Monday Mornings with Madison

Category Archives:
Brand Management

November 10, 2014

Writing a Great Resume and Cover Letter

Issue #352

Writers and marketers are often asked to help write, revise or review a Resume and/or Cover Letter. Sometimes, it is for friend in search of a new job. Sometimes, it is for a business owner who needs to raise capital or increase a line of credit. Sometimes, it is for a colleague being considered for a seat on a company’s Board of Directors. Resumes and Cover Letters are the most basic, fundamental tools used to speak on behalf of professionals today. After all, what is a Resume and Cover Letter but self-marketing… an individual’s own personal brochure and commercial.

After decades of helping others to draft or tweak their self-marketing documents, the average writer or marketer becomes something of a Job Connoisseur or Resume Coach. In providing this support, the seasoned Resume Coach sees a lot of the same mistakes over and over. Regardless of age, experience or occupation, many people — from the greenest up-and-coming novice to the most experience executives and professionals — commit the same errors on their Resumes and Cover Letters. The most common errors are basic fundamental glitches having to do with grammar, spelling, syntax and punctuation. Another common error is overstating or saying too much. Another common mistake has to do with the mindset or perspective with which the documents were written. For anyone in the process of writing or updating a Resume or Cover Letter, here are some words of wisdom to consider. Continue reading →

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November 3, 2014

Basic Marketing Tips for Startups

Issue #351

As a result of the downturn in the real estate and financial markets beginning in 2007-2008, many professionals changed careers. From realtors to lenders and from developers to appraisers, people left the lending, construction and real estate industries in droves. As the market contracted, many small companies went out of business. However, in recent years as the market has rebounded, professionals are slowly returning to these industries. Many are starting new businesses. Also, the adult children of real estate moguls and successful entrepreneurs see this as a good time to leave the parental nest and start businesses of their own. Moreover, changing market conditions has created opportunities for new businesses that never existed before such as crowd funding and trailer document tracking. For these reasons, real estate, building and lending startups are springing up at every turn.

Even though many of these startups are being led by seasoned professionals, starting a new business can be a challenge for even the most experienced businessperson. It is especially true for any startup on a tight budget which, let’s face it, includes most startups. While professionals launching a business in real estate, construction or finance may have a lot of technical knowledge and industry experience, they may not necessarily have much marketing know-how. Here are some basic marketing tips to keep in mind for any folks starting a new company or expanding their business with a new division.
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September 29, 2014

The Power of Promises in Business – Part 2

Issue #347

Research by Accenture has confirmed what most smart business people have long believed to be true: broken promises hurt business. Day in and day out, many businesses make overt or implied promises to customers. Often, those promises are intentionally, carelessly or inadvertently broken. In any given year, nearly half of customers have a promise broken by a company with which they do business. Of those, almost two thirds report companies breaking multiple promises. Some industries are more habitual in breaking promises than others.

What is the actual impact of broken promises on business? Logic dictates that broken promises erode trust between the customer and the business. But do broken promises actually cause customers to stop doing business with a company? Is just one broken promise enough to cause a loyal customer to go elsewhere with his business or does it take multiple offenses? Research indicates that this is an area that should be of prime concern to business owners, CEOs, CFOs, Controllers and anyone who is focused on a company’s bottom line. There is a very strong, direct relationship between customer erosion and broken promises.
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September 22, 2014

The Power of Promises in Business – Part 1

Issue #346

Every day, businesses make promises to its internal and external customers. Throughout the relationship life cycle, from entry level clerks to the top brass, employees at every level of every company make promises to customers regarding work to be done, deadlines to be met, or issues to be resolved. Some of those promises are explicit. “I give you my word….” “Count on it.” “Rest assured, it will be there on time.” Other promises are implied. Implied promises can be just as powerful as expressed ones. Everyone recognizes a commitment has been made when a business advertises that it has “the fastest turnaround times in the industry,” or a salesperson says “I’ll send you that proposal by the close of business today.” There are countless implied promises that a business makes in its marketing materials, sales pitch and customer service.

