Brands make great bargains out of even the most expensive stocks. Very few people know how to value these intangible assets adequately. Small investors can rise to the top stock market league by backing brands.
Brands cannot remain as mere trademarks. Neither can investors rely on concrete features alone. Competitors will match and even exceed product performance parameters in due course. Branding is essentially imprinting a consistent impression on the minds of customers. Service is the best way to do this.
Most corporations suffer from the ‘showroom mentality’. Executives pull out all stops to make you buy, but disappear once you have made that crucial purchase decision. However, companies that can deliver profits quarter-after-quarter know after-sales-service is a key success factor in competitive and demanding markets.
How do you feel when something you have bought does not work? What if no one is available when you need help to resolve a problem? Are you supposed to remember when it is time to renew a subscription or to have a device serviced? Stock value, stripped to its essentials, is all about satisfied and returning customers.
Wishes and intentions do not suffice for excellence in customer service. It is a matter of switching focus from External to Internal Marketing, as defined by Peter Drucker. Business processes have to be crafted with care and in detail to ensure that line and staff functions come together to meet customer needs and preferences.
Sales people and stock investors are the most important categories of stakeholders for a revolution in branding through service. The front line must build fortunes out of phalanxes of delighted and returning customers, while equity providers turn harsh spotlights on every case of unresolved customer complaint.
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