Positioning: Quality is Top Priority
Advance Reputation
- If a product breaks, have a policy to repair or replace it
- Back your products with a money back guarantee
- Ensure that employees have the authority to address
customer key concerns
- Be sure customer service agents are trained to answer
questions
Undermine Credibility
- Budget priorities mean often broken down computers and
office equipment
- Inconsistent information is provided in response to
customer inquiries
- Customers have to wait long spells on hold!
- If a product breaks, the customer bears full responsibility to
get it fixed or replaced
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Positioning: Create Shareholder Value
Advance Reputation
- Fund ample market research to make decisions based on
objective feedback from customers and other market
indicators
- Employee performance standards reward initiative and
quality and hold weak links accountable
- Communicate an understanding of the strategy and
market beyond quarterly earnings reports
Undermine Credibility
- Select business partners based on personal relationships
without researching alternatives
- Hire relatives and avoid competitive recruitment
- Over promise and under deliver
- Purchase a fleet of luxury cars on the company dime
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Positioning: Corporate Responsibility
Advance Reputation
- Corporate foundation is contributing to communities
where you conduct business in a meaningful way and to
causes beyond corporate products
- Recycle production parts and excess materials
- Strong employee policies and programs that advocate for
health and family
- Encourage employees to volunteer
Undermine Credibility
- A flaw in a product has potential to harm and no policy
to replace, repair or reimburse
- CEO employs undocumented workers at home and
avoids paying social security
- CEO does not meaningfully contribute time or resources
to any social cause
- No support for employees when new parents or sick
family members
- Company portfolio is filled with stock in industries
contrary to mission
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Positioning: Employees First
Advance Reputation
- Communicating with employees about the company’s ups
and downs makes them part of the company, rather than the
last to know
- Provide comprehensive health benefits from long-term
disability to flu vaccines on-site that support employee
health
- Support continuing education of employees with on-site
training and tuition reimbursement
Undermine Credibility
-
Delay plans for emergency evacuation procedures
- Hire outsiders as managers consistently without creating
opportunities for internal advancement
- Ignore ergonomic standards
- Waiting to share bad news with employees until after it
becomes public generates bad will and rumors
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