The Brand Who Cried Wolf: Deliver on Your Company's Promise and Create Customers for Life

By Scott Deming

Book Overview

PRAISE FOR THE BRAND WHO CRIED "WOLF" "Powerful brands command. Read this insightful book and allow Scott to share how to make your brand stand out and deliver you buckets of money " --Mark Victor Hansen, bestselling author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul(r) series "Deming's approach to branding is not about gimmicks. It's about relationships-the real formula for building and sustaining your brand and your business." --Rieva Lesonsky, Editorial Director, Entrepreneur magazine "It doesn't matter what you sell. We're all selling service. Deming's book shows businesses of all sizes how to create incredible brand power through innovative service levels. The Brand Who Cried Wolf will not end up on your book shelf; it will stay in your briefcase or on your desk as a daily reference guide. If you want to grow your business, get this book " --John Valletta, President, Super 8 Motels "Deming's revelations on creating an emotionally engaging experience between you and your customer are without equal " --Joel Bauer, bestselling coauthor of How to Persuade People Who Don't Want to Be Persuaded " The Brand Who Cried Wolf explains how every customer interaction, large or small, impacts your brand's image and reputation. This is an easy-to-read book-- veryone in your organization needs to own." --Patrick Sweeney, coauthor of the New York Times bestseller Succeed on Your Own Terms; cohost of the nationally syndicated radio show Winning in Business "Deming delivers an essential message to businesses and delivers in a way you won't forget. You know the fairy tales, just adapt it to your unique brand: you " --Wayne Kandas, CFP and host of nationally syndicated Bloomberg Radio "Stories sell, and that's what helps sell the ideas in this brilliant book. If you're in business-any business-you need this book. Get it now " --Robert G. Allen, bestselling coauthor of Cracking the Millionaire Code ; CEO of The Enlightened Millionaire Institute Chapter 8: Just Call Me Slick People Really Hate to be "Sold" What We've Accomplished So Far By now you know that branding is not exclusively about business identity in the form of a logo or advertising. You might recognize the Nike brand from its iconic swoosh logo. You might immediately think of McDonald's when you think of fast food because McDonald's commercials are ubiquitous, but by this point, you know that icons and awareness do not constitute a brand. You also know that big businesses are not the only brands. Your business does not have to be the size of GM, Microsoft, AOL Time Warner or Wal-Mart. Your business could be run out of your home with you as the sole employee. You could conduct business from a small office with a single assistant, or in a store with several employees. The size, scope, and location of your business does not change the fact that it's a brand, nor should any of these factors truly impact your brand if you're focusing on one-on-one relationships. Businesses are not the only brands, either. Every individual is a brand, as are organizations from non-profits to political parties to social clubs. For example, the Gates Foundation, the Red Cross, UNICEF, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Kiwanis Clubs, Rotary Clubs, Republican Party, and Democratic Party -- all are brands. The concept of branding I've been articulating is personal, which means everyone needs to develop one. Each category -- from individuals to organizations to businesses large and small -- brings with it its own brand development challenges. At the same time, however, these challenges are minimized when you understand your brand identity. Throughout this book, I have written about creating unique and memorable experiences for your customers. Chapter 2 defined a b

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0470127120
• ISBN13: 9780470127124
• Release Date: April 2007
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.4" x 0.9" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Not Your Father's Book on Branding ...

