In follow-up to a recent post about branding and rebranding, I’m not sure how to classify this item.
It could be an example of hope over reason; or a grand experiment to test the persuasive powers of 21st Century media. Or a doomed attempt to paint over hate. Or maybe it’s satire. But it does succeed at demonstrating there are limits to what you can sell.
http://all-that-is-interesting.com/swastika-t-shirt-fail
You don’t own your brand. Your customers and constituents do.
“Branding” is one of those overused and misunderstood terms. When an organization embarks on a “rebranding” that usually means it’s changing its logo, colors and perhaps the tagline that comes after the name. Sometimes the whole point is just to freshen things up. But often, it’s also an effort to change the way an organization is viewed.
While a company is almost wholly responsible for the way it’s perceived in public, changing that perception is a long, hard process. Your brand is the shorthand manifestation of a larger story, told one transaction at a time, over many years, with customers, prospects, employees, contractors, salesmen and everybody else who experiences it in some small way.
In 2015, Time Warner Cable was America’s most hated cable TV company, according to a CNBC report on the American Customer Satisfaction Index. It was tied statistically with Mediacom, a smaller competitor; and over the years it has traded places at the top (bottom?) of the list with Comcast – the industry’s largest player.
In 2016, Time Warner Cable merged with Charter Communications (middle of the pack in customer satisfaction) and they rebranded as Spectrum.
Now? According to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index, the Charter Communications half of Spectrum still stands in the middle and the Time Warner half still ranks among the most hated providers in one of the most hated industries – standing at third-worst in the 2017 survey.
Worst: Mediacom, followed by Xfinity — which is just Comcast rebranded.
The point? Changing your name and logo won’t change your brand. Successful rebranding means changing what you do and who you are, and then giving everybody else some meaningful prompts to observe the change and buy into it.
For many companies, this is a natural progression. They improve processes, upgrade or broaden product lines, develop more effective ways of interacting with customers. Updating the visuals – the logo, colors, website, tagline, etc. – supports this by drawing attention to these positive changes and helping customers and prospects see them as part of a larger story.
The key is authenticity. You can’t hide from your brand. You can’t tell people you’re something you aren’t.
When you think of United Airlines, what comes to mind? For many people, it’s bad press: Delayed flights, lost and damaged baggage, usurious fees, and videos of customers being berated and physically assaulted. It has earned that brand. So what would the reaction be if it tried to revive its old “Fly the friendly skies” campaign? Nobody would believe it; social media would make great sport of it.
For decades, JC Penney propped up stagnant sales with coupons and gimmicks. It earned a brand identify as the place to layer one promotion on top of another to achieve impossible markdowns – never mind that the markdown may have been on an unrealistic suggested retail price. In 2011, under a new CEO, the iconic retailer rebranded as JCP and did away with gimmicky sales and magical markdowns. Stores were remodeled as fashion centers offering “everyday low prices.” The change didn’t bring in many new customers, and existing customers started going elsewhere to hunt for deals. Same-store sales dropped 20 percent in just months. Forbes magazine declared it an epic fail. The company may never recover.
On the other hand, in 2014, the CVS drugstore chain confronted the fact that sale of tobacco products contradicted its “healthy” brand message as it worked to expand business far beyond the retail sector. So it dropped tobacco sales – a real change that did some shot-term damage to earnings but a world of good for its brand.
Which brings us back to the cable TV business.
After being crowned the most hated cable TV company in 2015, Time Warner provided this official statement: “We made significant investments to improve the reliability of our network during 2014 and, by many measures, we are delivering customers a better experience today.” By many measures, perhaps, but not the right measures.
I was a longtime Time Warner customer and have never had an issue with its network reliability. But year after year, other reasons to stop doing business with them continued to pile up until I finally cut the cord. Not long ago, I had to interact with Spectrum on behalf of an elderly relative. Nothing has changed. Spectrum may be a new name for consumers, and the company’s new marketing may promise a world of wonderment and pleasure, but dealing with customer service by phone and in person was the same old stick in the eye.
If your brand identity is tired and drab, by all means, freshen it up. But if you have a brand problem – that is, if your customers and prospects don’t like you – the new paint job won’t do much good. The people who really own your brand will see right through it.
I recently found myself working with the owner of a service business whose marketing materials send business calls to his home phone – which he only checks at night. He doesn’t use e-mail, and his mobile phone is set up to not take messages.
He apparently doesn’t like to be bothered.
