Marty Neumeier, author of The Brand Gap, shares some great insights with a presentation on Slideshare. One slide that really caught my eye was the “focus test” slide. I discussed the importance of focus here. These three questions provide the foundation of focus to that will allow you to establish and grow your brand.
The Focus Test
1. Who are you?
2. What do you do?
3. Why does it matter?
Three simple questions: simple, but certainly not simplistic. If you want to grow your brand, you’ve got to have unambiguous answers to these three questions.
Who are you? What are you passionate about? Why are you in business? Passion is the fuel needed to drive success. If you’re in business just to be in business, you will not build a strong brand. Without passion and the focus that comes from it, you’re not going to withstand the competitive winds of the marketplace. You stand a real chance of being blown away. Do you want to build a sustainable business? Start by asking what gets you up in the morning?
What do you do? You need to clarify your reason for being: your core purpose. In their best selling book, Built to Last, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras define “core purpose” as the fundamental reason your company exists beyond making money. What is the one thing that’s not going to change about your company? Without a core purpose, a customer has very little reason to do business with you. Think of the dot-com bust. So many businesses were created that had intriguing “fronts” but no real substance behind them. They were in business for stock options, but had no real passion behind them.
Why does it matter? This is where most businesses get tripped up, which stifles the growth of their brand. Why should a customer do business with you? “We make a great product? Yeah? That’s what every business says. “We really care about service? Prove it. You’ve got to have a compelling answer to this question to maximize your brand’s potential. Again, it’s a simple concept, but one I find most businesses struggling to answer. It’s easier to turn inward and think your brand is important. A brand is not what you say it is, a brand is what a customer says it is. You don’t own your brand, the customer does.
Are You Passing Focus Test?
If you want to maximize your brand’s potential, you’ve got to have concise answers to these three questions. Make answering these questions your top priority. If you’re struggling, ask someone you trust to help. This exercise is one of the most important steps you can take to create a lasting brand.
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