Unlock Your Business Potential: 7 Questions for Brand Clarity

When I was at high school, my dad used to help me with homework. It was a very frustrating experience because he would never give me a hint for the answers. But we would always tell me "Read the question with attention, the answer is always inside the question!"

In reality, facing questions is uncomfortable, especially when you don’t have the answer right away.

But what I learned from my dad is that questions actually expand our minds and show us the direction we need to go. Or at least, where we need to look into to find our answers.

Later in life, I discovered that what moves us in life are not our dreams or fears but the questions we ask ourselves throughout the different phases of our life.

The same is true for businesses.

Your company will move and act in the direction of the questions that you as a leader are brave enough to face.

The results you get will be determined by the quality of the questions you dare to ask.

My dad taught me that questions are amazing tools to find direction because they point our attention - at times fragile - to what matters.

To help you set the right direction for your company, I share 7 questions that every business leader should reflect and sleep on every once in a while.

These questions will help you make sure that:

• Your vision is clear
• You are leading your business in the right direction
• You know what your brand stands for

All while guiding your brand and operating your business to grow in alignment with your goals.

“We live in the world our questions create.” - David Cooperrider

I chose these questions carefully based on problems and situations clients bring to me, and by investigating in these directions clarity is often found.

So, let's jump to the questions:

7 questions to gain clarity about your brand and business

1. Are we really taking the right steps towards our vision or are we just operating in our routine?

Direction & Alignment

When you're too focused on your daily operations and decisions, you lose sight of the bigger picture - the direction you're going.

It's known in navigation that a 1° angle change in the direction of the routine, can take you to a completely different destination. If you lose sight of the bigger picture, you might make decisions in your company routine that affects 1, 2 or 3° angles of change while you're unaware of that.

A clear brand vision helps you to keep focused and reflect if each decision will take you closer to that.

Note: a brand vision is not the vision for your business, it's the transformation/value/impact you deliver to your customers and audience.

Take time to ask yourself if you and your team are committed to adjusting the business and doing what it takes to reach your vision, and not just doing things the way they have always been done while hoping that someday you will get there.

2. Who in your market are you NOT pleasing so that you can deliver outstanding value to those you are committed to serving?

Authenticity

If you are focused on pleasing every single person that consumes your product, you are not performing at your business and brand’s highest level.

Having a brand that stands out and touches people’s hearts means that you have to know clearly who you are and who you serve best.

By knowing who doesn't value the most what your brand stands for, you will know who is more likely to value your product and overall narrative.

Ask yourself which kind of customers or clients in your market you are not interested in serving, and double down on improving your experience, assets, and products for those who you DO want to serve.

3. What do you need to let go so your company may become what you envision it to be?

Innovation

Transforming and expanding your brand and business is not just a matter of acquiring, growing, and adding.

Actually, it is the opposite. It’s a matter of constantly reflecting on what doesn’t serve your business performance and your customers anymore and letting it go.

You need to constantly create space to focus your company’s energy on delivering effective value to your audience - beyond your product. Read stories, experiences, content, entertainment, etc.

Re-evaluate routines, people, processes, offers - and most importantly: mindset - that drove your business up to this moment, and reflect on whether it's still the one that will take your company where you want it to go.

4. Does the brand checklist you use to guide your team currently reflect the positioning and vision you have for your company?

Culture

When was the last time you updated the brand checklist/guidelines to guide your team?

When they’re proposing ideas and tactics to promote the brand, do they have a clear vision in mind?

Are they thinking ideas based on the core values that compose the essence of your brand?

In order to constantly improve the value you deliver to your audience, you need to make sure everyone is on the same page.

At least once a year, review your brand checklist to guide decision-making, communication, and innovation for your company. This will ensure that you are leading your team in the right direction and that their efforts are aligned and focused on the same goal, ultimately optimizing the results.

5. How much of the product (profit) is leveraged by the brand’s value perception from your audience?

Brand value

How many of your customers choose to buy from you because they feel connected to your brand?

How many people make repeated purchases with you because they feel your brand is the one that best understands them?

Why are people choosing your products over others?

If feel you're competing in pricing or product features, it's time to level up your game. Competing by pricing is suffocating. And leveraging features or product quality only is risk, since it's something your competitors could have the same on the next day.

6. Do you still feel fulfilled by the values your brand stands for?

Fulfillment

Is your company still aligned with the person and leader you have become over the years? Does the brand still line up with what you envision for the future?

It's usually a good sign when business leaders feel the need to reconnect with their company and to re-align the business direction, purpose, and structure.

It means that your company is evolving and gaining maturity.

A brand aligned to the leader’s vision and purpose tends to become more innovative and authentic, causing more people to feel emotionally connected to it, increasing brand and business value in the long term.

7. What critical information don’t you know about your brand and business?

Conscious leadership

How do we know what we don't know?

When we are presented with questions. If you pay attention to the questions I share with you here, and actually take the time to give a good answer to them, you will know what your gaps are.

And once you know it, you will know where to look for to find your answers.

Keep yourself humble and open to discovering beautiful possibilities that might shift your whole perspective about how you think about your brand and business.

How to make the most out of these questions?

• Get together with your team, with the leaders in your business, or sit just by yourself if your like, and go through these questions with attention.
• Write down your thoughts, take notes, ask about the perspective of others. This is an ongoing investigation.

Remember that this is not a one time task. These are tools for alignment, make sure you go back to these questions at least twice a year.

Take time to sleep on the following questions, and if you are not sure about the answer just yet, remember: the answer is always inside the question.

For those who want to grow and build brand awareness, you first need to acquire brand "self-awareness".

This is how you build a conscious leadership and grow a successful business in the long run. - Developing awareness about yourself as a leader and about your business direction and priorities.

I'm Nathalia Montenegro, Brand Positioning strategist and coach. I help business owners to build a legacy and get the clarity and confidence they need for the next decade - setting up a strong foundation for intentional growth.

Want to learn more about me? Visit my website: www.nathaliamontenegro.com