On the other extreme, I recently encountered a small-business owner whose e-mail signature reads like the Congressional Directory; it provides 3 phone numbers, fax, 2 e-mail addresses, Twitter, Facebook and, of course, mailing address.
It left me wondering how I should reach him. Does he actually check all of these contact points several times a day? Should I send messages through several of these, or just one? And which one?
People who provide so many possible points of contact are trying to be considerate. They may hope to create convenience, or convey that they’re accessible and deeply interested in hearing from you. Unintentionally, they create uncertainty.
So how much contact information is just right?
Providing an e-mail address is mandatory – even if you hate computers.
But for small companies, one address is always enough: People expect a timely response to e-mails – not an immediate one. So it’s more important to give confidence that their message is going to the right place and will be handled promptly.
Providing multiple addresses puts the burden on the customer or prospect to figure out the right one for their specific message. Most likely, they’ll just send it to both – meaning you end up dealing with it twice.
Because nobody can know how any given organization will actually route an e-mail message once it arrives, the best way to provide certainty is to offer a single address and take responsibility through internal processes for making sure it gets to the correct location.
Phone
Phone numbers are a little different. When someone makes a phone call, they usually hope to reach you immediately. But in this age, we’re all realistic: If you provide a single phone number, people aren’t surprised – and are usually tolerant – if they have to leave a message and wait for you to return the call.
But if you provide two or more phone numbers, it tells people they can expect to reach a real person – and that they should keep dialing until they do. The more numbers you offer, the more frustrating the exercise becomes. So it’s OK to offer multiple phone numbers – but only if one of them is actually going to lead to direct human contact (in which case, why not give people that number first?).
Social media
Social media is a disaster waiting to happen.
If you provide your Twitter handle as part of your contact information, you are implying that you’ll receive, read and respond to direct messages sent via Twitter. There are people out there who really do communicate this way. Most businesses are not prepared to actually do this; they’re just trying to get more Twitter followers, and don’t even know how to check for direct Twitter messages – let alone do it 3 or 4 times a day.
It’s the same with Facebook. If you provide the address of your Facebook page in the context of contact information, people will use it to engage you for issues that deserve immediate attention. Rather than call or e-mail with a complaint they’ll place it for all to see on your company’s Facebook page. I’ve seen serious complaints sit on company Facebook pages for weeks at a time without ever being addressed.
If you want to use social media for day-to-day contact with customers, that’s wonderful – as long as someone in your organization is responsible for checking and responding frequently.
But if the point of promoting your social media pages is to build a following, then don’t make this part of your customer service and contact information. Give it a separate location in your marketing materials and use words that set the right expectation, such as “Follow us on Facebook.”
All of this may sound intuitive, but I see multiple examples every day of businesses that harm themselves in the way they present contact information on websites, brochures, business cards and e-mail signatures.
Take a look at yours. Are you offering too little, too much or is it just right?
Many of my dealings with small businesses involve the passing back and forth of logos and such for use in advertisements, large banners, websites, Powerpoint presentations, etc. Often as not, the digital copies of these art elements are less than optimal for the intended job. The result is fuzzy reproduction or compromised design in order to minimize the problems caused by artwork provided in the wrong format.
Graphic design jargon and technology may seem confusing, but you really only need to know the purpose of 4 different file types to handle most situations. A description of those (and a few more) follows, but first, here’s what you need to know most:
If you don’t have an EPS for existing logos, go back to the original designer and ask to get them. Do it now,
before he/she gets hit by a bus or something. Depending on your original agreement, you may not actually own the right to the EPS file; copyright law favors the designer in this. But if the designer balks at sending you the file, be insistent – even if it means paying a reasonable fee to get it into your hands. (Personally, I think a designer should be willing to turn over everything to you for one price; then again, if you’re one of those clients who wheedles and needles the designer after working him/her down on price 3 times, you may not deserve it.)
For advertisements, flyers, printed newsletters and other pieces of art that are composed of multiple elements, it’s probably enough to get a high-resolution PDF and JPG. (If you own a full version of Adobe Acrobat, you only need one of these, as you can make your own PDFs from JPGs and vice versa.) These graphic creations are essentially single-use, so having the native file – often Photoshop, Illustrator or InDesign – isn’t going to be of much help. But know that if you want to resize or otherwise adapt this file for any other use, you’re still captive to the designer who holds the original file.
