It’s tempting for a company owner or “C” level executive to allow top field leaders to use the company logo or brand identity to create custom marketing tools.
After all, the top field leader has some cool ideas and promises this is the way he / she did it “at the last company” to build a huge group.
WOW!
Can it really be that tempting to put your company’s brand into the hands of someone that had nothing to do with creating it in the first place?
As an owner, do you really think your “top field leaders” have your company’s best interest in mind when they are designing new brochures, business cards, videos, audio, websites, fan pages, etc.?
YOUR brand is YOUR business.
You’ve spent hundreds of hours and, perhaps, hundreds of thousands of dollars designing an image that represents YOUR company, YOUR product, YOUR mission and YOUR values.
Why would you ever consider handing over the keys to YOUR kingdom to someone that does not have the same vested interest?
Ok, that may be a bit harsh. But, keep in mind, the top leaders are “independent business owners” and they are independent for a reason.
You want them – need them – in your business. Or else, you don’t have a business.
I get it.
But, if you allow one group in your organization to have the latitude of using/ tweaking your branding, then the cat is out of the bag and others will want the same latitude. Let the fun begin!
Do you think Coca-Cola allows its distribution centers (or retailers) to create their own commercials for their area and use the logo however they want? You would never see it. They know the value of their brand and want to protect it, so they provide the tools to their distributors. The same thing applies to franchises. Why should you be different just because your cost of entry is lower?
I have a theory (in general) — distributors who want to design new marketing tools and systems are in the business of designing AND SELLING new marketing tools and systems. They are spending their time doing that INSTEAD of building a business that is sustainable and teachable.
MOST companies are much better served by keeping the branding / image decisions in-house and providing the right tools and the right systems that can be taught across all organizational boundaries. This allows the company to grow with a cohesive message that, regardless of which meeting a prospect / new rep attends, they are seeing, hearing and learning the same system and seeing the same brand identity.
Today, it’s harder than ever to control your brand. The internet is a powerful tool that can lead to all sorts of positives and negatives. Never before in history has it been easier to be so wrong so fast.
One simple post to a distributor controlled web site is all it takes. If it’s wrong — it’s there!
And, if your company’s brand is attached to it, you’re wrong too!
The same thing happens if you allow your brand to be used outside of your control. Before you realize what’s been said and how your company is being represented, it could be in the hands of hundreds or thousands of people.
It’s easy to trust and believe in your reps. We want to.
However, the long-term health of your company will be built on the perception of your business, your products, YOUR image — YOUR brand.
