By Jeff Beals
Once a brand achieves a high level of respect and recognition, the challenge is to keep it there.
Brands have lifecycles. They’re born. They grow. At some point, they may have a dramatic, rapid ascent to the top of an industry. Once there, they go into the maturity phase. You want the maturity phase to last a long time, because after that comes decline and eventually death.
Nothing lasts forever but leaders can take measures to keep brands at the top. Commitment is critically important. If a brand’s leaders lose their enthusiasm, become lazy or no longer value the brand, decline sets in. And it’s not just the leaders who affect brand strength. Each individual sales rep contributes to brand perception based on his or her attitude, commitment and effort.
Assuming you want to keep your brand at the top, remember that excellence is fundamental. If the product or service remains outstanding, you have won a big part of the branding battle. Great companies may experience some peaks and valleys, but their leadership does what it takes to excel over the course of time.
Next, companies must keep up with consumers’ changing tastes and consequently tweak the brand from time to time. If a company’s brand becomes too stale or old-fashioned, consumers — especially young ones — are going to drift.
When a brand makes it big, the brand’s leader needs to balance two things: a commitment to the fundamentals that built the brand in the first place and the need to keep the brand responsive to the changing desires of the target audience. The longer you can keep these two things in balance, the longer you stay viable.
So where is your brand in its lifecycle? Are you doing enough to keep it as “young” as possible?
Jeff Beals is a professional speaker and award-winning author, who helps professionals enjoy greater success through effective sales, marketing and personal branding techniques. He delivers energetic and humorous keynote speeches and workshops to audiences worldwide. To discuss booking a presentation, go to JeffBeals.com or email at info@jeffbeals.com or call us at (402) 637-9300.
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