The devil is in the detail, they say. But sometimes it’s the good stuff you find in the detail – in work or play.

I recently visited several universities with my daughter, who’s working out which ones to select. (I guess that’s neither work nor play, but stick with me.) The various admin staff, academics and students might not have realised it, but those visiting, especially parents, were making their assessments based on all kinds of different things. 

Sure, course and uni reputation, including career prospects, are important. But we were also considering surroundings, for both learning and living, including safety, design, cleanliness and even age (charming old halls or state of the art buildings?). 

More than anything, we put a lot of stock in how staff and students behaved. Were they kind, knowledgeable, empathetic to visitors’ needs? Did they speak well and openly, from the heart? 

In general, everyone was considering the ‘vibes’, to use that term, whether they realised it or not. 

Your customers are paying attention 

 How different is what I’m describing to a would-be customer considering buying from you? 

 Again, your reputation, the quality of what you offer, your pricing and other traditional variables are all important. 

 But how does your CEO come across on LinkedIn? How does your account exec or sales lead come across in an email? In a video? In someone else’s social media post? 

 Do you lead with the heart (more vibes)? With the head (data)? Do you knock out sub-par comms with an AI tool? What’s your combination of all this? And who owns it all? 

 Are you someone/somewhere a customer would like to spend years with? (Just like a student heading off to higher ed.) 

 You might call it ‘brand’. 

 It takes years, decades even, to build a great brand… and not long at all to destroy one. 

 What’s your brand? And what are you paying attention to?