(Time to read this Blog is about 3 minutes)

Before we get to the main topic, here are a few things to get you thinking or smiling:

1. My Biz Quote of the week:
   Here’s a simple question that every business needs to ask…
   “Are we trying to get our customers to do what we want them to do, or are we committed to helping them do what they want to do?”   
   …Donald Cooper.
    
2. Quick Biz Tip:
   Know when it’s time to bring in outside help: 

   A luxury hotel in Crete brought in a restaurant menu design and systems consultant to improve their breakfast buffet. Her recommendations led to a 40% reduction in food waste and a 30% increase in guest scores.
    
   In what areas of your business might you benefit from an expert outside perspective?
    

3. The scary math of Gift Cards. A recent BMO survey found that 47% of Canadians are planning to buy Gift Cards for their loved ones this year.
    
   But, according to other Surveys, about 20% of Gift Cards are never redeemed.  It’s estimated that the total annual value of those unredeemed Gift Cards in Canada is $30 million.  In the US the estimate runs as high as $21 billion…which shows up as extra profit for the businesses that issued the unused Cards. 
    
4. Fun Fact: Jakarta, Indonesia is now the world’s most populous city, with 42 million residents.  That’s about the same number of people who live in all of Canada.  Dakah, Bangladesh is #2 and Tokyo, the former title-holder for the past 25 years, fell to #3.
    
5. Will you create ‘the next’ in your industry? Innovative start-up, Janta Power’s new 3D solar towers use vertically stacked and pivoting solar panels to generate 50% more energy than traditional flat-panel systems while taking up 1/3 of the space.
    
   How can you improve what’s being done and how it’s done in your industry?  Will you create ‘the next’, or will you be the victim of those who do?
    
6. A transformational day with Donald Cooper. A number of regular Blog readers have recently asked how much it would cost to have a day with me to explore how they can sell more, manage smarter and grow their bottom line. Some of these businesses are partnerships or family businesses needing clarity and insight about the best path forward.  They’re looking for someone who has the experience, insight and courage to ‘get real’ and be helpful.
    
   So, I’ve put together a program that involves you and your management team taking about 40 minutes each to complete a few of my Biz Tools…me spending 2 days to recap and analyse them and prep for our day together.  The day can be with you alone, or with you and your Management Team.  It concludes with dinner and includes three follow-up calls to make sure that ‘stuff’ is getting done.  The cost is $7,000, plus travel expenses.  I’m based in Toronto. 

If you’d like to chat about ‘possibilities’, I’m easy to find at donald@donaldcooper.com.

Now, to this week’s important topic:

An important lesson on ‘Brand Clarity’ from Canada’s struggling Conservative Party:  

The Canadian Conservative Party keeps choosing leaders who are unelectable and who are despised by at least half of the party members.  The reason is simple, ‘They don’t know who they are.’ 

What’s the reason for their total lack of ‘Brand clarity’?  It’s simple.  The current Canadian Conservative Party is an unhappy cobbling together of the more moderate ‘red Tories’ and the ultra-conservative ‘blue Tories’ in 2003 in an attempt to ‘unite the right’.

But, the moderate ‘red Tories’ and the ultra-conservative ‘blue Tories’ are fundamentally different and don’t get along…so the Party can never be successful.  Whichever side of the Party gets their way as to who the leader will be, the other side of the party disrespects and sabotages that leader. 

Stephen Harper was the great exception. He was our Conservative Prime Minister from 2006 to 2015 and he made it work with his combination of personal strength and political smarts.  But, since then, it’s been a disaster. 

Using a business metaphor, today’s Conservatives lack ‘Brand clarity’.  They don’t have clear Brand values that resonate with enough of the population. Their Brand message is inconsistent, confused and conflicting, and currently delivered by a leader who is profoundly unlikable, except by a radical few.  They don’t know who they are…so we don’t know who they are.

It says in the Old Testament, “When the trumpet gives forth and uncertain sound, who then shall prepare for the battle?”  That sums up the Conservative Party quite well.

So, what about the ‘Brand clarity’ in your business?  Do you know who you are, who your target customers are and what they want you to be?  Or are you ‘giving forth an uncertain sound’? 

Do you have clear and compelling value proposition, clear and compelling Brand values and a clear and appealing Brand personality that ‘grabs’ your target customers, clearly differentiates you from your competitors and makes you famous?  If not, what will do to fix what needs fixing …and by when will you do that? 

That’s it for this week…

Live brilliantly and be kind to each other!       

Donald Cooper 

Donald Cooper speaks and coaches internationally on management, marketing, and profitability.  He can be reached by email at donald@donaldcooper.com in Toronto, Canada.