Taylor Guitars has an amazing brand, even people like me who don’t play a guitar, have heard of them. Some of that brand recognition comes from hearing songs like United Breaks Guitars, and some of it comes from the fact that Taylor Guitars are played by some of my favorite musicians.
The Taylor Guitars brand was built intentionally as part of the business plan for the company. Bob Taylor accredits this to his partner Kurt making branding intentional and to Brian Swerdfeger, the Vice president of sales and marketing who teaches the staff that, “everyone is a potential customer or colleague, and we want to bring a good Taylor Guitars experience to all the people we come in contact with – That means the load-in crew at the convention center when we do a show, or the truckers that take our products in and out of our buildings. It means the server at the restaurant when they see our company name on our credit card. It means the person calling with a ton of questions who is thinking that they might possibly want to buy a Baby Taylor. It means the local newspaper reporter, or the college student writing a paper on local business, or even the 4th grade class and their teachers and parents.”
Your business is more than what the customers think of it. If your vendors are not happy with you, or you turn down the teachers request for a guest speaker, or if you don’t answer an unhappy customer’s email message, it does not matter if the rest of your clients think you walk on water; your business will falter and possibly die. How you and your employees and contractors treat your customers, vendors and even service people often reflect more on your business than your product.
What do you want your business to be known for?
Taylor, Bob (2011-02-04). Guitar Lessons: A Life’s Journey Turning Passion into Business (p. 180). John Wiley and Sons. Kindle Edition.