29 Sep 2007
A brand is born… through listening.
Earlier this month I was at a branding workshop with Dick Brusso of “Heard Above the Noise.” He had a simple and yet powerful way of helping people discover the “brand” within them.
One of the people Dick worked with in front of the group was a lady who is a feng shui expert. He started asking about her company:
Q. What is current brand or expertise?
Q. What is your target audience?
Then the questions really turned to her:
Q. Where are you from?
Q. How did you get here?
Q. What key decisions did you make?
And most importantly Dick was an exquisite listener. He took a genuine interest in what she was saying, and asked questions in a very supportive, encouraging way. She really responded, and did some great thinking about herself, her life, and what her business means to her.
Out of that interaction came new insights, new ideas about why the business came to be, and what it could do for people.
It was a remarkable demonstration of how, even in front of a crowd of people, great listening opens the way for new thinking.
Paul Andrew