If you really want complete control, specify in advance that you want a copy of the native file along with the PDF and/or JPG. That allows you to send the original work to any designer for subsequent use. Again, some designers will provide it as a courtesy if you ask, while others may charge extra to give up control of the native file. You’ll decide if the price is worthwhile.
Now, here’s a basic overview of the file types and what each is used for:
JPG or JPEG – Joint Photographic Expert Group: The first issue with a JPG is that it’s a photo of your logo. You can enlarge or stretch it, and apply special effects across the whole thing, but you can’t change its fundamental appearance. If the type is rendered in black, you can’t magically make it some other color; if the logo background is white, you can’t make it transparent.
The most important thing to know about JPGs is that they lose information (i.e. resolution) when passed back and forth by phones and e-mail clients that automatically compress files to speed up transmission. That’s why a 2 MB photo e-mailed from your hard drive may arrive as a marginal 500 kb file. The lower the kb number, the smaller the image has to be in order to look sharp. Passed back and forth a few times, you’ll end up with a 24kb that looks fuzzy no matter what.
The compression technology used is described as “lossy” – once compressed, the detail cannot be recovered. This explains why a JPG scraped from a website can’t be used for print. Your computer screen shows resolution of 72 dpi (dots per inch); by default, websites don’t bother storing anything higher. But a printing press requires at least 300 dpi – information that’s simply not there in a photo taken off a website.
Don’t pass the same JPG back and forth. File your original high-resolution JPGs carefully and always send from those. And figure out how to set your e-mail preferences to avoid automatic file compression.
TIFF – Tagged Image File Format: It’s less familiar than JPG, because point-and-shoot cameras and smart phones typically don’t save as TIFFs. But it’s the preferred technology for storing and sharing photos and logos because it uses “lossless” compression: An image can be compressed and decompressed without losing detail. Mainstream design and desktop publishing software, such as MS Office and Apple Pages, recognize TIFF files as well as JPGs.
PNG – Portable Network Graphics: This has recently replaced the JPG format as preferred for most uses. It uses “lossless” compression, so the file doesn’t degrade over time as it’s passed from hand to hand. It was originally designed just for online use. It loads faster on a website or computer than a similar JPG file. Now, technology improvements allow high-resolution PNG files to be used for printed applications as well. One more advantage is that PNGs can be created with transparent backgrounds — so you don’t get that ugly white box when logos are placed onto colored pages.
PDF – Portable Document Format: It’s built for taking complex files with multiple elements and locking them into a single file that looks the same no matter how it’s opened or used. It’s like a collage; all the individual elements are blended into a single piece of art that can’t be unwoven. For that reason, it’s a poor format for managing logos and single art elements; each element loses its own identity. If you send someone a PDF of your logo for use in some other project – or worse, a PDF of your ad with instructions to pull the logo off of that – they’ll have to cut out the logo, convert it to a JPG and figure out what to do with the fuzzy blob that results.
EPS – Encapsulated PostScript: It’s the mother file – where art elements are rendered as smooth lines rather than bits and pixels. You won’t be able to do anything with this file type; programs like Word and MS Publisher aren’t designed to handle them. But it’s what a graphic designer needs to manipulate details within the art element – such as changing the background color, or removing an element, etc. Further, they use “lossless” technology for movement from one user to another without loss of clarity.
EPS files typically aren’t used to store large composite files like ads. They’re for individual art elements like logos, that get lots of use and adaptation. Think of an EPS file as the archival copy of your artwork.
GIF – Graphic Interchange Format: Web-friendly and peripheral for your needs. They are small files that allow transparent backgrounds and lend themselves to animation. But they only support 256 colors using the RGB (Red Blue Green) color technology of older computer screens. They cannot be used for printing because they don’t support the CMYK color technology (Cyan Magenta Yellow Black) required for paper.
There are dozens of other relevant file types, but these cover most of what you run across.
5 reasons to run seasonal ads in the Heights Observer
Most people don’t go into business for themselves because they like marketing. But if you want to stay in
business, you need to develop a competency at it. Here are some of the most common mistakes I see as small businesses go to market.
Image courtesy of Scott Chan/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
You won’t close many advertising deals without being asked to cut your price. But doing so takes away from revenue, sales commission and profitability – and that’s the best case.
More likely, it will make the deal harder to close – creating more obstacles and potentially sending your prospect into the arms of the competition.
