You go to the hotel. The room is musty and a tad dirty. The food is barely passable. Service is brusque and spotty at best. When you complain to management, you’re met with indifference, or worse, silence. You leave disillusioned and disgusted. For all the resort’s slick marketing, they’ve fallen woefully short.

Branding goes well beyond marketing. It will not be successful without ensuring that all aspects of your business reflect and support your intended brand. One of your most valuable assets—your people—must be well-trained in articulating and delivering on your brand. This step is particularly important for service organizations that don’t have concrete products. Their offerings are soft assets like knowledge, experience and people.

When employees don’t deliver the brand, it can be the kiss of death for a business. Don’t believe me? Visit a hotel review web site like TripAdvisor.com. Peruse travelers’ comments and you’ll likely come across more than a few who cite poor customer service for their negative hotel reviews. Conversely, employees who represent the brand flawlessly and consistently can propel a business to stardom.

Brand: The Sum of All Its Parts

Despite what many believe, brand isn’t about your logo, tagline and glossy brochure. Instead, a strong brand integrates multiple components, all of them necessary, including customer interactions, employee communications, corporate philosophy and advertising/marketing efforts. Your brand extends to your employees, customers, the media and even the general public as the above story illustrates. If these components don’t consistently reinforce your brand, customers will become dissatisfied. The negative impact of their perception, should they voice their opinions to other potential customers or even the media, could have a ripple effect on your business. This can erode your brand equity and create misperceptions about your company in the market, that in turn could lead prospective customers, employees and investors to pass on your organization.

On the other hand, brand consistency throughout all levels of the organization helps drive an organization to grow and prosper. Strong brands can drive an increase in sales. The company is better suited to attract and retain the best employees. Vendors can see value in your brand and look to establish partnerships with your business, while investors will see the business and your brand equity as a valuable commodity.

Branding Through Your Employees

Your employees are one of the most critical touch points for your customer. Here are several steps to ensure that they are representing your brand in the best light possible.

• Develop a Company Philosophy.

  A thoughtfully planned philosophy that guides how your company operates is the first step to reinforcing your brand among your workforce. The prestigious Ritz Carlton Hotel Company is an excellent example. They have created the following five “Gold Standards” for their business operations that reinforce the brand and detail an employee’s role in delivering on this brand:

  1. A vision to revolutionize hospitality in America by creating a luxury setting for guests and a credo that states the company’s commitment to the genuine care and comfort of its guests.
  2. A motto that exemplifies the level of service for its guests: We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.
  3. Three Steps of Service:
     1. A warm and sincere greeting that uses th
        Limited Liability Corporation
        You may not quite know it, but the limited liability corporation (others also call it a limited liability company) has become the most popular form for organizing business and investment activities. There are many benefits to be derived from a limited liability corporation.For instance, if you are a doctor, lawyer or some other professional and you want to protect your assets from malpractice suits and other claims, you can organize a limited liability corporation for that purpose. You can transfer your personal investment portfolio into the limited liability corporation to better protect it from claimants trying to reach the assets.Alternatively you may be a parent wanting to minimize estate tax costs while retaining effective control over your family business and investments. You can transfer such assets into a limited liability corporation and serve as the manager with sole voting rights in the business, thus accomplishing your twin objectives.You
        ll-trained in articulating and delivering on your brand. This step is particularly important for service organizations that don’t have concrete products. Their offerings are soft assets like knowledge, experience and people.

        When employees don’t deliver the brand, it can be the kiss of death for a business. Don’t believe me? Visit a hotel review web site like TripAdvisor.com. Peruse travelers’ comments and you’ll likely come across more than a few who cite poor customer service for their negative hotel reviews. Conversely, employees who represent the brand flawlessly and consistently can propel a business to stardom.

        Brand: The Sum of All Its Parts

        Despite what many believe, brand isn’t about your logo, tagline and glossy brochure. Instead, a strong brand integrates multiple components, all of them necessary, including customer interactions, employee communications, corporate philosophy and advertising/marketing efforts. Your brand extends to your employees, customers, the media and even the general public as the above story illustrates. If these components don’t consistently reinforce your brand, customers will become dissatisfied. The negative impact of their perception, should they voice their opinions to other potential customers or even the media, could have a ripple effect on your business. This can erode your brand equity and create misperceptions about your company in the market, that in turn could lead prospective customers, employees and investors to pass on your organization.

