A quick example of the wrong way to represent your brand.

So I’m on vacation this week, but I had to share this story that my mother told us about her experience while walking through a major retail chain last week.

While walking through the make-up department of a major retail chain to meet a friend for lunch last week, my mother was stopped by a consultant who said the following, “give me 30 seconds and I can show you how to get rid of those huge dark bags beneath your eyes.” (Ok, perhaps this lady was an insultant, not a consultant). Now, whether my mom really had dark bags beneath her eyes or not, that is not the way to try and convince someone to buy something. Even more so, that is not the way to build a great brand.

Perhaps a better approach would have been, “give me 30 seconds and I can show you how to look age 30 instead of age 45″. (My mom is 62, get the idea. Like it or not, flattery goes a long way).

I won’t mention the name of the retail chain, but if I were a poet I could use the word Lacy’s to write a nice poem about the whole experience.

Bottom line, whether this is an issue on the local level or a more widespread problem, know what your people are saying to your customers. It has a huge impact on your brand.