cat[&]tonic

A brand positioning lesson: Why it matters to listen to your employees

By Published On: August 27, 2024Categories: Branding, Featured
Share this article:

When we asked employees at Slick Tech Manufacturing* to tell us how they thought their customers would describe them, “clueless, incompetent, and mistrusted” were not the words we were expecting to hear.

One salesperson even told us he had proudly worked there for many years, but now was embarrassed to represent the company.

Uffda (as we like to say in Minnesota).

It’s for this very reason that, when undertaking brand positioning projects for companies in transition, we always recommend starting with interviews and surveys to get to the heart of people’s perceptions, both positive and negative, around the brand,

Fortunately, Slick Tech’s management team understood the crucial role employee attitudes play in a brand’s reputation. And they gave us permission to do what we do—talk to as many people as possible to find out what’s on their minds.

Slick Teck was reeling from hard times. Operations and supply chain issues had been plaguing them for over a year. Now they were working hard to recover and knew they needed strong foundational messaging for rebuilding trust, both inside and outside their walls.

With projects like this, we always start with a typical set of questions related to messaging and positioning, but as soon as we started hearing answers like the ones above, we had to pivot. These people had some things to say, and they needed someone to listen. We became that someone.

We asked how they felt about the company; what they were being told; what it was like to go through tough times; why they hadn’t left for greener pastures; what they liked about the company when things were going well; what they were still proud of; what would make them to feel better about being there.

They told us internal communications had dried up. Nobody was telling them how the operations and supply chain problems were being addressed. Or if they were being addressed at all. More than once, they were told things were back to normal (with no further explanations), only to see promises made to them fall through again, putting further strain on customer relationships.

Their customers had some things to say too. They were frustrated, but didn’t want to buy from another company because Slick Tech had the best products in the industry. Turns out many employees felt the same, which is why they stuck it out.

We weren’t there to place blame or even help them understand what had happened. We were there to understand what made the company special so we could move on with our repositioning work—and so they could look forward with optimism.

When presenting our findings to management, they weren’t surprised to hear about the frustrations. But they were surprised by intensity of them. This only solidified their commitment to the project.

This was our chance to help them climb out of their position of weakness. The days of Slick Tech’s staff and customers hearing “I don’t know” and “I’m sorry” had to be over. Management needed talking points for internal communications and employees needed language for talking to their customers. And that’s what we gave them—a set of carefully crafted repositioning statements with unifying language.

Developing brand positioning and messaging is easy when everyone is on the same page. It’s way more complicated when people aren’t. But in the end, it’s totally worth the effort.

*Not their actual name, but their tech is super slick

Ideas to Ponder – August 2024 Edition
Around the Agency – September 2024 Edition

About the Author: cat-tonic

cat-tonic
Born of curiosity and enthusiasm, we’re a scrappy group of smart, passionate marketers who work hard and play hard. We show up every day and fight for our clients who are making the world a better place. We listen with curiosity, explore deeply, ask hard questions, and sometimes put forth ideas that might make you squirm. Because we believe the status quo is good for growing mold but not much else. The way we see it, change is the way forward and the magic happens when curiosity, math, science, instinct, and talent intersect.

More posts

Around the Agency – November 2024 Edition

By |November 5, 2024|

An inside look at our latest explorations and undertakings. A few of us recently found ourselves at the Sag Harbor Music Festival in New York, cheering on the rock [...]

Solar has reached a tipping point

By |October 23, 2024|

Here in Minnesota, obscured by a mix of industry changes and hard-to-kill misinformation, is a thriving solar industry—a community—working to amplify the truth. Solar is a great source of [...]

Where Business Meets Creativity: The Launch of Swagline

By |October 15, 2024|

At cat&tonic, we’ve always believed that creativity is the lifeblood of business. It’s not just about problem-solving or slick campaigns—it’s about identity, innovation, and connecting in ways that matter. [...]

Go to Top