You are only as good as your Promise!

1. You are only as good as your Promise!

2. Discussion Agenda • It’s all about the Experience • Your Community Action Strategy…Why its it important? • Your Promise

3. I. It’s All About the Experience How do you want your clients/customers, influencers and associates to feel?

4. It’s All About the Experience! We have a promise to our clients, customers, influencers and associates. They should perceive and experience our promise every time they come in contact with us. Our reputation must evoke a positive emotional response and connection with our clients/customers, influencers and associates.

5. From Product to Experience STARBUCKS To: Customers experience the “third place” From: Selling coffee

6. The Concept of Value Benefits Perceived Value = Cost Time Feelings Money

7. What’s the first word to come to mind when you think of these organizations?

8. Newton’s Brand “Law of Gravity” GENUINE BRAND: UNIQUE Experience! BRAND: Distinctive BRAND NAME: Well-known, but similar COMMODITIES: No difference except price

9. Every Community Action Agency Should: • Deliver exceptional experiences • Develop a unique distinction • Enhance relevancy • Energize all stakeholders • Guarantee satisfaction

10. The Experience Balance Functional Emotional How our clients/customers,associates and influencers feel. What we do.

11. II. Your Community Action Strategy

12. Why have a strategy…2001? • Community Action’s members wanted a common promise and identity • Members requested it- visibility and recognition! • “For far too long, we’ve been America’s best kept secret.”

13. Why have a strategy…2010? • We are still relatively unknown. • We need to reinforce our promise and our brand elements everyday to achieve recognition, respect and success. • Celebrate someone’s commitment to the promise everyday!

14. Community Action Partnership Process Define the organization’s essence and experiential commitment. 1. Brand Assessment 2. BrandPromise Create a unique promise and paradigm shift Become distinctive in customer’s minds apart from other competitors 3. Brand Blueprint Think like a brand; live the organization’s promise 4. Brand Culturalization

15. Key Assessment Conclusions #1 People who interact with various Community Action local programs often are not aware that these programs are administered by Community Action Agencies.

16. Key Assessment Conclusions #2 Many people do not know that Community Action Agencies are nationwide – almost 1,000 serve 98% of all counties. Each agency seeks to improve its community and work together as partners to change lives and improve America.

17. Key Assessment Conclusions #3 “Community Action” is included in the name of many of our agencies and identified with some agencies’ brand identity.

18. Key Assessment Conclusions #4 When members are asked about Community Action, they refer to the process or programs. When clients or program participants are asked, they describe their feelings about the people that have changed their lives.

19. Key Assessment Conclusions #5 Many of the legislators and representatives of government agencies who praise Community Action may not understand the scope and the variety of work Community Action Agencies perform.

20. Strategy Re-cap 2001 Kansas City Approved Promise 2002 New York New Identity-Community Action Partnership

21. Strategy Re-cap 2007 The adoption of an identity symbol and an approved variation to provide flexibility for member agencies such as “Community Action Partnership of….”

22. Great Advice “You’ve got to start a new conversation and have a different mentality.” “People have to know who you are as Community Action.” Juan Williams

23. Success! Everyone is delivering our Promise. Hundreds of agencies are following the brand guidelines and acting like one brand.

24. III. What Is Your Promise?

25. What is a... PROMISE? What does “promise” mean to you? promesa Versprechen 約束 De belofte

26. Your Promise: Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.

27. A Genuine Promise Create an exceptional experience for everyone.

28. What is an Experience? Perception Observation Feeling Personal Encounter

29. The Trust Factor “You gain a huge advantage when people know your word is as good as gold. In today’s world, there seem to be fewer and fewer promises we can fully count on. And people really appreciate it when yours is one of them. You lose some tactical flexibility by keeping your word – but you earn a dividend as well.”─Tony Simons

30. What is a Paradigm Shift? Process Process Promise Performance Products & Services Guarantee

31. The PromiseRule Treat others BETTER than they EXPECT to be TREATED!

32. Three Perspectives for Success Organization Promise Personal Professional

33. Working Together to Deliver One Promise!

34. “Wherever the Guest experience takes place – in our parks, on the high seas, on a guided tour of exotic locales, through our vacation ownership program – we remain dedicated to the promise that our Cast Members turn the ordinary into the extraordinary. Making dreams come true every day is central to our global growth strategy.”

36. We have had the pleasure of advising over 300 brands worldwide including corporations, societies, professional associations, institutions, countries, world-class professionals, celebrities and successful individuals who desire to optimize their perception, image and success by applying the BrandScience™ principles.

37. Proprietary Properties BrandMindset®, BrandPromise®, Brandictionary®, BrandPsychic™, Destination BrandScience™ and BrandStrategy™ are trademarks of BrandStrategy, Inc. All other trademarks, brands and brand names are the property of their respective owners and are used for illustrative purposes only. No sponsorship, association or affiliation with BrandStrategy, Inc. is intended or implied.