Where there is a Promise there is Purpose. Simply put, promise underscores purpose. Otherwise, what is the point of making a promise if your intentions are unknown, right?
Your perseverance in good, the bad, the ugly and the in betweens seasons of your life, career and business points to how well you qualify to receive the the promise—profit—why you endured the pain in the first place.
Consider The Marshmallow Test, a research study conducted by scientists in Stanford University on whether children as young as 4 and 5 have the ability to self control or delay gratification.
In Marketing, a brand embodies a Promise i.e. the value the brand delivers to the market. In essence, does your brand deliver convenient, quality, resilience or status?
Take Amazon for example; the brand promises convenience, Apple promises status while Facebook promises to connect you to the world.
Branding
A brand is the unique attribute of a thing, the character or the essence of the thing, product or person.
Your brand exist to serve a particular purpose. How clear you are in this mission determines how well you do during the tough session of your life, career, or business.
Note, like all great brands, it takes a while for a brand to become a market darling. Why patience and perseverance are critical as you learn from the market, adjust and tweak as you reposition your brand accordingly.
Brand agility
Brand agility is the sure way to measure how well you will fair in the grand scheme of things. Knowing your strengths and weakness in your specific market is a must.
Perseverance is crucial in positioning your brand. Be different, authentic and alluring. Stand the test of time that yields credibility, trustworthiness and authority.
Understand that your brand, life, career and business must all be tested. Withstanding the test thus becomes the gist of what that brand promises.
Evidently, underlying any promise is the purpose for which a thing, or brand expresses it’s value—purpose.
You are a brand, whether you regard yourself as such or not. In fact, it helps if you start to see yourself as a brand. This view demands you gain clarity on what’s your ultimate promise or value delivery is.
On the business side, a brand is a composition of who the founder is at the core. Why if done well, like in the case of Apple, the consumer can experience the spirit or the DNA of the founder.
It is said of Steve Jobs’ that, “He produced a lasting company endowed with his DNA that is filled with creative designers and daredevil engineers who could carry forward his vision.” I call this being immortal!
In addition, when you think of The Trump Organization or Oprah Winfrey, what comes to your mind? Whatever feeling or emotional connection you have with these brands reveals your true aversion or connections to them.
Staying the course to promise/profit
To be the change you wish to see in the marketplace (world), you will need to be crystal clear in your answers to a few critical questions: why do I want to be A and not B. Who do I want to become? What value do I bring to the marketplace?
For once you have clarity in the onset, your visions becomes clear to guide you to purpose. Evident in how you create value (Profit)—strategy—adjusting to match your market needs accordingly.
Ultimately, perseverance is your choice that guides you in strategy because you will need to test, iterate and tweak before the market appreciate your ingenuity. Keep in mind however, the process is where the real fulfillment lies and is your sweet spot from promise to purpose (profit).
Life is a journey and building a brand in career/business may not be evident right away. With time, effort and effective strategy, you will reap your rewards/profits if you overcome what Steven Pressfield calls resistance—the nagging oppressive feeling that makes one feels incapable, stuck and incompetent to want to quit.
Back to The Marshmellow test study, reports shows that the children who persevered ended up doing better in life than those who didn’t.
How do you deal with challenges? Share your comments below.
Carolyne helps professionals and organizations gain CLARITY around building better brands for better results. A coach/consultant, speaker, the author of Being Grounded: 21 Days To Come Alive and Love Your Life, and a contributing writer for various publications. To schedule your 45 minutes complimentary session with her, you can write her at carolyne@vpfstrategies.com
