1 minute read
No” is a Brand Asset by Blake Howard
DAY 30 “NO” IS A BRAND ASSET: WHAT WE DO IS THE PERCEPTION WE SET.
By Blake Howard
Advertisement
Creative director and co-founder of Matchstic, a premiere brand identity house based in Atlanta.
@matchsticblake
There’s always that temptation looming out there, prowling around like a lion waiting for his next meal. That temptation is the product, project, or
service outside your sweet spot as a company.
It’s the “easy money” right there at your fingertips waiting to be made. The short-term profit that will be anything but profit in the long run.
This temptation is the opposite of focus and can be silent but deadly. The truth is a brand is only as good as it’s reputation. With brand, every touch point really does matter. If you take something outside your wheelhouse, whether it goes good or bad, that is the perception you are setting with that customer of what you do. The seed you sow today is the harvest you reap tomorrow. Sow in small
consultative projects and reap a small one-off
consultative brand. Sow in “lowest prices” and reap a brand racing to the bottom of a cut throat market. Sow in “we’ve got the best features” and reap a brand contingent on useless do-dads.
This is why saying “no” to services outside your sweet spot is so important. “No” is a brand asset. It takes discipline to pass on potential revenue opportunities, especially if you have sales or revenue goals to hit, but in the long run it will pay off.
Saying “no” today to something outside your focus gives you a platform to clarify what makes
your organization the best in the world. The prospect will not only understand your true value proposition better but also appreciate your honesty. In my experience, this ALWAYS pays off down the road.
