How Operational Excellence Can Be Powerful Branding Strategy

Branding has always been associated with creating awareness among its target group or differentiating products and services from its competitors.

- Keng Teck Yap

While, business-to-consumer (B2C) SMEs’ key focus is to advertise on social media, there is a misconception among business-to-business (B2B) SMEs that that branding is not important as it all depends on personal relationship and competitive pricing. Such strategy will put a company in high risk. If a salesperson moves to a competitor’s company, the relationship that he developed likely goes with him/her too. As for pricing, it goes without saying that brand loyalty will be near to zero when any business over emphasises on pricing.

In this short article, we will discuss how operational excellence can be a more powerful and sustainable branding strategy for B2B SMEs.

Professional buyers in the B2B segment are more rational and fact based buyers. Some of their key considerations are brand reputation, certification of process and quality, consistent availability of supplies, efficient customer service (pre and after sales) and of course competitive pricing or pricing model. All buying decision will need to be justified no matter how much they like or do not like a supplier or brand.

Demonstrating operational excellence is part of branding strategy. SMEs always claim that they are the best with minimum justification, thus it makes it hard for professional buyers in making decision to choose your brand. SMEs need to tangibilise its claims. Production process and financial performance are two most often neglected areas.

PRODUCTION PROCESS