from their silver platters.  I walked away with my  jaw literally on the ground.

After my AMC Dine-In Theater experience, you can imagine my excitement to learn about their “Free Movies for a Year” Giveaway to kickoff their grand opening.  I read about it on the movie club’s Facebook page; but, I also noticed this incredible offer was posted a number of places online. You can bet I was not going to miss out on this opportunity.  All I had to do was be one of the first 100 guests who dressed up as their favorite movie star or celebrity and they’d give me 24 free admission tickets and 12 free appetizers!  Check-in was at 6am, tickets at 8am, right in time for the morning news coverage.

I set my alarm for 5 am praying that a 30-minute lead time before check-in would be enough.  Well, as if it was the night before Christmas, I woke up repeatedly with excitement and nervousness. “What if I miss out?” “What if I get there too late?”  At 1:15am I decided to just give in and head to the theatre.

Understand, I have spent hours camped out in lines…Big REI member-only sales and iPhone & iPad launches, so you might say I am an experienced “waiter.” I have the drill down: Camping chair?  Check. Laptop? Check. iPhone, iPad and water? Check, check, check.  Oh, and let’s not forget the costume…

Not that Mary Lou Retton is my favorite celebrity, but I had some criteria and some advantages for making that choice. First I needed something comfortable and cool since it was after all, 2 am and believe it or not, still 90 degrees in Phoenix. I had the perfect blue & white lightweight comfort-wear and I’m built for the part–I stand a towering 5 feet.  With anxiousness I arrived at the theatre parking deck and noticed a few cars but certainly not 100, so I was hopeful.  I gathered my goods and headed to the theatre.

When I arrived I was SHOCKED! I was number 11 in line!  How could this be?  Didn’t the other moviegoers and lovers of awesome FREE things see this offer?  By 6 am we were moved downstairs where we were greeted by the press who of course were hoping for a larger turnout for their TV segments.  By 7:30 only 60 people waited in line.  I actually felt sad for AMC and for the people who missed out on this great opportunity. I texted everyone I knew and screamed on Facebook, “GET DOWN HERE!”

When I got to work, treasure in hand, I shared my story with the HEASLEY&PARTNERS team and of course we discussed how this whole episode fit with Heart & Mind^® Branding.  Here was a company that offered up a great movie experience and they staged a worthy promotion to build business. The problem was, unless you already knew how great the experience was the likelihood of you using your “treasure” also known as “sleep time,” to get some FREE tickets was pretty slim. Without the Experience, the Promise of FREE had little value.

At HEASLEY&PARTNERS, we define a brand as the Promise + The Experience. My story shows how important it is, as marketers, to make sure they work together.  I knew how great the experience was at this theatre, so I valued the FREE promise.  The theatre got news coverage out of the promotion and certainly that was an objective, so they scored there. But if their mission was to gain more trial, they did hit their 100 mark–eventually more people showed up once the news aired the story. But the point is, “the experience” is critical to brand success, even when you’re giving stuff away for FREE.  AMC won my heart with the experience first…then the promise. So there’s your answer!

What is branding? Heart & Mind® Branding.

Look at history, conflict has and will always be, the catalyst for change.  Change in most cases which is long overdue.  It’s been my experience that conflicts most often arise over differences in goals, methods and beliefs.  And the pain we feel during a conflict is actually within ourselves.  We want to get our way, but at the same time… we want to preserve the relationship with the other person.  Our fear, another important aspect of conflict is that we can’t have both.  We’ll have to choose between our “way” and the relationship and in that is our pain.

But in truth, we can make the best of a conflict situation and come out a winner.  Once you understand a few key principles, you’ll view conflicts not as things to be avoided, but as opportunities to build and grow your relationships with others, strengthen your own character and develop better outcomes and growth within your organization. 

