.

OK. So why not? There’s a Horse Whisperer, a Dog Whisperer…there’s even a Ghost Whisperer. The name is meant to connote one’s ability to “speak” to the named entity in a language only it understands…and thereby achieve a level of cooperation and performance previously thought impossible (or at least improbable).

I can do that.

I’ve seen many things throughout the course of my 35+ years in the world of words, writing, marketing and yes, brands. And although the verb “branding” didn’t come into vogue until, ohhh, maybe fifteen years ago, it has been misused, misinterpreted and undervalued for much longer. There is a marked tendency for business owners to confuse product with promise, maximum effectiveness with mere presence.

A brand is not a product. It is a promise. One that your customers expect you to keep.

Brand effectiveness is not determined by how many times and places you can throw your logo. Brand success is a “how,” not a “what.”

As a Brand Whisperer, I put clients in touch with how to stay in touch…how to make a brand connection and sustain that engagement with consistency, value and trust.  What it takes is defined goals, assessment of what’s working and what’s not, and strategies for keeping the brand message (promise) on track, on target and on course for the future.

When was the last time you actually gave thought to what and how your brand…not your business…was doing? Do your clients have a clear understanding of the intangibles you provide them and why they should trust you over your competitors? Are you yourself contributing to client confusion when it comes to conveying your own vision? Are you delivering 100% on your promise? Could you do better in the delivery department?

I can help. When you’re ready, give me a whisper.

“I want to stay as close to the edge as I can without going over. Out on the edge you see all kinds of things you can’t see from the center.”

— Kurt Vonnegut

OK, all you edge dwellers… let’s hear from you. What’s so great about it? Is seeing over the edge all it’s cracked up to be? Educate us.

Center supporters…what are you afraid of? Why not a little edge hopping? Isn’t safety and security overrated in this day and age? Is any one of us really safe, anyway?

Freshman year, UCSB. English 1B. The first book I bought for the class was entitled How Does a Poem Mean? The author, John Ciardi explained in his introduction that the title he has chosen is not intended in any way as a verbal trick. He is “interested rather in “How” the poem means, how it goes about being a performance of itself.’

So it is with brands. To an entrepreneur, the how is more important than the what… because the what is just a label. The how is everything else.

• A brand is a promise…kept. More than just a name, it is an assurance; a reason to believe.

• A brand tells your clients and potential clients more than what you sell. It tells them what you stand for.

• A brand engages consumer trust and creates emotional connection. That connection has the power to transcend price  wars and competitive offers…and your occasional oversights or mistakes.

Why is this important? Because in a boundless marketplace, brands rule.

• Brands build name awareness

• Consumers stay loyal to brands – without the need for promotional incentives

• Retailers provide brands greater visibility because brands drive sales. And brand owners don’t need to launch

NEW! offerings…they leverage the brand to grow the business.

Just a little thinking out loud. After all, that’s how a blog means. Til next time. What are you thinking out there? Would love to hear more about brands and blogs and business matters. Take a shot. I’ll listen.

If you started your business today…right now…what would you do differently?

First thing that comes to mind? I’d collect a deposit up front for those projects that went south (along with their originator and any hope of my being paid for many hours of work) in the first blushingly innocent year of The Simmons Group. I’m not bitter. Just more careful these days. I’m sure you entrepreneurs out there can shake your heads and chuckle at the remembrance of similar missteps. Some lessons are a little harder than others. Bottom Line: you gotta have a payment policy and you gotta stick to it – no matter what. You just gotta.

Other items on the list might include:

• Thinking bigger from the very beginning. Indulge your vision and make solid plans for getting out of the small pond and into the bigger one sooner than you’re absolutely comfortable with. Dream big and act boldly – even when it hurts. Builds character.

• Joining a business support group. Not necessarily a networking group, and not necessarily a chamber of commerce, but a support group – one that shares questions and listens to the answers. It’s a group that is not so much interested in generating leads or throwing business cards, but in helping each member do better and learn the ropes. I ended up co-founding a group (ISN) like this, for this – simply because there aren’t enough out there – and believe me, I kissed a lot of networking frogs in search of focus and purpose and value in the support category.

Looking back, there’s not a whole lot that I would do differently — this due largely to the fact that there was one item that I aced right out of the gate. The first thing I did when striking out on my own (actually before striking out on my own) was to hire a business coach. Had I not done that, my list would rival the Los Angeles Phone Book in size and weight.

Hutt Bush (Being Point, Inc.) was the single greatest move I ever made as a business entrepreneur. He’s still with me and we’re still blazing new territory together. If you haven’t considered consulting a coach or business mentor, start now. Accountability is a powerful (not to mention absolutely necessary) thing. Having someone on your side – to bounce ideas off, to help you anticipate pitfalls and “rubbing points,” to guide you with experience and knowledge and to hold you accountable — represents value beyond measure. Believe me. Get a coach – end of story.

So let’s hear from you! Tell your story. What would you have done differently? What did you do that holds true-to-course today? What’s your advice for those lined up at the entrepreneur starting gate?

– “But do you know how old I will be by the time I learn to really play the piano/act a scene/paint a portrait/write my book?”

– “Yes. The same age you will be if you don’t.”

Don’t know who said it. Not the same since I read it. The difference between those who do it and those who don’t is that those who do it sit down and do it.

By now we’ve all seen and had suitable time to react to the Oprah interview with that unfortunate victimized woman who was recently mauled by an unfortunately vilified chimpanzee. And if you have read my book, Mr. Coleman, you know that it presents a very different take on human/chimpanzee relationships. Because it does, I feel compelled to go on record (or set the record straight, whichever you prefer) regarding that “chimpanzee thing” and how I feel about it.

A chimpanzee – child or adult, captive or free, rescued or taken – is a wild animal. The mistake here, and the accompanying danger, occurs when that hard fact is ignored or trivialized or forgotten.  The owner of the chimp in this most-current incident (and in the previously publicized “Birthday Party” incident involving the chimp, Moe) lost sight of the line that must be drawn.

The character Tim, in Mr. Coleman, rescues Coleman from a situation that would have resulted in his death at the hands of his own kind. He kept him confined for the protection of all concerned (including, of course, Coleman) and he never crossed the line by actually considering Coleman to be anything but what he was…a full grown chimpanzee with the ability to literally tear a human being apart. There were times of risk and concern and fear throughout the course of their relationship…but profound and unwavering respect – for what Coleman was and for what he was capable of  — was always part of the equation.

I addressed the right/wrong issue minimally in Mr. Coleman because I didn’t want the story to be about anything other than Coleman — the special circumstances, the special bond, the outright uniqueness of his relationship with Tim…at that time, in that place, under those circumstances. Mr. Coleman is a special story…as it should be.

That’s it. That’s all. My opinion – no more, no less. Line up on whatever side you choose – or don’t buy in at all. Your choice. Just keep in mind that there are no pat, easy answers to anything these days – and that the beauty (as well as the tragedy) of life can be found in its complexity.