In the March edition of eMERGE, we debuted Part 1 or a 3-part story on a rebranding project of a 3 year old company not realizing it's full potential. Risking the reputation of GrowthANSWERS, I promised to reveal all the good, bad and ugly of this transformation and this Part 2 story already has elements in each category. Again, the intent of this series is to create a learning experience for all.

First, a brief re-cap of Part 1:

• The name of the business and the business owner will not be revealed until the 3rd article (May issue of eMERGE).
• The company competes in commercial lending industry, primarily in commercial real estate.
• This commercial broker packages the borrower's business (financials, business plan, projections, etc) for optimum terms and conditions from a funding source (typically other than traditional banks).
• This rebranding project has a fixed budget and timeline for completion.
• You'll be invited to their big reveal and coming out party on May 18th (TBA).

As far as the good, bad and ugly, let's first get the ugly out of the way.

Shortly after this company signed with GrowthANSWERS, the firm lost a $3M deal that was scheduled to close end of April. They had been working this deal with Publix for 6 months and it was wired to them, but for reasons beyond their control, it vanished. This is one reason why the commercial lending industry is known as the Wild, Wild, West and why this business MUST be working multiple deals simultaneously with guarded optimism. This was an ugly disappointment, but the principle said a few prayers and bounced back with full intensity to serve others.

As for the bad…

At the moment, bad only predicted. Based on the work to be accomplished before the big reveal, bad is lurking within an unforgiving calendar.

As for the good…

We've already accomplished a great deal. Strategy always comes before execution and it begins with assessment including our Growth Gap diagnostic tools.

• We've invested hours with the owner to understand their first 3 years of business and helped to create vision for the next 5-10 years. She's been a joy to work with.
• We've interviewed past clients to understand the customer experience and gain personal testimony. We analyzed local and national competition, talked openly with employees and reviewed industry trends--something we could not ignore due to confidence in financial markets.
• We held a creative session (ImprovAstorm) at Blank Stage Studios with a positive and productive outcome.
• Based on customer experience, we learned their service to customer is impeccable, professional and beyond the norm, but that's not what magnetically attracts new potential clients. Any brokerage firm can make that statement. A true differentiator clearly separates one service from another with qualities that are not easy or impossible to duplicate. This is our mandate.

Within each client interview, we found a reoccurring theme among business owners--a deep belief in their project. Funding this acquisition was their top priority, their cause and next critical step to building their enterprise. While other financial institutions were risk-adverse to commercial lending, our client executed successful transactions and got the deals done.

The conviction of an entrepreneur is their cause. It may be a teacher who wants to build a school. It may be a restaurateur who wants to open their 2nd or 9th location. It may be an investor of apartment buildings who seeks another cash-flow positive project. It may be an establish business who needs additional warehousing space and front office for employees to build their future. These causes are noble and need funded.

In just a few short weeks, Advancing Your Cause has become an absolute reason for being for our client. We love the emotional appeal it exudes in the tag-line as a direct benefit to borrowers and a greater purpose for lenders. With this embedded in their core positioning statement, their promise-to-customer will be attractive for entrepreneurs and give hope to business owners who need capital to fund their growth and create their own economy.

So What Have We Accomplished and Where Are We Going This?

Based on market research from the assessment, the positioning strategy provides foundation for our Strategic Marketing Process. The brand architecture, core messaging elements and new corporate identity will permit this firm to compete and win more often within their target markets.

• A basic marketing plan has been crafted to include vision and mission, SWOT analysis, quarterly goals/objectives and financial projections.
  
• New corporate logos have been informally tested and moving to final selection by April 10th. A mass replace of the existing logo (letterhead, envelopes, business cards, literature, portfolios and signage) are planned for early May.
  
• Organizational structure is re-defined based on current resources and future industry experts to serve new target markets.
  
• Two videos have been filmed, but not edited. Two additional scripts are written and casted for filming in mid-April. Final edits to be completed in May.
  
• The on-line strategies for website, blog and search engines begin this week.
  
• New domain names have been reserved to reflect a national company versus a local organization.
  
• A common prospect and customer database with a work flow engine is specified to optimize and automate marketing/sales processes for new prospect development, nurturing future customers as well as influential partners and existing clientele.
  
• A non-profit organization called Strictly Commercial is planned to build stronger relationships with complimentary companies and a clear mission to enhance education and ethics in the commercial lending industry.

As you can tell our recommendations for re-building this company for sustainable organic growth extend much deeper than traditional advertising agencies or marketing firms. Progress over the next few weeks will test people, the creative process and our systematic approach that never fails to build better companies called Chaos to Clarity.

It's a good thing we love what we do. Transforming companies mean ushering in deep and fundamental changes. Often we meet resistance which is one source of good, bad and ugly. I'm pleased to report a healthy embrace from everyone on this team…thus far.

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