To successfully build the right image you need to start marketing at every contact point with external organizations. No, this does not mean having your company logo tattooed on your forehead or greeting everyone with: "Hi, I'm Sue from SmileyPeople Company and we're currently offering awesome discounts on teeth whitening products."
*wide cheesy grin*
*wide cheesy grin*
To start marketing at every opportunity you just need to make sure you and your team focus on creating and maintaining the image that you want people to have of your business.
Please don't think that "image" is out of fashion. How do you feel about the big banks today? The Governor of the Bank of England has just told that they know they can't be allowed to fail; we know they're being underwritten with tax-payers money; and today we hear they're paying bonuses 50% higher than last year. What is your image of your bank?
We all have a mental picture of an organization, even if we're not conscious of it. The picture can be expressed in a handful of words. What's your word picture of Tesco? Compare it to M&S food halls. Would you use different words to describe them?
Now think of the picture that your customers have of your business, your department or just you. That's harder, because we can't see through their eyes. But there are ways of finding out.
That's why it's vital that you start marketing through everything you do. Every contact, whether it's an invoice, a credit control phone call or a casual enquiry, has the potential to change someone's perception of your business.
Marketing is not directly about selling. It's about building an image that's attractive and which will draw in business. Successful businesses create positive images through everything that they do. Is that what you do?