• The first principle: Conflicts are cyclical.  By that I mean that when you start feeling uncomfortable, like a conflict is brewing, don’t deny it.  Do that and it will get worse.  Think about it; we are all the same.  First we try to talk ourselves out of feeling that initial twinge of conflict.  We let it pass, hoping it will just go away.  But it doesn’t so we start thinking that maybe it is us.  We’re the ones making a big deal out of nothing.  After that doesn’t work, then we succumb and think it can’t be us, it’s the other person.  From there we start to heat up and build our case.  At this point we may be giving the other person the cold shoulder.  We may be short or curt in our responses.  We may even avoid the person altogether.  Eventually, this leads to a full blown confrontation.  It can be a screaming match or it can be more subdued, but in either case, it’s two opposing sides going after each other usually about anything but the real issue.  Ultimately, after the clash is some sort of resolution.  It can be a kiss and make up or it can be we’re going our separate ways.  If the root of the conflict isn’t really resolved, the cycle will start over again.

• The second principle: The sooner you can address a conflict, the more effective your outcome will be.  Why?  Because the earlier we are in the conflict cycle the more rational we are.  We haven’t vilified our opponent, yet.  Actually, early in the conflict, we don’t even consider the other person an opponent at all.  The last place you want to address a conflict is during a confrontation.  That’s when our emotions are highest and we’ll have the most difficult time remaining calm and speaking purposefully.

• The third principle: The secret to effective conflict management is effective communication.  Many people profess that the best thing you can do in a conflict situation is let the other person speak their peace and avoid the temptation to speak yours until the other person is done.  But what if you are the other person?  Follow that practice and it sounds like you have a license to just spout off.  Well, unfortunately, if you want a good outcome, one that preserves the relationship, you don’t have that license.  And, good thing.  Because there is no guarantee that the other person has read the article that says, ‘listen intently and respectfully until the other person is done venting.’  So what do you do?  You speak with purpose and you speak about yourself, not the other person.  Think of it this way, you start your sentences with “I,” not with “you.”  “You” puts the communication and you in blame mode.  “I” puts you in feeling mode and when it comes to conflict, it’s all about sharing your feelings, your perceptions, your wants for yourself, your desired outcomes for the other person and the organization, and what you are willing to do to have a good resolution.

• The fourth principle: Conflict communications requires purposeful language. In fact, when sharing your feelings and perceptions, word choice is everything.  A good choice is a sentence like “I heard you; you are unhappy with my decision.”  A bad choice is “You obviously are unhappy with my decision, you always have a problem with what I do.”  The first option is empathetic.  The second is passive aggressive, blame filled and globalizes the issue.  Those are three no-no’s.  Other conflict communication don’ts include the language of martyrdom:  “That’s okay.  I’m used to being slammed by you every time I make a decision.”  The no-no’s there:  “A stance of suffering, globalization and blame.”

• The fifth principle: Plan your conflict communication, then talk.  I never enter into a conflict discussion without planning exactly what I am going to say.  I write my thoughts down and not only is the exercise helpful during the conflict, it is clarifying.  It helps me get to the heart of exactly what is bothering me.  When planning your communication, ask and answer these questions:  What am I sensing or experiencing around the issue?  How does it make me feel?  What do I want for myself?  What do I want for you?  What am I willing to do to achieve this outcome?

Conflict is a unique communication challenge.  But once you understand that conflict is inevitable, that it is an important catalyst to change and progress and once you know how to manage it, you can master it.  It just takes understanding, technique and practice and you’ll never avoid conflict again.

What is branding? Heart & Mind® Branding.

The reality is that word-of-mouth marketing happens whether your boss believes in it or not. In fact, people will talk about your brand–good or bad.  That’s the way it’s always been and the way it always will be. Why? Because we are human and with that comes all our human tendencies to want to communicate. So let’s agree that word-of-mouth marketing is happening regardless of whether we believe in it or not. Doesn’t it make sense then to add strategies to guide what people are saying into your marketing plan? Of course it does.

So what kinds of word-of-mouth tactics work? Here’s my list. Feel free to comment and add your own tried and true methods. Just remember, the tactics must be Genuine, Meaningful and Different. No gimmicks that are “off brand,” please, for the sake of earning chatter

Word-of-mouth tactics that work

Build your business on extraordinary service – I just experienced this today. I bought my husband a Sekonda Expose watch while in England a month ago. For some strange reason, it stopped working. I contacted Sekonda and they are sending a replacement from the UK (with their sincere apologies) at no cost to me.  That’s extraordinary service.

