Who Are You?

By Mary Brutscher

“Who are you? Who, Who are you?” On Thursday evenings when I hear these lyrics, I know I can sit back and watch “CSI,” one of my favorite television shows, and leave my real world behind. I’ve realized that during some of the consultation I have done in the past year, these lyrics from the famous song by the band, the Who, have come to mind in several instances because one of the biggest problems I see again and again is failure to name brand. If no one knows who or what you are, how can they give you their business?
First and foremost, who are you? Not your business, but you. What are your strengths? What are your passions? Are you a destination specialist? Are you an Accredited or Master Cruise Counsellor? How long have you been in business? Were you successful in another business prior to entering the travel industry and been able to transfer that expertise and those strengths to your travel business?
By no means am I advising you to sit your clients down and pour out your life’s history, but do find ways to let people know your accomplishments. For example, if you have an office where clients visit, put those certificates, diplomas and other awards up for everyone to see. If you are listed in the Yellow Pages, include your CLIA designation.
On your Web site, list your accomplishments in the “About Us” section. Contrary to what some may believe, YOU are your business’s biggest asset and it is to your benefit to show your value. Have you created a press release about any of these certifications and designations? How about when you first opened your business? Did you do a press release for the local newspapers announcing your new business, along with a little bit of background?
Secondly, let the consumer know what your business is and what it is not. For instance, don’t list yourself as a “Full Service Agency” if you don’t book airline tickets, or don’t book hotels and rental cars and so forth. You are NOT full service if you only book cruises. You’re not full service if you only book cruise, tour and resort packages. If a client comes to you because you list yourself as full service, but can’t provide the services they are looking for, you have misrepresented your business and have not branded yourself accurately. Word of mouth is truly one of the best advertisements any of us can ever hope to get, but likewise, it is one of the worst things that can happen to us when a customer has not received a promised or advertised service. Nothing spreads quite as fast as bad news!
Name brand as you go about your daily lives. Keep a ready supply of those business cards handy and don’t save them for prosperity! Give them away. When you pay your bills, include a business card. When you dine out, leave a business card with the tip. Take a trip to the mall and make sure your business card is handed to the sales clerk along with payment for your purchases. Feeling a little under the weather and like you need to pay a visit to your doctor? Take along a brochure with your business card attached and read it. Make sure your agency information is showing. Draw someone into a conversation about needing a cruise and make sure you leave the brochure on the table or in your seat.
Is someone in your area selling advertising in sports programs for schools? Have you been asked to sponsor a charity? You may be surprised how many of these things you can participate in. Most won’t bring you immediate business, but you are getting your name out.
Take a look at your name and your logo. Does your logo look like everybody else’s logo? Change it! I still love the logo my husband Franz designed for me: a circle with a cute little cherub looking down on a ship. Our motto was listed between them. People didn’t necessarily recall my agency’s name, but because my logo was so different, they remembered it.
A friend here in the Charleston, SC area is doing something that I don’t see a lot of folks doing anymore. She wears these nice shirts with a simple, yet noticeable, logo embroidered on them. Name branding!
Vinyl clings or vinyl signs that can go on the side of your car are other good means of name branding. Think about it. You see a real estate logo in just about every direction you go nowadays, so when you decide you want to buy or sell a house, what is the first real estate agency you think of? The one whose logo you see every time you drive down the highway! Name branding!
What do you think of when you see a red bull’s eye, or a dog with a spot on his eye? Target! Name branding!
When you see a peacock logo on the television screen you don’t need to see the letters to know you are watching NBC. Name branding!
From now on, what do you think most folks will think of when they have their radio on and a song comes along with the words, “Somewhere, beyond the sea...”? Name branding! (Kudos to Carnival for that one...)
Name branding can even be something as simple as an irritating ad that you see or hear over and over again. Case in point: a local car dealership in our area some years back had a commercial that used to make me want to run away screaming. I heard it over and over again and the man’s voice just seemed to grate on my last nerve as he announced, “Cars are like eggs, cheaper in the country.” I made up my mind that I would never, ever shop his dealership if it were the last one around, just because he drove me so crazy with his name branding.
Guess what! When it was time for a new car where did we go? Yep. You guessed it. Our car was like eggs, cheaper in the country. It was one of the dealerships we remembered because of the name branding. Just think of that commercial that drives you crazy with that irritating, silly jingle that is so stupid it makes you cringe. The one that you catch yourself humming and singing. The one that plays over and over in your head. Yes. You’ve experienced someone’s Name Branding.
Be like Royal Caribbean and “Get out there!” Don’t be one of the unidentified. Let the public know you have an identity and what that identity is. Leave those identifying fingerprints in a trail that leads them to solving the mystery of who to do business with. Clue them in as to your strengths. Test positive for being proactive in determining your future business outcome. Never let your prospective customers ask, “Who are you?”

Mary Brutscher is the director of corporate sales for Charming Inns. She and her husband Franz are the owners of Brutscher Travel and Consulting and provide consultation to the travel industry, conduct seminars and agent training.