        On the other hand, brand consistency throughout all levels of the organization helps drive an organization to grow and prosper. Strong brands can drive an increase in sales. The company is better suited to attract and retain the best employees. Vendors can see value in your brand and look to establish partnerships with your business, while investors will see the business and your brand equity as a valuable commodity.

        Branding Through Your Employees

        Your employees are one of the most critical touch points for your customer. Here are several steps to ensure that they are representing your brand in the best light possible.

        • Develop a Company Philosophy.

          A thoughtfully planned philosophy that guides how your company operates is the first step to reinforcing your brand among your workforce. The prestigious Ritz Carlton Hotel Company is an excellent example. They have created the following five “Gold Standards” for their business operations that reinforce the brand and detail an employee’s role in delivering on this brand:

          1. A vision to revolutionize hospitality in America by creating a luxury setting for guests and a credo that states the company’s commitment to the genuine care and comfort of its guests.
          2. A motto that exemplifies the level of service for its guests: We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.
          3. Three Steps of Service:
             1. A warm and sincere greeting that uses t
                The Office of the Future with Ergonomics in Mind - Part 2
                In Part 2 we will discuss phones, monitors, desks and filing systems for our office of the future. So let's get started!Phones and Phone SystemsDoes your phone often find a resting place between your head and your shoulders called the neck. If so, you may discover that using a headset is much more comfortable and productive.You will not have that familiar neck ouch and will have both of your hands free while you are on hold, taking notes from your call or completing another task. This means that you will be more efficient.Employees will be using many more wireless blue tooth headsets and will be able to walk all over the building and keep in touch like they are sitting at their desk. This will enhance their productivity and increase their multi- tasking.Good and not so good because multi-tasking is a breeding ground for stress which can lead to repetitive stress injuries. In addition it is possible that the employee will not be paying at
                chure. Instead, a strong brand integrates multiple components, all of them necessary, including customer interactions, employee communications, corporate philosophy and advertising/marketing efforts. Your brand extends to your employees, customers, the media and even the general public as the above story illustrates. If these components don’t consistently reinforce your brand, customers will become dissatisfied. The negative impact of their perception, should they voice their opinions to other potential customers or even the media, could have a ripple effect on your business. This can erode your brand equity and create misperceptions about your company in the market, that in turn could lead prospective customers, employees and investors to pass on your organization.

                On the other hand, brand consistency throughout all levels of the organization helps drive an organization to grow and prosper. Strong brands can drive an increase in sales. The company is better suited to attract and retain the best employees. Vendors can see value in your brand and look to establish partnerships with your business, while investors will see the business and your brand equity as a valuable commodity.

                Branding Through Your Employees

                Your employees are one of the most critical touch points for your customer. Here are several steps to ensure that they are representing your brand in the best light possible.

                • Develop a Company Philosophy.

                  A thoughtfully planned philosophy that guides how your company operates is the first step to reinforcing your brand among your workforce. The prestigious Ritz Carlton Hotel Company is an excellent example. They have created the following five “Gold Standards” for their business operations that reinforce the brand and detail an employee’s role in delivering on this brand:

                  1. A vision to revolutionize hospitality in America by creating a luxury setting for guests and a credo that states the company’s commitment to the genuine care and comfort of its guests.
                  2. A motto that exemplifies the level of service for its guests: We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.
                  3. Three Steps of Service:
                     1. A warm and sincere greeting that uses t
                        Helpful Hints For Designing Print Catalogs
                        Is it hard to create a catalog?Do you think you can’t cope with your catalog print jobs? Well not anymore for there are different catalog printing services at hand. The printing services can be accessed without much effort for you can find them all online.But if you don’t have any clue on how to print catalogs and what kind of catalog should you produce, you can take a look at these basic rules in catalog design.Catalog design is the center of attraction in a catalog. In view of that it’s of the essence that you take time to think about all the elements that make up a good catalog design.Check out these helpful hints in designing a catalog:1. Make sure to place a best-selling product at the upper right section of the catalog. This is very important for the reason that customers easily see that section whenever they stare at the catalog. But also bear in mind that it’s not usually the strongest product that ate pleasing to the eye. In thi
                        ur organization.

                        On the other hand, brand consistency throughout all levels of the organization helps drive an organization to grow and prosper. Strong brands can drive an increase in sales. The company is better suited to attract and retain the best employees. Vendors can see value in your brand and look to establish partnerships with your business, while investors will see the business and your brand equity as a valuable commodity.

