.floatimg-left-hort { float:left; } .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 12px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 12px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;}
Do you ever walk away from business? That’s what branding is all about. Being able to walk away from business. The wrong kinds of business. The wrong kinds of clients. The wrong kinds of growth.

I know – it’s crazy talk in these economic times. Or is it? The wrong customers are never happy. You expend incredible resources to try to make them happy. They typically are very hard on your employees, so now you have to try to make them happy, too.

Maybe it’s not such crazy talk.

When you brand the right way, you boldly proclaim what you stand for AND by default, what you don’t stand for.

I think that’s one of the reasons so many companies either brand very superficially (“our people are our difference” or “our quality sets us apart”) or they don’t brand at all.

Business leaders and owners focus on the bottom line. I’ve got no argument with that. But many of them are unwilling to say “thanks, but no thanks” to business that’s a bad fit.

Short-term gain but long-term pain. We all know the agony of working with a customer who is a bad fit for our organization.

Branded companies are specialists, not generalists. They don’t have to be. Their brand attracts the right kind of business. If they allow it.

Every business has a sweet spot. An ideal client profile. Every time it connects with this kind of client, everyone wins. There’s success and profit, and everyone feels good. A good brand attracts your sweet-spot kind of client.

But you have to be willing to say no to the wrong ones to make room for the right ones.

Are you brave enough?

Drew McLellan is Top Dog at McLellan Marketing Group and blogs at www.drewsmarketingminute.com. He can be reached at Drew@MclellanMarketing.com. © 2009 Drew McLellan