If your company died tomorrow would your customers miss you?

the trigger for this post is a coaching call I had yesterday with a client based out of India who engineers precision components for their clients. These guys are by far the best in the world technically at what they do, so good that even when one of their clients switched to the "best in class" German supplier, it only took them six months to come back. But it got me thinking, why did their customer dump them in the first place?

Being technically excellent is essential, but it was not enough. Customers have needs beyond just the technical aspects of a product or service; after 90 days of listening to their Franks we figured out yesterday what needed to change....

Whether you are a purpose driven entrepreneur or a purpose driven company, winning in today’s post-industrial VUCA reality means nurturing a culture that is in bed with your customers and truly entrepreneurial. #haier

To make this easy, you need a strategy that is simple, and laser focused on being the best at something that is unique and massively valuable to your core customers, aka FRANKs.

''A brand is only as good as its promised kept.''

Have you the courage, belief, commitment, and trust to discover and declare what you are the best at, and then guarantee your promise to your customers?

That’s exactly what a Brand Promise is. Your Brand Promise together with a Brand Promise Guarantee is your answer to what Jim Collins calls the Hedgehog Concept. Cioe: “What can we be the best in the world at?”

So listen up! Your Brand Promise is the lifeline of your business. Without it, you're just another face in the crowd. Let’s revert back to the title of today’s ramble

If your company vanished tomorrow, would your customers give a shit, would anyone really care?

Are you really offering a unique promise that sets you apart from the competition? It's not enough to come up with a fancy slogan or blah di blah message from the fluffy white cloud department in marketing” You need to discover what your customer really needs and deliver on that promise every single day. In today's dog-eat-dog world, you need to offer more than a mediocre product or service.

You need to deliver something that truly differentiates you and keeps your customers coming back for more.

But here's the thing: words mean nothing without action. You need to deliver on that promise day in and day out. No excuses. And don't forget to measure your success – without quantifiable results, you're just blowing hot air.

So step up your game, deliver on your promise, and show the world what you're made of! Yes, I’m calling out the fluffters. If you are purpose driven, step into the ring, put your money where your mouth is, prove you are strategic and able to deliver real value to your niche, something no one else can do that your customers really really really need.

Let’s start with first things first!

Are you ready to make a bold move and determine your #1 Brand Promise? The promise that addresses FRANK’s greatest JOB TO BE DONE, the one thing you will solve better than anyone else?

But here's the catch - you have to say "no" more than you say "yes" in order to make it work. Saying "yes" to every opportunity that comes your way will only kill your promise, derail your success and slap you back into the land we call commodity hell.

So, what's your #1 Brand Promise? Don't worry, it doesn't have to be as specific as McDonald's ‘we guarantee our meals will be consistently crap (obviously I am not their Frank). Maybe it's about being fantcial about support and finding a solution in one hour or less, like Rackspace. Whatever it is, make sure it's something you can measure and deliver consistently.

And remember, as your competition catches up, you may have to evolve and change your promise to stay ahead. Take McDonald's, for example. Their brand promise used to be about speed, consistency, and fun for kids. Now, it's all about an inexpensive, familiar, and consistent meal delivered in a clean environment. But how do they measure this promise? They track everything from the time it takes customers to place and receive their orders to the number of happy meals they serve.

Most companies are unwilling to make a Brand Promise Guarantee, let alone develop a Brand Promise. The former requires significant systems and process to back up your promise, as the former CEO of Fedex said there are two things you need to win Promise and Process. Strategic Discipline works! Discovering and committing to a ONE THING focus provides the necessary concentration to achieve remarkable success.

What’s a Brand Promise Guarantee and how is it different from your Brand Promise?

Ideally your Brand Promise Guarantee is the mother of all catalytic mechanisms it keeps your people focused on finding ever smarter ways of delighting your customers, and it makes it super easy for your customers to choose your value proposition over the others by removing friction in their decision to use you to get their job done by providing an extremely high level of differentiation in the market.

“Make it hurt to break your promise’’.

There should be pain in your system if you let your customers down. This keeps your team laser focused on keeping your promises.

Before you say ‘that wont work for us’ have you ever heard the phrase "there is no such thing as a commodity"? It's a bold statement, but let's consider an example - gravel. It's one of the most commoditised products out there, yet there's a company that dominates its market by selling at a premium price. That company is Granite Rock.

Granite Rock implemented a unique policy that allows customers to decide how much to pay based on their satisfaction level.

How can a company selling something as basic as gravel charge more than its competitors? The answer lies in the fact they are close to their customers, and they have a brand promise with teeth. They don't just talk the talk, they walk the walk.

If their customers are not completely satisfied with any part of their invoice, they don't have to pay for it. NO QUESTIONS ASKED And they don't need to return the product or complain, and there’s no legal department fueled by a CFO saying ‘make sure the small print stops us from paying out….

This policy has given Granite Rock a competitive edge, allowing them to charge a 10% premium over their competitors. But it's not just about the money. The policy serves as a guide for employees helping them decide how to provide excellent service and avoid creating a "Short Pay" situation. And it's not just talk - Granite Rock has a 97% satisfaction rate among its customers.

So, next time you think of gravel, remember that there's no such thing as a commodity. And Granite Rock is proof of that.

What’s your Brand Promise? Do you want to make a significant impression in the market? Do you have the determination and commitment to develop and provide a Brand Promise to your customer? Do you really want to have strategic advantage?

As for my Indian client's new found promise.....well if i told you they'd have to kill me!!!

#agilescaleup #brandpromise #customerfirst #employeefirst #entrepreneurship