                        Branding Through Your Employees

                        Your employees are one of the most critical touch points for your customer. Here are several steps to ensure that they are representing your brand in the best light possible.

                        • Develop a Company Philosophy.

                          A thoughtfully planned philosophy that guides how your company operates is the first step to reinforcing your brand among your workforce. The prestigious Ritz Carlton Hotel Company is an excellent example. They have created the following five “Gold Standards” for their business operations that reinforce the brand and detail an employee’s role in delivering on this brand:

                          1. A vision to revolutionize hospitality in America by creating a luxury setting for guests and a credo that states the company’s commitment to the genuine care and comfort of its guests.
                          2. A motto that exemplifies the level of service for its guests: We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.
                          3. Three Steps of Service:
                             1. A warm and sincere greeting that uses t
                                The LLC Advantage
                                Limited Liability Company (LLC) is getting the attention of many small businesses that want to incorporate. The LLC is one of a few options available for individuals wishing to incorporate their business and is gaining ground as one of the most popular form of incorporating. So why are people flocking to the LLC as opposed to options like C Corp?Liability AdvantagesIn a LLC, you find the words “limited liability”. These words appeal to business owners because one’s personal assets are not at risk. In other words, debts against the business will not affect the owner for the debt collection. The owner’s home, financial and physical assets would not be subject to the company’s liability. In fact, some companies separate their assets among different LLCs to protect their assets. For example, a company can hold equipment in one LLC and financial assets in the other. By doing so, all the assets won’t be exposed to the same liability.Another intriguin
                                at guides how your company operates is the first step to reinforcing your brand among your workforce. The prestigious Ritz Carlton Hotel Company is an excellent example. They have created the following five “Gold Standards” for their business operations that reinforce the brand and detail an employee’s role in delivering on this brand:

                                1. A vision to revolutionize hospitality in America by creating a luxury setting for guests and a credo that states the company’s commitment to the genuine care and comfort of its guests.
                                2. A motto that exemplifies the level of service for its guests: We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.
                                3. Three Steps of Service:
                                   1. A warm and sincere greeting that uses the guest name, if and when possible
                                   2. Anticipation and compliance with guest needs, and
                                   3. A fond farewell that uses a guest’s name, if and when possible.

                                4. “20 Basics” that outline the responsibilities and expectations for how the company delivers on its service (including #13—Never Lose a Guest).
                                5. The Employee Promise (“At The Ritz-Carlton, our Ladies & Gentlemen are the most important resource in our service commitment to our guests.”).
                             2. Maintain Brand Consistency.

                                This step is essential to building a strong brand. However, it is often one of the first steps to unravel. You must establish consistency throughout all aspects of your organization. But setting the standards is not enough. You must constantly evaluate your actions. Establish checkpoints for each aspect of the business that interacts with customers and the general public. Ensure that each employee is empowered to identify and address inconsistencies in your brand. Fail to deliver on brand with one customer, and he or she might forget. Fail to do so for another, and he or she might not be so forgiving. It only takes a scant few to dispel the brand you are touting.

                             3. Practice What You Preach.

                                The best way to lead is by example. If your brand projects your organization as one which supports its employees and then reneges on that promise, your brand (and sales) will suffer. Case in point: Wal-Mart. The company says, “We believe that one of the keys to our success is our people and how we treat them.” However, the retail chain has been the subject of unfair employee wage practice lawsuits. Moreover, though they say they value their target customer (the hard working middle class) their actions aren’t necessarily consistent with the rhetoric.

                             4. Implement Brand Guidelines.

                                In order to ensure brand consistency, your organization must establish a framework or set of brand guidelines for all to follow. We’re not merely talking about logo or corporate identity guidelines, but actual brand guidelines that communicate the company’s brand positioning statement, key messages, core values, brand attributes, measures of success and processes for handling customer issues or feedback. Federal Express was an early pioneer in this idea. The international shipper utilizes an Internet-based program which outlines the company’s brand guidelines. This detailed approach provides guidance on everything from the graphic standards for use of the company logo to how cultural differences affect brand (particularly important for global companies). Establishing brand guidelines leaves no room for misinterpretation and helps maintain consistency throughout all levels of the organization.

                             5. Understand and Address Cultural Differences.

                                With advancements in technology, communications and the Internet, we are truly becoming a global economy. Considering cultural differences when building a brand