by Lori Milner
Consider a positive brand experience that stands out for you. It could be purchasing a product online and receiving your delivery ahead of schedule. How about a restaurant that created an amazing experience from start to finish? What experiences have you told friends about and done free PR because you were left with a lasting impression and impact?
I had to buy art supplies for my daughter and walked into an art shop with a list and a deer-in-the-headlights look on my face. Everything looked the same, and I had no idea what acrylic paint was or which brand I should select.
The store assistant asked me for help, and as I started reading off the list, she asked if she could look at it and proceeded to take a basket and shop my list for me, making it the easiest experience. She explained what she was choosing and why and didn't try to sell me the expensive brands but what would suit my nine-year-old daughter.
The cherry on top was that they offered me a discount when I paid as a thank you for choosing them.
It's such a simple experience, but when I need to recommend an art shop to someone or buy more supplies, there is no other option for me. I am a fan because she saved me time and frustration and gave me autonomy in purchasing.
What is your brand experience?
What do people expect of you when they engage with you, and how do they leave an interaction? What's their PR story going to be? Consider what goes into creating a positive brand experience:
· Are you present and engaged?
· Do you provide a good listener experience?
· Do you inspire trust in them?
· Do you follow up on projects and commitments?
· Do you complete the work?
· Do you take ownership of a situation?
· Do you check the details?
· Do you care about what other people may need?
· Do you go above and beyond?
When you can answer yes to all questions, you have created raving fans of your colleagues, customers and stakeholders who work with you.
Lessons from the mafia
Here's the real benchmark question: Would others recommend you?
Consider the Mafia movies where you're in if the big boss vouches for you. There is no further explanation necessary to external people. They take his word as a promise that you will deliver.
If you don't deliver, the boss's reputation is on the line along with yours.
Do you think you are being vouched for? Do your actions inspire this level of trust? Or does someone need to seriously consider recommending you to others because of a negative experience or inconsistency of delivery?
The next time you must deliver a piece of work, imagine you're stamping it with a 'brand you' Trustmark. People will note how you showed up, the quality of the work, how much ownership you demonstrated and how consistently you delivered.
Based on your performance, are others willing to risk their reputation by putting your name forward?
Do you have an owner mindset?
Another great brand experience was when I made cosmetic changes to my son's room. We discovered a serious damp problem when we were scheduled to install his desk.
Instead of making this my problem, the interior designers took complete ownership of the situation and were on the phone with a builder they worked closely with and called in a favour to come the next day and make the repairs.
In the same way, ask yourself:
When challenges show up, even unexpected or not necessarily your challenge – do you go 'not my problem' or take ownership and find a way to be a problem solver and solution generator?
Do you own the process from start to finish?
How to build a positive brand experience.
Now, don't panic and think you need to put on a show every time you interact with someone, but consider these simple practices that will go a long way to building a positive image in the minds of the people you influence and who influence you:
Presence: creating a powerful brand experience simply means being fully present and engaged. People can feel when you are distracted mentally, even if you're speaking to them. Your job is to make them feel like they are your most important priority.
The words you choose: the words you attach to your experience become your experience. When someone asks how you are, do you respond 'exhausted, stressed, overwhelmed'? Do you describe situations as nightmares and impossible?
Start to notice your habitual words and replace them with ones that make it pleasant to be around you. I'm not saying everything must be rainbows and sunshine, but talk about a challenge rather than an impossibility. Share that you're feeling unsettled rather than stuck. It all begins with the conversation no one hears but you.
Body language: if your day was a reality TV show, what would people see if they watched with the sound off? Would it be smiles and warmth or anger, frowns and shouting? Your body language says more than words ever could; what's your body language saying to build a positive brand experience?
The 3 Ps of non-verbal: Are you punctual, participating in meetings, and prepared? These alone can make or break a brand experience.
Dress: are you inspiring trust in clients and colleagues? Sylvia Ann Hewlett says we should dress for the job we want, not the one we have. Dress is the impact you want to make on the room. It is about being appropriate to the environment while still authentic to you.
If you went to a top Michelin Star restaurant and the waiter was in flip flops, it would detract from the ambience even if the food were outstanding. Consider the brand experience a complete package, not just one element.
Be consistent: that's it. If you provide an amazing experience one day and then an awful one the next, it's hard to get excited to work with you. Just be consistent and keep showing up as the best version of yourself.
Develop an attitude of gratitude
In his book, The Professional Service Firm 50, Tom Peters speaks about having gratitude for your clients. They are the name of the game and the people who make your work possible.
When you grumble under your breath and make snarky comments about your clients, stop yourself and have gratitude for them.
"We are exactly as good as the Clients who push us the hardest." - Tom Peters.
If you approach the client or project with resentment, consider how that filters through your body language, non-verbal cues, and energy. What are you permeating to the people who have to work with you?
Now consider how you would show up differently and create a different brand experience if you could see the challenge as 'on the way' and not 'in the way'.
How are you growing? What is this here to teach you and the team? How can you make this a wow experience for the client and your team?
What if you're in your perfect job and don't know it because you haven't stopped to recognise and appreciate it?
When you approach any situation with gratitude, your focus shifts to what you have, not what is missing. From this place, you can only provide a magnetic brand experience.
What promise are you willing to keep?
Brands that keep their promises are consistent and trustworthy.
When you keep your promises, people will do free PR for you. They will vouch for you and, even more importantly, be excited to work with you.
How do you start? Create an owner mindset and be obsessed with creating positive brand experiences. Continually think about and consider what it must be like to work with me and put yourself in the other person's shoes.
If you're still unsure where to begin, keep the promises you make, and everything else will fall into place.
Here's to showing up as an owner,
Warm wishes,
Lori
Lori Milner is the engaging facilitator, thought leader and mentor known for her insightful approach to being a modern corporate woman. Her brainchild, the successful initiative Beyond the Dress, is the embodiment of her passion to empower women. Beyond the Dress has worked with South Africa’s leading corporates and empowered hundreds of women with valuable insight on how to bridge the gap between work and personal life. Clients include Siemens, Massmart, Alexander Forbes, Life Healthcare Group, RMB Private Bank and Unilever to name a few. Lori has co-authored Own Your Space: The Toolkit for the Working Woman in conjunction with Nadia Bilchik, CNN Editorial Producer. Own Your Space provides practical tools and insights gleaned from workshops held around the world and from interviews with some of South Africa’s most accomplished women to provide you with tried-and-tested techniques, tips and advice to help you boost your career, enhance your confidence and truly own your space on every level. Own Your Space is the ultimate ‘toolkit’ to unleash your true power. It’s for the woman who wants to take her career to new heights and who is ready to fulfil her true potential.
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