Brand and Business

On my drive to work this morning, I saw this truck with the words "drivers, make sure door is latched" near the place where a door handle used to be. I giggled at the humor of it and then made a connection.

Trying to latch a door without a handle is like trying to sell without an understanding of the brand essence.

Maybe now you're giggling. This is serious business though.

I talk with a lot of business leaders who hire salespeople and just throw them out in the marketplace without equipping them with a good understanding of not only the product or service, but the brand behind it. These sales people are being hamstrung without the concept and language of a clear differentiation.

In some cases, the business leaders themselves don't know that differentiation - the essence of their brand. They think it's something the marketing people own and use to make sales collateral and so they they don't need to know. No. No. And no.

Activation of a brand starts on the inside and at the top of any organization and spreads out through the ranks, through marketing, through sales and into the channel and into the hearts and minds of the consumers/users/buyers.

Do yourself a favor, if you ask your business drivers to latch the door, give them a handle to do the job.