Here’s a link to a prescient article by one of Lexington’s blogging businessmen:
lowells.typepad.com/lowells/2009/04/a-better-brand-for-lexin...

This whole debacle happening over there is a prime example of what I was pointing out earlier. Image Branding versus Reputation Branding.

This one I like better:
BRAND
A name becomes a brand when consumers associate it with a set of tangible and intangible benefits that they obtain from the product or service
It is the seller’s promise to deliver the same bundle of benefits / services consistently to buyers
BUT it’s by no means the whole BRAND story!

There’s a gentleman I met who is sitting on a business idea that has potential, from what I picked up in our conversation. However, instead of doing something like Perry Marshall suggests, and testing the idea by putting up a squeeze page and driving some traffic to it, he is worried about his brand image. Banal stuff like his corporate logo, business card design, etc. So he’ll waste time and money on superficial pieces of the puzzle before he even attempts to find out if there’s a market for his idea.

That’s the focus on branding I am talking about.

Another way of putting it is considering what would have become of Starbucks if they obsessed over the logo on the cup instead of focusing on great customer interactions. I’m sure they spent time and money creating and cultivating a brand image, but it was supplementary to what really made their company successful.

The reason I push the use of reputation over branding is because the word reputation is clear cut, while the term branding is often times misleading.

I say this because so many gloss over the topic of reputation and skip right to brand, and (ugh) brand image. Most point that I see being made by people who prattle on about personal branding still apply if your focus is on your reputation. You can create the most amazing brand image possible, but if you treat your prospects and customers poorly, that brand isn’t got to keep your business afloat.

This even works for large companies. Starbucks never spent a dime on advertising (as 2006, the last time I spoke with an acquaintance who was a District Manager there). The TV ads you saw for their line of grocery products was paid for by the company who was manufacturing them. Pepsi, I believe. Their success was built on quality and consistency. Their Baristas in every single store were trained, encouraged and rewarded for connecting with customers. They are notorious for memorizing the faces, names and preferred drinks of their regulars. And those drinks are made with a consistency such that you know you’re going to get the same drink in any of their locations. They grew into the monolithic success that they are today because they built a great reputation for themselves. Starbucks would have seen the same success even if they didn’t have the mermaid logo, and served their drinks in dixie cups.

Every business owner would see their bottom line improve by leaps and bounds if they fostered a culture of service and positive interaction with their customers. If they viewed their business as having a reputation built on strength of character, and not a brand.

However, if you are into Network Marketing I would have to say branding is extremely important.

In fact, since so many in NM try to sell you their opportunity upfront, it may be a good idea to spend time branding yourself and socializing properly before putting up your opportunity page.

Without an opportunity to talk about they may actually establish some relationships first.

In fact, I used (and today recommend to my coaching clients) this plan when I got started, except that I replaced the “freelance” part with “promoting other people’s products”

I like this plan,

You give step by step stuff.