I'll admit that I was a bit skeptical when I first felt that the title of this book didn't sound grammatically correct to me (I'm the guy muttering "It's 15 items or FEWER" to my wife, every time we're near the express lane at the supermarket) - I thought that the right title should have been "The Brand THAT Cried Wolf." But, Deming quickly and convincingly explains that "The Brand" is more than an inanimate corporate symbol ... it's my company, it's my department, it's me ... and, thus, deserving of the "Who" in his title. Deming uses a pleasing blend of children's fables (which, I will admit, were enjoyable to get caught up on and, in some cases, to read for the very first time), business cases, hypothetical situations and personal experiences and anecdotes to put his principles into meaningful perspectives. I continually found myself playing a mental game of "Can You Top This" with Deming every time he gave examples of unique, emotional, memorable business experiences that caused him to become, as he would put it, a "Brand Evangelist." Likewise, I found myself playing the same game (probably with a little more fervor) whenever he gave his examples of such poor service that caused him to become a "Brand Antievangelist." Coincidentally enough, just 2 days before reading this book, my family and I rented a movie that seems to be a perfect and real-life exemplification of Deming's "You-Are-Your-Brand" hypothesis: "The Pursuit of Happyness." Based upon a true story, it's about Chris Gardner, a down-on-his-luck salesman who can't buy a break, even after he is given the "opportunity" to compete against 19 other unpaid interns at a stock brokerage for 6 months for one permanent position. His successes started only after he began creating unique experiences for his prospects and clients rather than just those typically provided by such brokerages. His first big "splash" took awhile, but the ripples that resulted got him the business he needed to beat the other 19 and earn the job. (I wish that I had read this book first!) Definitely a good, fast and worthwhile read. And definitely not you father's book on branding. And that, here, is a good thing.

Buy This Book.... NOW!

Wow! What a great book. It arrived this afternoon - never intended on finishing it this evening. After reading the first chapter, I was hooked. It's that good! This is the second book on branding I've read this month. The first was "Footnotes" by Kenneth Cole. That book, also excellent, shows the finished product. In "The Brand Who Cried Wolf", Deming shows you how to get there... and stay there. Whether you run a large corporation or a home based business, you will learn a great deal from this fun read. Just like Disney, Deming understand the power of a good story. Each of the ten chapters cleverly starts with a brief fable to illustrate a key point. Deming then follows up with countless up to date examples of how companies succeed, and more importantly, fail to achieve success in branding and customer satisfaction. Deming really hits the nail on the head with his comparison of Costco and Walmart. This is a very well written book filled with stories to inspire. The type of writing that obviously comes from years of experience and a passion to help others. As Deming mentions in chapter eight, "you can't fake sincerity". To sum it up - Don't think you need to be a business owner to buy this book. This is a great lesson of customer satisfaction and communication skills for anybody who interacts with others on a daily basis. Deming seems well versed in what it takes to form a successful relationship - both personal and business. I'm just glad he took the time to share some of his insightful stories with the rest of us.

Read it and heed it

Part inspiration, part affirmation, Deming hits the mark with his simple, honest exploration of the DNA of great brands. He doesn't accomplish this with an earth shattering, groundbreaking, revolutionary, quick fix branding approach. He does it with a poignant review of what good business and effective branding is all about. He delivers it with entertaining observations of the fundamentals that all great businesses and brands are built on. The revelation that brands are not just icons, logos or slick advertising but are rooted in every customer experience and the emotions attached to each experience is both accurate and refreshing. Basically, brands are real or they die. Simple enough. Some advertising professionals may view these pages as sacrilege. They shouldn't. As a marketing professional that's spent a career explaining effective branding to clients, this book is a blessing. Read the book. Listen to Deming. Start with perfecting even the smallest of customer experiences and work back from there. Success is sure to follow. This book is a worthy read for anyone looking to deliver excellence in a company or organization. You may not agree with all of Deming's observations and, sure, there are other things to consider when building your company's brand. But it's worth the read, even if it simply recalibrates your thinking back to what's really important.

Deming's book is a blue print for creating customers for life!

Deming's message is a must read for anyone who has competition. How do we make our competition irrelevant? How do we create customers for life? The Brand Who Cried "Wolf" delivers a proven and effective approach to develop lifelong customer relationships. If you want to create a leadership position in this experience economy -you must read and re-read this book and then act on the wisdom Deming skillfully presents! Chandler

It's fast, fun and most important very enlightening.

The Brand Who Cried Wolf is a phenomenal read! It's fast, fun and most important very enlightening. There's something here for everyone. There's new information, old information with a new twist and just some very funny stories. This book will make you look at yourself and your business in a very different way. I know I have. Highly recommended!