In the June 2006 issue of these tips, I explained how one of my readers, Rob from Maine, had written to ask for an expanded definition of what my company’s brand, “Transformational IMPACT,” actually means to me.  It was a great question and ultimately a great opportunity to share my thoughts with all of you. However the thinking didn’t stop there. Back in the office, we started considering the fact that if our readers and our clients couldn’t easily interpret what Transformational IMPACT means, then it would be necessary to explain our objectives, our professional purpose and our brand more directly in both written and visual format. We needed to let them know what we stand for.

In a recent article on branding entitled, “Brand Up for What You Believe In,” Mark Disoma writes that “your brand is ‘the idea you own: the strongest understanding you have of yourselves as a company, and that others have of you.’”

Brands are much more than logos and taglines. Our company brand (and the brand your organization presents) is the promise that is consistently delivered to our customers over time.

Knowing this, we asked ourselves some direct questions. As I walk you through our thought process, it might be a good time to consider your company’s brand. What is “the strongest understanding you have of yourselves as a company and that others have of you?”

What is the brand promise you want consistently delivered to your customers over time?

What would your cusotmers say if they were asked what your company brand means to them?

Bigger question:  Are you and your customers on the same page when it comes to your brand?

You might even ask yourself these two questions:

What is the strongest understanding I have of myself as a leader…as a service provider?

Would my employees and customers agree with me?

Why Transformational IMPACT?

Over the next few weeks, our new brand statement will be incorporated into our website, our letterhead, our promotional materials and any other points of communication we have with the outside world. You’ll notice we’ve even renamed this publication to emphasize the brand.

I want to make sure my customers (including readers like you!) are on the same page with me when it comes to my brand. Using Mark DiSoma’s definition of a brand, “the strongest understanding you have of yourselves as a company,” let me tell you why we have chosen “Transformational IMPACT.”

Each element of this brand was carefully considered and intentionally chosen. These elements represent my beliefs about the work I do and the promise I intend to deliver each time I interact with my customers. If you’ve never taken time to consider what you believe about the work you do or the promises you deliver to your customers, I encourage you to spend some time thinking about it. The answers you come up with may surprise and re-focus you.