1. BRAND ARCHITECTURE

2. “BUT I’M TOO SMALL FOR THIS.” “WELL WE HAVEN’T BEEN TOO SUCCESSFUL SO FAR.” “I WANT TO SELL MY COMPANY IN FIVE YEARS ANYWAY.” “WE ARE ALREADY DOING WELL, WHY DO I NEED IT?” YOUR SIZE AND CURRENT SUCCESS OR LACK OF IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER. AS LONG AS YOU DESIRE TO CLIMB FROM POINT `A’ TO A HIGHER POINT `B’ YOU NEED IT!

3. YOU KNOW… You are driven and are great at what you do. Your company has tremendous potential. But the playfield is crowded and others have a fantastic offer too…and may have entered before you. You have goals in your mind and in fact may even have created some kind of a way plan. But the standards and demands today are global. And competition is aggressive. YOU MUST FOLLOW GLOBAL METHODS AND STANDARDS IF YOU ARE TO COMPETE AND WIN.

4. The question is –Are your plans adequately FOCUSED? –Have you planned your GROWTH POLICY to ensure you stay ahead and in the right direction? –Have you planned your HR POLICY so you have the right people to steer your company at the different stages of growth? –Have you got a MARKET DEVELOPMENT POLICY for planned growth at different points? –Do you have a TECHNOLOGY POLICY for IT and technology upgrades to stay current always? –Have you looked at your PRICING POLICY to ensure you are competitive? –Have you defined your QUALITY POLICY so the quality you offer is as per plan? –Is your MARKETING AND SALES POLICY setting aggressive enough targets? –Do you have the INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY to take on the planned growth? –Have you decided on a FINANCIAL POLICY for different stages of growth?

5. YOU NEED TO DEFINE YOUR GOAL OVER THE NEXT 5 OR 7 OR 10 YEARS…YOUR VISION. IT MUST BE SOMETHING THAT EXTENDS YOU. YOU MUST SET OUT A PATH WITH PRE-DEFINED DATES TO GET THERE AND TO MEASURE YOUR PERFORMANCE AGAINST. THIS IS YOUR MISSION. YOU NEED TO SET DOWN VARIOUS POLICIES THAT WILL GUIDE YOU TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOAL. YOU WILL NEED TO RUN YOUR COMPANY WITH A SET OF ETHICS…YOUR COMPANY CULTURE…SO YOU AND EVERY EMPLOYEE WILL DO BUSINESS WITH THE SAME SET OF RULES…THESE ARE YOUR VALUES. IT IS ONLY WHEN YOU HAVE DONE THIS THAT YOU CAN MAXIMISE PERFORMANCE OF EVERY EMPLOYEE AND MEASURE THE COMPANY’S SUCCESS AS WELL. YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT ABOUT YOU WILL MAKE YOUR POTENTIAL CUSTOMER DESIRE TO ENGAGE WITH YOU OVER OTHERS. THIS IS YOUR POSITIONING. YOU NEED A FOCUSED PLAN

6. YOUR COMPANY NEEDS A DEFINED PERSONALITY. YOUR CUSTOMERS MUST LOOK UP TO YOU AS THE RIGHT PERSON TO INTERACT WITH. THIS IS YOUR BRAND PERSONALITY. YOUR COMPANY MUST HAVE A LOOK SO YOU ARE RECOGNISED AT MULTIPLE POINTS…AND CREATE AN IMPACT. THIS IS YOUR BRAND IMAGE. YOUR TEAM MUST BE INFORMED, CHARGED AND READY TO TAKE YOU THERE. SO YOU MUST BE A TURBO-CHARGED TEAM. NO MATTER HOW GOOD YOU ARE, YOU WILL NEED A PLANNED STRATEGY THAT WILL DRIVE THE BUSINESS…GET YOU THROUGH THE DOOR…GIVE YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVE YOURSELF. AND FOR THIS YOU NEED TO DEFINE YOUR BRAND ARCHITECTURE.

7. THE PROGRAM ROLL-OUT –Phase 1 The Vision Statement The Mission Statement The Value Statement The Positioning Statement The Brand Personality Statement

8. –Phase 2 The Brand Image Roll-out –The name –The logo –The colour scheme –The stationery –The packaging –The uniforms –The signages –The vehicles –The interiors –And any other specific needs you may have.

9. –Phase 3 Building a turbo-charged team.

10. SIMPLY PUT THE EXERCISE WILL GIVE YOUR COMPANY A FOCUSED GOAL, A TOOL TO MEASURE SUCCESS, A CULTURE THAT EXTENDS TO ALL, AND A FACE THAT REFLECTS THIS ETHOS TO THE WORLD. IN SHORT IT WILL GET YOU READY TO SET THE PACE AND WIN IN TODAY’S HIGHLY COMPETITIVE ARENA.