Dancing your way through Branding Expectations

A young dancer decided to take her lessons up a notch, and wanted to learn how to be as flexible as those gorgeous, legged dancers of stage and screen. She dreamed of dropping effortlessly into Russian splits, without hurting herself in the process. After numerous consultations with peers, all agreed that a local woman was without a doubt the best around. The novice dancer eagerly set up her first one-on-one appointment.

On the day of her first lesson, a smile was plastered on her face and eager desire was fixed in her eyes. She was directed to the studio where she laid down her bags and approached the bar fastened to the mirror. Her stretching began a bit too aggressively, unable to stop tensing her body in anticipation. When she heard the turn of the doorknob she spun on toe, hoping it would impress her new master instructor.

The look of surprise and slight disgust on her face was undeniable. Walking toward the young woman was a heavyset, wide-footed, beady-eyed woman. Hesitation flickered across the young dancer’s face as silent awe froze her in place. The teacher slowly surveyed the dancer up and down, lips tightly pursed, and the pupil was suddenly hyper aware this was indeed the famed instructor.

Without a word being exchanged, the stout dance trainer dropped into a flawless split, and just as easily rose back to standing position with the ease and grace of a crane. The moment broke, and lesson continued as if the original exchange had never occurred. Not only did the pupil achieve her goal of flawless splits, but is now an accomplished dancer and master teacher in her own right. The only classes she still attends are those by the portly instructor, who remains one of the best in the biz.

Perhaps you feel as if you’ve heard this story a thousand times over. You’d be right. Yet every day we make snap judgments of people, businesses, and situations. You have a mere few seconds to make your first impression, but your job is a heck of a lot easier if you can prove your product works in that same amount of time.

Maybe you don’t have the snazziest logo. Maybe you go into beta before the look is quite solid. Or maybe you just do not look the part of someone in your profession. But if you can build your reputation and back it up by delivering and often exceeding expectations, what more can you really ask for? Don’t get me wrong, building that look and feel is essential to your long-term success, but looking good does not a good brand make!

It reminds me of the classic, “looks are fleeting; stupid is forever.” Apply that to yourself, your brand, your product. Then next time you read a recommendation for a fantastic blog, product, person that doesn’t quite fit the look you’d expect, give them the benefit of the doubt and try it out. They may just teach you something you weren’t anticipating – heck, maybe even a split!

Special thanks to G. Rice for the anecdote and inspiration!