Building brand loyalty isn’t about putting a bunch of creatives and a couple of technology guys to communicate a message that will inspire the world to love your product.  It’s about getting everyone in your organization in synch.  It’s about finding out why your customers love your product and why they hate it.  It’s about finding out why your employees love their job and why they hate it.  It’s finding a happy medium where all parts of a company work together to offer a consistent message.  

No matter what you are selling, no matter what service you are offering if you have a consistent message you are destined to find a brand loyalty.

I know what my brand values are.  I believe I effectively communicate them through my day-to-day actions. Just like a company must establish a strong brand for itself,  individuals must do the same for their personal brand.  When developing your personal brand you must question how you treat your customers, friends, co-workers,  employees and community.

 Each day I do my best to wake up well-rested and alert. I try to maintain a positive attitude. I strive to get my best efforts at work and in the classroom.  I  treat all of my customers equally. That is the professional side of my brand. I work hard to be physically active.  I make time to enjoy with my family.  I am determined to explore as much of the world as possible. I spend as much time outdoors as possible.   These are parts of my personal brand.

Spending every night doing my homework, communicates my brand. Arriving to work on time communicates my brand. Helping my coworkers communicates my brand. Sticking up for my clients communicates my brand.

I must remember that all the tools and money in the world are not going to give me a solid brand image if I do not have a clear picture of myself and what I want my brand to represent.

When I begin to feel my stress build up and the daily  struggles feel like weight of the world is the pressure upon my shoulders… I wake up and get the hell out of dodge.

I live on the shores of Lake Tahoe, with clear water, blue skies and plenty of fresh powder. Most people only dream of living a life surrounded by such beauty. But it’s too quiet and for a curious girl like me.  I’m one of those people who is finds comfort in discomfort, doesn’t take no for an answer and always asks why.  Living in a little mountain town, I often find it challenging to keep a perspective on the greater picture. 

I’m sure this happens to people all over the world, especially as we become disconnected by our conveniences and new forms of communication.  When I began to realize that my struggles are just my struggles and that I need to change my attitude and embrace a renewed world view, I wake up and get the hell of dodge.

Last week’s solution was an afternoon on the Pacific, a walk through Chinatown and a great meal at a Turkish restaurant.  A little bit of city living to remind me of all the diversity the world has to offer .

The results of a Saturday trip to the Bay are a motivated and refreshed smiling face on a Monday morning..

Any recommendations for revitalizing adventures?

#5.   Surround yourself with positive, ethical people who are committed to excellence.  I believe that no matter how hard you strive to achieve greatness as an individual, a brand or a company you can’t get there unless you are surrounding yourself with the right people.  How can your goals be reached if others around you are working to assist you in achieving them? 

#50.  Become comfortable alone Being comfortable alone, gives me the ability to make decisions about what company.  Ensuring that I don’t spend time around negative people or situations.  Sometimes it’s the hardest but best decision to end a friendship/relationship where someone’s values don’t align with your own.

#13. Remember that business is all about relationships and human connections.

#25. Write a handwritten thank you note to a customer/friend/loved one every day.  This is going to especially hard for me, but I know it makes the world of difference.  It’s a great way to make yourself remember there is life outside your everyday world and a good way to remember those who have influenced you along the way.

 #19 Be willing to fail.  It’s the price of greatness.

 #31 Commit to doing great work-whether anyone notices it or not.  It’s one of life’s best sources of happiness. Obviously, not all of our interactions will take place with others who get the same satisfaction from simply knowing they’ve done a great job.  It’s important to remember this as a source of pleasure, I often have to remind myself instead of let it discourage me.

#41. Eat less food.

#42. Drink more water

#54. Remember that success is dangerous because it can kill drive/innovation/passion and going the extra mile.  Be successful yet stay hungry.   I believe the message is don’t get too comfortable!  It prohibits you from growing, wanting to explore and experience new parts of life, new ideas and technology.

#51. Smile.  It’s a stunningly effective way to win in business and life.

 The success of an individual is often based on the environment in which he places himself.  The success of a company is often based on the environment which it provides for its employees. As employers continue to search for the best and brightest employees, they must not only evaluate the knowledge set that one has upon entertaining their organization but also examine each individual’s ability to learn. 

The culture of the today’s business environment is changing.  Instead of employees coming into a new position at a company expecting to learn, more employees are hired holding degrees but having little or no experience in the field.  With the education level of the workforce rising, it is important that the environment that these individuals choose to work in, encourages their growth. 