It is fairly well-accepted wisdom that each promise made ultimately affects the success or failure of the business. Indeed, it is commonly understood that while nothing builds customer confidence and loyalty more reliably than a history of well-kept promises, it is equally held as truth that nothing undermines a business’ brand or bottom line more than a string of broken promises. That imparts a great deal of power to promises… promises kept and promises broken. But is that really true? Do broken promises impact business? Is just one broken promise enough to lose a customer or does a business have to repeatedly break promises in order to impact loyalty? And do broken promises impact all businesses and industries the same way and to the same extent? Just what impact do broken promises have on sales, repeat business, and customer loyalty? Research sheds some light on this commonly accepted yet little understood occurrence.
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September 8, 2014

The Most Underestimated, Undervalued and Needed Skill in Business – Part 2

Issue #344

Imagine this. An employee has to write a proposal for a prospective client. The proposal is not something that can be copied from something else online or taken from another sample. Now imagine that the proposal goes out to the prospective client, filled with spelling, grammar and punctuation mistakes. In the proposal, the company’s values and services are unclear. How would that employee’s manager feel if he got wind of that document? Embarrassed? Humiliated? How would that proposal affect the company’s ability to land that client? How would that proposal impact that employee’s upward mobility?

Good writing skills are imperative for any professional’s toolbox. In business, there are letters, memos, reports, presentations, company publications, emails, advertisements speeches, press releases, proposals, five-year plans, and so much more which must be written. Each document needs to be clear, concise, grammatically correct, and fluid. Each written piece should engage the attention of the intended audience, fulfill the intended purpose – whether it is to persuade, inform or engage — and conclude effectively. An employee’s writing skills represents the company or organization for which he or she works. If the writing is not professional and clear, it reflects poorly on the company. But good writing also serves other business purposes as well.
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September 2, 2014

The Most Underestimated, Undervalued and Needed Skill in Business – Part 1

Issue #343

What skill is the least venerated, most underrated and yet most essential skill in business today? Is it the ability to speak clearly and connect with people? No, although it is a vital skill and most people think the best leaders are those who can deliver a rousing, engaging speech. Is it excellent resource management? No, even though managers who can get the most productivity out of their team generally get the best bonuses. Is it the ability to crunch numbers and data in order to maximize profitability? No, but the number-crunchers definitely have the most power and control within most organizations. Is it the ability to persuade and sell? No, even though salespeople are treated like royalty at most companies. Actually, the skill that is probably the most valuable for managers, leaders and business people at all levels in all industries is the ability to write well.

As a writer, it may sound a bit boastful to say that good writing is the most underestimated, undervalued, and sorely needed skills in business today. Personal experience aside, while the ability to write well may seem like a mundane skill (after all it is not taught as its own subject in grade school or at most colleges), it is one of the most crucial skills any exec, manager or leader can bring to the table, regardless of industry or occupation. From engineers to educators and from real estate brokers to investment bankers, practically anyone in business today needs to be able to write well…. to deliver written information in a crisp, clear and concise manner. Says who?…. Well, just about everyone.
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August 11, 2014

When a Company’s Brand Sends Mixed Signals – Part 2

Issue #340

In many ways, the brand is the Achilles heel of the corporate world. As companies shift more and more to being all about brand meaning and brand image, the more vulnerable they are to attacks on image. That is why it is increasingly critical for companies to protect every aspect of their brand, and work hard to avoid having any mixed messages about the company’s purpose and position. That includes guiding – as much as is possible or practical – what the company’s own people say about the company. This is a challenge for even the most successful businesses.

In fact, last week, LinkedIn’s CMO Network — the #1 Group for Chief Marketing Officers — posted this question for discussion by some of the top marketing minds in the world: “We are so sensitive about the language in our marketing campaigns and websites. How do we ensure our employees use the right words and tone while talking to customers?” There is an understanding at the highest levels of leadership that all brand cues must align in order to avoid mixed messages. Marketing cannot be saying one thing while sales is saying something else altogether. Materials cannot tout one image while leadership makes decisions that communicate the total opposite. While there are strategies (such as a clear Social Media Policy, scripted telemarketing dialogue, templated sales letters and emails, training sessions and a sales manual) that can help ensure sales efforts align with the company’s position, protecting a company’s brand goes far beyond that. Whether it’s a company’s marketing strategies, business tactics, or its approach to customer service, a business brand should obey the three Cs: be clear, cohesive and consistent.
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August 4, 2014

