What is a “brand?” It is a very personal connection that forms in the minds of customers and coworkers through their experience with us—at every point of contact.
Consider that each of us has our own personal “brand” as a professional. Groups, teams and departments have a brand, too. We invite positive connection and trust from our customers and coworkers when we maintain a balanced, professional brand. This attraction results often in their loyalty. It opens the way for communication, trust, personal effectiveness.
Effective professionals have learned to maintain a consistent personal and team brand when they are “on stage” with customers and coworkers. Professional excellence is not just attention to doing tasks well; it is attention to a professional, balanced brand with people, too!
There is a significant link between a customer’s perception of any organization and how they perceive they were treated by one of that organization’s employees at any given time. What makes us stand out in today’s service-oriented culture is the excellence of our personal, team and department brand. These add up to be our organization’s brand.
OUR PROFESSIONAL ROLE: Maintaining an Excellent Personal Brand.
Your organization may employ many people. Yet a customer forms a judgment about our entire organization through contact with any one of them. If this one person is seen as unprofessional or inefficient, the bad impression is not easily or quickly overcome. Courtesy and efficiency over an extended period of time is required to overcome that negative experience. Therefore, every one of us who comes into contact with customers is a perception-creator. The perception is an advertisement…good or bad.
When you are interacting with a customer, you are your organization to them! In addition to our “job description,” we have a “role” to play with each customer–it’s not just WHAT we do; it’s HOW we do it–every time; every interaction.
REFLECTION: What reflexes and habits do I exhibit, which threaten my professional brand–not in my eyes; but in the eyes of others?