A brand is not just a logo. A brand is the totality of the logo, past contacts, commitments made and kept, service experience, advertising message, and all the other feelings customers identify and associate with in a business whether it be food, clothing, cars, or services.
Steven Keefe, Broker/Owner
Coldwell Banker Sky Ridge Realty 
www.mountainmoves.com
steve@mountainupdate.com
909.336.2131
The logo is just the stimulus that opens the door. When you see the Coca-Cola logo, you may see the logo itself, but that visual stimulus alone may invoke memories of a song, a time with friends, or maybe freedom itself. I remember as a child watching television and seeing the Coca-Cola logo for the first time in communist Russia. It looked so out of place, but that symbol alone told me freedom was coming.
The importance of a brand in business cannot be understated. A simple choice of where to eat in a strange city easily demonstrates this point. On “Restaurant Row”, in Anytown, USA, you will be presented a host of choices. If you are like me, your choice will be based on your past experience. If you are like me, you will choose a familiar eatery that you have experienced before in another town. Your choice is safe because you know that your experience will be similar to your experience everywhere else. This is not by accident and not the only benefit.
Businesses align themselves with a brand for many reasons, namely the brand and the franchisor behind the brand. As the purveyor of a business franchise, you will know a certain amount of patrons will choose your establishment simply because they are familiar with your brand. You will have a certain pressure to ensure your patrons have a similar experience at your establishment as they would anywhere else. The food, atmosphere, service, facilities, all commingle to enhance and re-enforce the brand. This is not only good for you and your customer; it’s also good for the brand itself.
The franchisor of the brand brings the collective wisdom of all the owners together to benefit the whole. This results in many benefits for you as well as your customers. Economies of scale bring purchasing power that non-brand/franchise companies can’t compete with. Services, networking, national marketing, benchmarks – all are a result of the brand. Choosing a place to eat or shop is one thing; and choosing a real estate firm is another.
Local, non-branded, non-franchised real estate companies can be good, but they function without the vast resources of national networks, national websites, purchasing power, and the collective wisdom of the whole. The key non-branded and non-franchised companies lack is brand loyalty on a national scale. It is for all of these reasons and more, our firm chooses to affiliate with Coldwell Banker.
Coldwell Banker has 96% brand awareness on a national scale and I would argue 100% on the mountain. There are over 125,000 affiliated agents throughout the U.S., with over 3,600 independently owned offices.
How our clients benefit from this can be illustrated as follows: 1 of every 2 homes in the country valued over one million dollars was sold by a broker affiliated with Coldwell Banker. Knowing this, when that seller moves to our area, they will see a familiar sign in front of our offices and have a pre-existing set of expectations in a real estate firm, and are more likely to call our office simply because WE ARE Coldwell Banker.
As this uncertain real estate market progresses, every effort must be made to sell your home. Your real estate agent should be plugged into the ordinary as some others are, but in these times they need to deliver the extraordinary. You need a local presence, but you also need the power of a brand like Coldwell Banker with brand loyalty on a national scale, award winning web technology, and award winning service to help ensure your experience is what you expect it to be.