When a Company’s Brand Sends Mixed Signals – Part 1

Issue #339

Every company, no matter its size or purpose, has a brand. Regardless of whether the owners and leadership know what the brand is or what it stands for, the company brand exists. In theory, a company’s brand speaks about its purpose, voice and values. The brand reflects what the company does and does not do and how it wants to be viewed by the world. In practice, it also reflects what others – customers, potential customers, vendors, investors, and the general public — think about it. A brand reflects how the company is actually perceived by the world.

So a company’s brand is not just its logo or iconography, such as Nike’s swoosh or Apple’s bitten apple. Nor is a brand just it colors or fonts. That’s all just window dressing. A company’s brand is comprised of a multitude of elements that feed into the total picture or image (or in some cases the façade). Values. Voice. Personality. Corporate integrity. Product quality. Service delivery. Look/style. Marketing. Customer engagement. Approachability. A company’s brand is a reflection of all of this… combined. The better a company manages all of the elements that comprise its brand, the more likely it is to thrive long-term. To succeed, a company should be genuine in what it stands for and authentic and on point in everything it says and does. All of the messages should align.

But sometimes the messages don’t align. What happens if a company’s brand – this myriad of messages – sends mixed signals? What happens when there is a ‘disconnect’ between a company’s values and the quality of its products, or between its marketing messages and the actual service it delivers, or between its public voice and its online engagement? What happens to a brand where there are mixed messages muddying the brand’s image?
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July 14, 2014

Redeeming Reputation in the Digital Realm – Part 2

Issue #336

A company’s reputation is its most important asset. A person’s individual reputation is his or her most important possession. Yet, most people and companies are entirely unaware of their online reputation. While ignorance may be bliss in some things, it is incredibly risky to be ignorant of one’s online reputation. Attention all business owners, managers and professionals: what you don’t know about what others think of you can hurt you! That is why there are now professionals – reputation management experts — who make a living helping people and companies monitor, protect, and (if necessary) redeem their online reputation.

It is important to be aware of and stay on top of one’s personal reputation. Likewise, entrepreneurs and business execs should know what their company’s digital reputation is. According to top reputation management experts, the key to protecting a reputation or brand is to be aware and proactive. There are a number of things that can be done to protect a good reputation and/or redeem a damaged reputation, whether it is of a company or individual. Here are some sound reputation management tips. Continue reading →

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July 7, 2014

Redeeming Reputation in the Digital Realm – Part 1

Issue #335

Some 2,300 years ago, Publilius Syrus (a writer of Latin) penned that “A good reputation is more valuable than money.” About 2,000 years later, Ben Franklin said “It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” Recently, billionaire and investment guru Warren Buffet said essentially the same thing… “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” For thousands of years, wise people have understood the importance of reputation. Reputation is a fundamental instrument of social order, based upon distributed, spontaneous social control. A person’s reputation reflects the overriding opinion held by others about him, and a company’s reputation reflects the opinion held by most about the business or its products and services. Once tarnished by bad behavior, a damaged reputation can have a profound impact on success and career.

It used to be that a person with a bad reputation would need to change professions, relocate or use an alias to overcome the stigma. In time, however, he could count on memories fading and offenses being forgotten. Today, thanks to social media and the World Wide Web, it is much harder to bury, outrun or outlive a bad reputation. Online news articles. Blogs. Public records. Video recordings. Digital photographs. Personal misdeeds and corporate wrongdoings are thoroughly documented — and available for anyone to see online 24/7 — forever. Frowned-on behaviors live on in search engines in perpetuity, especially in the U.S. When deserved, most people agree that a wrongdoer deserves the challenges that result from a bad reputation. But what happens when a genuinely respectable person’s reputation is tarnished by association, mistake or through no fault of his own? What happens if a business’ reputation or brand is tainted unjustly or unfairly? Is it possible to redeem a tarnished reputation that has been dragged through the digital mud? How does one redeem a reputation on the World Wide Web? Continue reading →

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