Do You Sell Hamburgers or Hotdogs? More importantly, do your customers know what you are selling?
So you had a dream and you went with it.You started a small business with an idea ,not much cash and there you are.Now what should you do if you want that idea to survive? Recently here at Small Business Branding we had some discussion whether you really need to brand in the early stages of your business.Contrary to what a lot of people feel I say build your brand from the start.How you brand your business ,product or service will decide whether your dream lives or dies .This does not have to take a lot of cash as most would have you think.
A good example is a new burger joint recently opened in my neighborhood.It has a nice catchy name, nice building and a big promise for the best hamburger to ever cross your tongue. I have been looking forward to trying it out. Here is where the problem came in. My co-workers beat me there. I listened to an un-solicited review of the place.
-Prices were high but if it is a good burger that is OK.
-The wait was 50 minutes with no other customers.
-Part of the staff was playing on loud old games that was annoying. (Also explains the 50 minute wait) I like PAC-man but it`s a bit dated today.
-You can have 4 toppings on your burger but on delivery it was pretty scant.
-French fries were cold
-Drinks were small
-Burger was small and nothing to set it apart from any other burger joint .
-The menus main features was for hot dogs. One whole page.
I think you get the idea that these will not be repeat customers.I feel bad for this business starting out but the harsh cold reality is this is how your business will live or die.It is how a brand gets a reputation.It is how your Brand will grow with or without your help. This will last longer and stand out above and beyond anything you can say or do.This has affected my judgment towards this new place and I have not experienced it first hand yet.
With this example if your main staple is Hot dogs then don`t play up the Burgers as your secret weapon . Sell a better Hot dog to your customers. Decide what you want your business known for and develop a strategy around that.Tie your tag-line and logo together with what your customer experiences when they are there. If you deal with the public then customer service is a must it is not an option.Bad customer service does not lead to sales.
If you think Branding is not important in your Small Business at first,chances are you won`t have to worry about it for long.So my question to you is Do you sell Hamburgers or Hot dogs? Do you leave the right branding on your customers.Most importantly do you really know your business?
Photo by Wayne Marshal