Align with a cause – I was at an event recently and the speaker was talking about the power of relationships in building business.  He asked, how many of us had seen a Geico TV commercial. All 400 of us raised our hands. He asked, how many of us have Geico insurance. About eight people raised their hands. Not good. Then he asked how many of us ever heard of Girl Scout Cookies. We all raised our hands. (You know where I’m going…) When he asked how many of us buy Girl Scout Cookies, nearly every hand in the room was up. Case closed.

Make people laugh – My only answer to this is…”Hello, ladies.  I’m the man your man could smell like.” Of course I’m talking about the Old Spice campaign that has created more word-of-mouth buzz than just about any other in recent years. And did you hear, sales of Old Spice have doubled since the spots hit YouTube.

Create unforgettable “moments” – If making people laugh isn’t part of your brand story, then make them talk about you through “moments.”  It’s easier than you think. If you first understand that “moments” are the language of the heart and that we buy with our emotions, then you’ll see the connection. Even if you have no budget for this, you can create a “moment” by doing one simple no-cost thing:  making everyone you meet know they are special in your eyes.  We all want that in life, and it happens so seldom.

Find the hubs – It’s not that everyone doesn’t do some talking about their likes and dislikes with a product or service, it’s just that some do more talking and are more influential than others.  Your job is to seek out the ones who not only talk more, but who have more connections.  You’re also looking for people who bind different groups–connectors you might call them.  These are influencers who can leap frog your brand exponentially overnight.  Who’s the grand dame of all hubs?  Oprah of course.  But if you can’t get on Oprah, look a little closer to home, every town has influencers with lots of connections and lots to say.

Of course whatever you do, understand that word-of-mouth can take some time to build. And like any marketing you do, you must sustain it.  Too often people quit before they get any momentum. Recognize that we are trying to move people to action. And oh, are we stubborn! We don’t like change and we are slow to act without a tantalizing call to action.  That leads to my final comment.  There are no silver bullets.  Word-of-mouth is the best form of marketing money can’t buy, but it is even more effective when integrated with solid PR, online, advertising–a fully branded campaign that includes all the tactics that make you look formidable, credible, and trustworthy.  So go for it buzz-builders! Do what it takes to get some quick results and measure, measure, measure! That should keep the naysayers in the C-suite quiet until at least the next board meeting…short memories!

What is branding? Heart &  Mind® Branding.

As I got closer to the check point, I heard laughter mixed with the foreign words. Continual laughter. Did I miss out on some joke that everyone else understood and I didn’t? Then I looked to my left, and there stood a man with a smile from ear to ear and a knack for making people laugh checking passports and boarding passes. Had my hands not been clutching my iPhone and carry-on bag, I would have rubbed my eyes in disbelief. Is this possible? A TSA representative performing his job flawlessly, and being human at the same time?  Who is this guy?

When it came my turn, I just had to ask, “How do you keep such an amazing attitude working in the midst of all these lines?”

He answered, “I’m a faithful man, and I believe that when you do good for others it comes back to you. Most people are pretty tired of lines and even angry by the time they get to me.  I don’t want to add to that. I want to make them happy, so that’s what I do.”

His smile was electric, his eyes caring, his scanning of my documents precise. I told him what I thought, “You know, you are the best ambassador for the United States that I’ve ever seen. These travelers from other countries will never forget how you made them smile and laugh. They are leaving America with a wonderful last impression. Thank you for doing that.”

With my passport and boarding pass cleared, I bid him goodbye and thought how lucky the TSA is to have an employee like this man, who has found a higher purpose in his job and lives it every day. How lucky I was to encounter him.

I always talk about “moments,” those little instances of time that are surprising and unforgettable.  The language of the heart. I expected my pre-flight “moment” to be when I finally got to relax in the British Airways lounge with a warm cup of coffee. Who would have ever thought my moment would be while passing through security? After that experience, the lounge and the coffee didn’t even come close. Infusing heart in a brand happens one on one.  It happens heart to heart and it can happen anywhere.

What is branding? Heart &  Mind® Branding.