Tuesday, November 22, 2011

This brand doesn't ring a bell

Here's a recent Letter of the Day in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, headlined, "A bad encounter sours him on the Salvation Army."

"Last night, my son and I went to a local [name withheld] store. With the holidays approaching, there was a Salvation Army bell ringer at the entrance. Unfortunately, I had no cash, just check cards, so I was unable to donate.

"As we walked past, the bell ringer began to harass me about not giving any money. Because I was with my son, I didn't want to start anything, and quite frankly, I was having a hard time believing I was being lectured, so I let it go. As we left the store, it started up againand continued as we were driving out of the parking lot. This person was waving his arms and yelling at us.

"What a shame that a service that is designed to help the needy has to resort to using combative, rude people to achieve its goals. I will never again give to the Salvation Army."

This letter's a good reminder that a brand is always at the mercy of its employees. Train to your brand message so it's communicated consistently by employees (even volunteers) when they have these "Moments of Impression" with customers. They can growor mowyour brand.