 I recently read an article, Teaching Smart People How to Learn, where the author recognized that to have an organization where highly people are encouraged to learn, the company as a whole must evaluate its own learning ability.  The evaluation must start from the top down.  If top management is not willing to learn, if there is a culture that attempts to solve problems by darting responsibility from one to another, then the company itself must recognize that it is not a culture that supports learning. If a senior employee expects to be respected for great knowledge he brings to an organization, he must be willing to learn from the perceptions of those below him. Just as easily as one can recognize the shortcomings of one’s co-worker or manager, it must be recognized that others can see our own inadequacies.  As people, regardless of our position, level of experience or educational background we all must recognize that others notice our we inadequacies, often better than we do ourselves.  We must remain an open slate to learning.

 Unfortunately, fear, embarrassment and dishonesty with oneself hurts both people and our organizations.  Until we can admit to ourselves that our best is not good enough and will never be, we will continuously interfere with our own ability to learn from both our mistakes and our successes.

I am putting this out there as a reminder to all of us.  It is not the responsibility of our employers to educate us, instead it is our responsibility to  make sure that we are spending our time in organizations where the environment promotes learning.

Think about it, reflect on it. Why do you consume what you do?

Are you empowering yourself, or sitting around like dead wood just taking dull messages that don’t provoke new thought. Are you feeding your body nutritious foods that will give you energy to work and play? Are you purchasing products and associating with brands that align with your values, are choosing to spend your hard-earned money on the best consumer experience? Are your surroundings comfortable, providing you with freedom and clarity of thought?

It is your decision on how you want to want to be seen by the world (and how much of the world you want to see).

I realize that it’s hard to make positive conscious decisions about our consumption all the time. But the easy road… it’s not going anywhere. Sure you might want to engage in more gossip than you planned to at work, put off reading a novel, kick back watch reality tv and munch on junk food. We all need indulgences, we all need a brain and body break… Just remember once you give in and start adapting your consumption the cravings will be harder to ignore.

Inspired by a comment in Dr. Bret Simmon’s MBA class during a presentation made by Kade DWorkin.

Knowing what makes you happy, is a great tool of personal strength. When you know what brings a radiant smile to your day, it is much easier to incorporate those people, activities and things into our daily lives. For most of us, it is much easier to stay motivated and when we have a smile on our face.

As society and the work environment continues to grow more competitive, the demands that are placed on each one of continue to increase. Life becomes harder to manage and taking time for yourself, to enjoy the small things in life becomes much harder. I attribute the small things that make me smile for keeping the coal-burning in my engine and giving me the strength to pull through each day.

It is important for employers to realize that what motivates us and keeps us happy is not the same. We are all unique as people, just are the things that keep us going. However, I do believe there are some commonalities that employers can use to their advantage. We all appreciate encouragement and acknowledgement of our dedication, efforts and achievements. It is the responsibility of employees to provide an environment where they recognize their employees and do their best to keep them happy and motivated. One way that I believe employers can help make it easier for their staff to get up and come into work with a smiling face is to offer reward and appreciation programs. A well designed program will keep your staff motivated, contributing the growth of your top and bottom line.

For further information on how to set up an effective employee reward and motivation system, please ask. It’s a small part of what I do.

I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t believe a word written above. That’s why I decided to start this blog; to give you some confidence in my words. Hopefully, through my writings, actions and interests you will really feel the power and dedication of which I speak. I have always had an interest in brand promotions, marketing and advertising. I find the challenge of creating and maintaining loyalty for a brand, an exciting avenue to release my creativity.

As life continues to get busier and more demands are placed on all of us as people, ensuring that individuals (including myself) have positive brand experiences has become increasingly important. Think about it- aren’t you much happier when you order products and they are promptly shipped to you, when you show up at your hairdresser and she is on time for your appointment, or when you place a customer service call and it is promptly returned!

I have chosen to take a career in helping brands build loyalty. It’s my small way of helping individuals experience a little bit more joy in their daily lives. I feel it is the responsibility of brands to treat their customers equally, fairly with appreciation and respect. And when a brand takes appropriate actions to demonstrate this responsibility, the brand can depend on customers that are loyal.

Please follow my blog to learn more about ways you can enhance your customers experience and perception of your brand.

Today's Reality- Sunny Skies and Smiles