Book Description
What's Your BQ? It could be the most important question you can ask and answer if you are running a business in today's competitive landscape. Consider the fact that that 80% of new brands fail upon introduction and another 10% fail within five years. With the heightened competition and consumer savvy of the 21st century, it is imperative that every business owner knows how to build a competitive advantage into their brand. The book will give you a customized snapshot of your company's brand strengths and weaknesses through a 40-question test. The author will then take you through a step by step process of brand assessment, improvement and planning. The results can have a profound impact on the longevity of your business, large or small.
From the Back Cover
"Sandra Sellani takes the knowledge of a professor and translates it into a practical and useful new brand building tool. What's Your BQ will help you to discover what your brand means today and help you to brainstorm ways to maximize its potential for tomorrow."
Laura Ries
"Bestselling author of The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding"
"Sandra is passionate about helping people build better brands regardless of the size of their company. Her systems work for the new entrepreneur or the seasoned business professional. I'd definitely want her on my team."
Tim Wrightman
Superbowl XX Champion, Chicago Bears; Professional Speaker, Trainer, Spokesperson and Entrepreneur
"If there was one word that could be used to describe how Sperry Van Ness has grown from $17 million to $140 million in sales in four years, it would be "differentiation." Sandra Sellani's processes and techniques helped create, expand and define the differentiation that has catapulted our company from a small regional company to one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the nation. She is creative, her techniques are different and they work. If you want something you can implement on Monday morning, listen to what Sandra has to say."
David Frosh
President, Sperry Van Ness International, Inc.
"Sandra Sellani offers that rare combination of insight, knowledge, experience and humor. She is simply fascinating to listen to. In a world of over information, infotainment and distractions, Sandra's delivery and professionalism make her an unparalleled speaker and a delight to work with."
Author, "The Ultimate Sales Manager Guide" and "Move the Sale Forward", Keynote Speaker, Consultant and Trainer
About the Author
Sandra Sellani is Vice President of Marketing for Sperry Van Ness International, Inc. a commercial real estate brokerage firm that in five years has grown from $2.1 billion to $12 billion in sales. Sandra's team has won more than 30 awards for marketing, public relations and communications from organizations including the Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communications. Her work to date encompasses 20 years of management in sales, marketing and branding. She is a speaker for Vistage, the world's largest CEO membership organization, and speaks throughout the country to business leaders, entrepreneurs and sales executives.
Excerpted from What's Your BQ? Learn How 35 Companies Add Customers, Subtract Competitors, and Multiply Profits with Brand Quotient by Sandra Sellani. Copyright © 2007. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Foreword
One Important Question
Early in my career I received some great advice from a very successful CEO who said, "The most compelling question a business needs to ask itself is - What is our unfair competitive advantage?" The reality is that without an unfair competitive advantage the company is destined to compete primarily on price and possibly fall into a place known as "commodity hell."
I have spent more than twenty years creating or evolving brands for clients and the question of unfair competitive advantage still stumps even the best and most prepared corporate executives. The problem is that often, when the company was formed, it had an unfair advantage; however, as the company grew or grew older, it became difficult to maintain. This is why brand, which defines the distinction of "unfair competitive advantage," must evolve over time. There are too many factors to become complacent in this regard -- the competition catches up, the marketplace changes, there is a revolving door of change at the executive level or there is just not a corporate culture of continuing innovation. It is imperative for companies to constantly challenge them-selves to keep this competitive edge and very importantly - aggressively claim their differentiation through a consistent branding program in the market-place.
Much has been said about the global economy, but its existence necessitates creating a sustainable competitive advantage and a clear promise of distinction. That is also why brand distinction should be a corporate initiative and not just a marketing initiative. The CEO and executive team must own the brand for it to be successful. And there are many reasons why.
A branding strategy will never reach its potential unless it is completely aligned with the business strategy and the internal alignment of the entire organization. Secondly, the company's financial valuation is greatly affected by the intangibles (brand) within the organization. In many cases the brand value of the company is greater than the book value of the company. On average the intangible value of stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange represent more than 60 percent of the market value. For this reason alone, it is clear why the CEO should be placing a huge emphasis on the ability to direct the corpo-rate brand. For private companies, the ability to own a clear and defendable position in the marketplace can not only drive top line sales and bottom line profit but also position the company to be very attractive for an acquisition - at a premium price.
I know that some of you already understand the importance of building the brand, but what you may not know is the process of doing so. This is where What's Your BQTM? is so different than most branding books on the market. Sandra provides key insights and practical examples into the process of building a corporate brand that can truly create an unfair competitive advantage.
In What's Your BQTM? you have been given the opportunity to measure the strength of your company's brand and test how your brand stacks up against other companies in your category. Sandra also provides great examples of companies who have developed a unique brand strategy that has propelled them to success. No matter what category your business is in, you will find that many of these strategies will have relevance and could spark insights for the creation of a new brand or the evolution of a current brand.
I welcome you to apply the practical insights outlined in this book to create unlimited success for your business.
RiechesBaird, a business/brand consulting firm that builds the market value of B2B brands through business strategy, brand development and integrated marketing, is ranked among "The Top 10 B2B Agencies in the U.S."
--Ryan Rieches, CEO RiechesBaird