That’s because most price objections aren’t really about price; they’re about uncertainty. It’s similar to when someone says he’s too busy to meet with you. It’s not that he doesn’t have time; it’s that your meeting isn’t important enough for him to push something else – work, lunch or leisure – off the to-do list. Your job is to get that meeting anyway, and many salespeople will do it by pestering the prospect until he or she finally gives in.
What good can ever come from a relationship built this way?
When someone says the price is too high, that really means, “I don’t understand why I would pay that much for what you offer.” Lowering your rate is the “be a pest” solution; you may as well say, “You’re right – even I think it’s too expensive. So would you pay this much?” The lower you go, the less value your product has in the mind of the prospect.
Or you can make it your job to help him see why your product is worth the price. This is harder. Prospects don’t always put much thought into why they’re uncomfortable; they just know they aren’t at “yes” and price is the easiest way to express it.
So you need to bring along the prospect on an examination of the value of advertising and specifically your product. It’s real work, but when done well, it results in a higher closing percentage, higher rates and better customer relationships.
Discuss price early
A salesperson’s instinct is to hold off on price conversations until the end of the sales process. But price negotiations are, by definition, adversarial: One side’s gain is the other side’s loss. So this strategy sets up the very last moment of the deal – when everyone should be feeling warm and fuzzy – to be its most contentious.
Putting price on the table early makes the rest of the conversation more comfortable.
I have a specific way of doing this, saying something like: “Businesses in your category generally go with a quarter-page ad, which costs $210 a month – or just over $2,500 a year – if you follow the best practice of running every month.”
Each part of that statement has a purpose:
This early in the sales process, a prospect will usually withhold any meaningful reaction to the number – but it allows time for him to process any initial sticker shock.
If a prospect does push back you can address it directly by saying: “Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, do you have a specific number in mind for what this is worth?” (If you are a student of sales tactics, this is not intended as a trial close; this probing and should not lead to a protracted discussion of price at this time.)
Your prospect has three possible answers – any of which will provide useful insight:
Once you’ve gotten through this part, you can set price aside and proceed with the usual steps of the sales process:
Understanding the objection
When it’s really time to close, the prospect may again push back on price. This still probably means something other than “I won’t buy unless you cut the price.” You’ll need to probe to figure it out. Some possibilities:
I don’t believe in your product: There might be a disconnect between what you’ve told him and what he already believes. Perhaps he doesn’t see people reading it around town, or has heard others complain about lack of results.
I don’t understand it: The prospect might be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with how his spending is going to deliver a meaningful return.
My competitors don’t seem to advertise in your product: This is difficult to overcome and is one of the few occasions I’ll offer a judicious price discount, saying something like: “I know we’re perfect for Realtors but I need a real market leader to show them the way. If you have the courage to be the first, I might be able to arrange some kind of discount as long as you commit to a full year.”
Only an idiot pays retail for advertising: The people who are most responsible for this attitude are the people who sell ads. The prospect assumes that you’re like every other ad rep he’s dealt with: Afraid to lose the deal, not very knowledgeable about your own business, and more interested in getting his money than delivering on his objectives.
So prove you’re different: Explain why your published rates are worth paying, and let the prospect think about it by “closing” him on a promise to talk to you the next time you’re in the area. Then leave. Nothing will give this prospect more respect for you than a demonstration that you believe in yourself and your product enough to walk away for now.
One publication is as good as the next: Nobody expects a Mercedes Benz to cost the same as a Ford. When someone insists you meet the lowest price of some other advertising outlet, he is overlooking all the engineering that’s gone into making your publication successful. Respond by educating him about what makes your publication better for advertisers.
I want to make sure I’m not overpaying: Sometimes, the prospect merely wants to make sure he’s not paying more than necessary. You can provide all the reassurance he needs by saying, unapologetically, “For the program you want, this is the best price I can offer.”
Explaining why your rates aren’t flexible
The most useful tool in dealing with price objections is the sincere knowledge that your rates are correct. If you have any doubt about this, you’ll find some way to broadcast it.
Armed with that confidence, here are some constructive responses to persistent price objections:
Finally, for the hard case
Some people simply won’t budge until they’ve seen you bleed. If you’re really confident that’s what is happening, don’t just reduce your rate. Instead, insist on a deal where you both get something you want. Like: “I’m not able to do anything on the rate for a 6x package. But if you agree to buy 9, I might be able to get permission to slide you down to our 12x rate. If I can do that, do we have a deal?”
And yes, that is a trial close: Don’t give away anything until the prospect promises it will be enough to seal the deal.
Image courtesy of Jesadaphorn/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
