Small businesses need a brand commitment that defines how customers should feel at every interaction. It's an internal action plan that shapes hiring, systems, and processes, not just a mission statement. Zappos and other companies use this to build loyalty and consistent culture.
I promise you, this is so far from anything that you've ever been to and now. So just like the work we did on positioning in our industry for sure. But in most small businesses, they just don't spend time thinking about what their brand stands for. Even if you're a one person operation or you just hire your first admin, like with that first admin and that first buyer agent hire, this work is just as important. And this is something I've really started to learn through just seeing all the craziness that you guys do. Like, there is no more like, oh, how could I possibly get this message out there? Or how could I possibly target this thing? I mean, you can like literally do it. If you just wanted to send a message out on Facebook to people that lived in like this little thing over here and just say a message like, hi, first word, Charlotte. You could literally do that on Facebook. It'd be like just, yeah, look up 28202 or whatever. So it's really cool. So it starts with brand commitment. Describes how a customer should feel while doing business with you. The personal relationship between you, your brand and your customer. It will hold you and your team to higher standards of performance and behaviors. It will help shape your culture. This whole section is, I mean, delivering happiness and Zappos and their culture. That's what this is. This is e myth doing it. But it is 100% what they've done. So you should definitely read that book and we'll definitely be reading those insights, which would be awesome. It's accountability in action, starting with you. So it provides the why to the way you do things, keeps you customer focused, creates customer loyalty. It is your competitive advantage ultimately. And this is part of the there is no competition thing, because this is going to be an extension of who you are and what you stand for. And everyone is completely different in this room. There's definitely no copying on this one. Integrates culture with your team and your customers. What does it take to become the kind of business that people talk about so enthusiastically that others can't help but want to do business with you? It takes an experience. Your brand commitment describes the feeling and experience you want your customer to have in every interaction with your business. Without a promise to base it on the experience ends up being random. You have to commit to describing the felt experience and how it will integrate throughout, through every touch point with the customer. So an example. So if you want your customers to feel deeply cared for and they feel it from one of your agents who sort of has that in them and who they are. Maybe not because you've committed to it as a brand, but they just have it in their nature. But your closing coordinator doesn't have that and they're just focused on transactions and churning out deals. Which interaction are they likely to remember? The one that made them feel good or the one that made them feel like they were just a number? We've had people on our team before just say that they felt like they were just a number, you know, because in some cases we've made them feel that way, that they're just a number. So we don't want that. Your brand commitment statement and the purpose of passion behind it provide the why to the way you do business. Like I said, don't over complicate it. Seek simple clarity. And this is an internal document as well, so you're not going to be broadcast directly to customers, although they will know that this is part of your bad because they will feel the result of your thinking. Alright, so everything you do in business orchestrated by people, systems and processes must support your customers having a great experience. This comes down to who you hire, how your team answers the phone, how your agents show homes, how you present your services to prospects affects your brand. What your brand becomes known for. Customers crave doing business with real people. People that care and exude that they enjoy serving others people feel the feeling of your company. Your brand commitment statement is not the same as a mission statement. Two big reasons, so it doesn't. A mission statement generally doesn't guide your people in their daily behaviors, whereas a brand commitment will do that. So this is a very action oriented thing that we're looking at here. And second, it doesn't establish a true connection between your company and its customers on a personal level. So mission is more about where we're headed, not personally as we relate to our customers. So your brand commitment gets real and describes the actual feeling you want your business to help your customers feel and the sparks of satisfaction your customers feel transfer back to the employees who engage with them, elevating the culture. And it's that virtuous cycle.
