Bringing the Brand to Life at the Front Line

A brand’s heart beats to a rhythm of a central, driving passion. Always be clear on what that passion is.

By Tamra Kennedy

Any brand, at its center, starts with a story. An idea is born and a vision is created to bring a brand to life. Every brand has all of the components of a great story: a hero, a challenge, and a victory. All brands have obstacles to overcome, mountains to climb, villains to vanquish. If you want your brand to succeed, you have to be a great storyteller. 

For the brand to claim victory it must have a hero to champion the journey. Those heroes are always found at the front line.  

Every transaction with the brand customer passes through the front line. For the brand story to survive and thrive, those on the front line must care about your story. At some point they want to be part of that story. Regardless, as long as they are your front line, they represent your brand.  

How do you engage them with your story? There is simple truth gained through experience: the front line can’t sell what they don’t know and won’t sell what they don’t believe. Their battle cry? Tell me why and show me how. 

Heroes need a reason 

The brand’s heart beats to a rhythm of a central, driving passion. Always be clear on what that passion is. Brand passion should answer the question “Why exist?” That is the story you craft and tell. But you can’t tell your story alone. You need others to spread the word. The brand dream is that its story be told far and wide and that the audience believes and embraces the story with the same powerful love that the author intended when the brand was born. 

You want the brand story to be compelling to all who hear it and told exactly the same way by all who tell it. 

How can that be done? By building “brand believers.” 

For both to happen, in unison, consider where any foundational belief comes from — an element of truth. We consider what proof is offered and then choose to believe. Whatever a brand sells has to ring true for the story to be heard and accepted.  

Brand believers include corporate staff and franchisees. Both must know the story and grow the story. The brand must share its hopes and dreams with both staff and franchisees as part of its business vision. Together, corporate staff and franchisees make up the supporting cast in the story. Their unified effort is essential for the brand story to continue.  

How powerful can a brand be without foundational belief from staff and franchisees? If your supporting cast is neutral about the outcome, you will almost always get net-neutral results. Involve everyone early and often as the vision is built. Give them a reason to care by asking them how the story could be told.  

Believe in the cause 

The front line must become believers. For your story to be sold by the front line, the hero must believe in the cause. Is your story clear and true when it is told to the front line? Can you prove what you say? 

Simple truths about the brand must be shared with the front line beginning Day One and then told often so the hero knows and understands the mission. 

Each activity the hero undertakes must in some way support the story. When the front line asks why, the franchisee must be able to point to the story block that matters. If your brand story is about quality, then the hero must be taught that the task assigned is important to the quality block.  

Perhaps your brand has a speed block or an authentic block. When you ask the hero to support those blocks, is there alignment? If your brand story is filled with promises such as innovative, trusted, or socially conscious etc., then you must prove those promises to the front line when you ask them to work in support of them.

When brands tout promises like best and value, ask yourself, “compared to what?” Today, our front line asks themselves the same thing at the same time that we are asking them to believe. Be sure your words ring true.

Heroes need skills 

Supporting cast (brand staff and franchisees) must always remember that there exists an intersection where a customer interacts with the front line. During that transaction, the customer decides two things: 

1. Did I get what I was promised?

2. Would I do it all over again?

All that pressure! Without skills training, no front line could deliver on that daunting expectation, let alone exceed it. And if they can’t deliver, the brand did not deliver.  

Show them how by telling them what 

Every brand has something to sell. You have to train your selling vision. Are you selling convenience, quality of life, or even indulgence? Create a selling technique within the brand to support your product. Are there three to five words you want to be used when the front line engages with the customer? Does the front line know them?  Years ago, I asked a group of general managers to participate in a selling exercise at a team retreat. I told them that a good salesperson could sell anything if they learn some technique and do some homework. Each team was tasked with selling me a big can of shortening.  

With five minutes to prepare, they had to figure out why I would want that can of shortening: How would it benefit me right now? What unexpected benefits of that shortening had I not thought of (value added)? What vocabulary should be used to describe the shortening to me, and overall, convince me to buy it? Did I mention that I (the consumer) was on a diet, was concerned about my calorie intake and focused on overall health and wellness? Tough sell. But technique grew from the effort. Foundational vocabulary is essential to sell anything. 

Training tools 

To be effective, training tools must be simple to navigate, produced in a format that is relevant to the front line, and must be aligned with other core processes in the brand. Thick manuals filled with background science, research and theory may be important to your product or service, but most likely are not essential to the front line. Streamline. 

Today, your front line may prefer to access training materials online and in video format. Mobile teach and learn platforms offer open access to a library of information quickly as the heroes work through their day. Update your library often. Outdated information is hazardous to the front line effort. Conflicting processes and materials also slow the heroes down. One way, your way is reasonable. Just be sure your way is clear and executable. Edit. 

Every brand story has touchpoints — connectors — that should be honored whenever the story is told. History and heritage matter and can build a sense of the brand’s journey. Be ever mindful that today’s front line heroes are tomorrow’s “back in the day” references. Ask yourself “who doesn’t want to be a hero?” Invite them to be part of the history of the brand and celebrate their role in keeping the
story alive.

Tamra Kennedy owns and operates nine Taco John’s franchises in Minnesota and Iowa. Find her at fransocial.franchise.org.