Here is a test question for you: Is General Mills the brand, or is Wheaties the brand?

General Mills owns Wheaties. Wheaties is the brand. The marketing message, the reputation, the endorsements and more, all promote Wheaties as the breakfast of champions. It is a brand that has stuck in the minds of consumers for more than 75 years. It didn't happen by chance. It was the result of strong branding.

This type of information should get you thinking about the future of your commercial carpet cleaning business, and specifically how to build a strong brand, one that entices customers to do business with you.

We need to qualify that branding is not the same as sales, marketing or advertising. Branding is often confused with the creation of a logo. It's not that simple.

Branding is your reputation. We all have one, whether we planned it or not. For good or bad… your reputation exists and it follows you around.

The same holds true for your business, as your business has a reputation that did not need any committee approval from anyone.

It is assumed that each of us is concerned, not only about our personal reputation, but also our business or marketplace reputation.

If someone wanted to change their reputation and came up to you asking how to do that, what would you say?

Most of us would probably begin by saying, "Change what you do" or "Change your dress and appearance" or "Change your speech and conduct." Things like that.

Reputations and brands are built on the tangible, which are how we look and what we say, but also the intangibles, which are how customers and prospective customers view our company.

One of the most effective measurements of your company's brand is the view that a prospective customer has of your company. You can actually boil it down to what they would say about your company without ever having done business with it, all of it built on impressions they have formed about your company from what they have heard from others.

Commercial carpet cleaning requires a good B2B (business-to-business) brand. Do other businesses want to do business with your company based on what they see and have heard? Just as in residential carpet cleaning, everything you do has to send positive signals to prospective customers.

Commercial carpet cleaning is not about dogs, cats and children… but about professionalism and business savvy.

The tangibles

The tangibles are things your customers can see or experience, that helps them recognize your brand. These can include, but are not limited to:

• Company logo
• Letterhead, business cards, envelopes
• Trucks
• Uniforms/business attire
• Websites
• Bid presentations
• Telephone discussions
• Trade show exhibits.

The second aspect of branding is the intangible. The intangible is the message that we send to prospective customers and longtime customers. It is the thoughts and feelings that they hold about our company. How we say things and what we say influences our customers emotions and molds their thoughts about us.

Customers look at us and see what we're saying in print, hear what we're saying verbally and grade us accordingly. We not only need to say it but we also need to be it so that they can confirm our credibility.

Nothing is worse than empty promises or subpar service — if you said it, you need to deliver it. They are looking for on-time service, a pleasant and knowledgeable crew, a great job and billing exactly as promised.

It is a full circle, from promise to delivery, which brands your company.

You want to focus on strong tangible and intangible aspects of your brand. Work hard on both.

Fatal errors

The following are some examples of fatal errors when branding your company.

Fatal error #1: Trying to be all things to all people. If your truck has so many services listed on it that people can't figure out if you're a pest control company, a plumber or clean water expert, you have a problem with your brand. Learn to focus and not be afraid of it.

Fatal error #2: Not delivering what you promise. What you promise is what you must deliver, period. If you offer 24-hour service, including weekends, then deliver that type of service.

Fatal error #3: Failure to focus on company appearance. Keep your tangibles fresh and up-to-date, which means your marketing materials, trucks, bid sheets, website, etc. should look sharp and should focus on commercial carpet cleaning.

Size doesn't matter

Don't confuse branding with something that only "big" companies can deliver.

It doesn't matter how large or how small your business is. Whether you have one truck or 10, you can work on your company image and portray it to your prospective customers in a way they will want to do business with you.

Fred Geyen is president of the Geyen Group (www.GeyenGroup.com). His background includes commercial product sales and program development for residential, commercial and disaster restoration with ServiceMaster. He has a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED-AP) designation and is on the board of directors with the LMCCA. Geyen can be contacted at (612) 799-5111.