Golden rules are simple in theory perhaps but much harder to put into practice – unless of course you happen to occupy the corner office in which case you can do what you want….until the next board meeting. Anyhow, here they are. Pay me by engaging us to make them a reality in your business.
1: Stand for something
- Something that’s bigger than you – something you and your customers have in common
- Something that all your products services and the way you behave ladder up to
- Make that thing your paramount mission. Your central reason for being…As opposed to profit
2: Learn your company from your customer’s perspective and build branded experiences from the outside-in
- Your customers don’t care about your silos. They care about their buying process, not your selling process
- Experiences can be good or bad. Either way they’ll end up being witnessed and believed by millions
- Customers have needs, fulfill them. They have questions, answer them. They have a worldview. Share it
3: Consumers have power, companies have genius
- You want attention, you got/bought it. Now what are you going to do with it?
- Make sure your finger’s on the pulse of the culture. Listen, learn, understand, and then…
- Innovate, disrupt, create, destroy, WIN
4: Be true. Be transparent.
- There’s no hiding place anymore. Don’t even think about spinning, hedging, being ‘economical’ with the truth
- Your ass (sorry, your brand) is owned by everyone except you. Perception is everything
- Don’t stick your head in the sand, hold it high. How the hell can you see the future otherwise?
5: Tell stories everywhere
- It’s your show. Steal it
- Don’t rely on an ad agency for a big idea. What people want are the million stories you can tell
- Be human. Be interesting. Be someone you’d want to know. Why the hell should people care about you?
Bonus point: If you have $100 and your showroom needs painting, don’t spend it on billboards.