Usually business owners especially SMEs suspect attempts of sound advisory or presentation of intention to be walked through a process aka global best practice, as a covert means to demand a high price. Apathy is another response that’s common, and so subscription to shuddy work that gives zero client experience that helps the gaining of useful specialized knowledge has become the order of the day. Making the presence and impact of quacks like a week-long party.
The much larger business implication is that it under-develops the SME business environment because it stifles the achievement of an increasingly sophisticated SME environment as far as corporate identity and branding is concerned. This is why there’s very little brilliance out there for most SMEs to leverage upon within the sector, as experts or professionals are hardly ever patronized by SMEs.
Crappy logos are everywhere. You see logos derived from overused graphic iconography sourced from the internet everywhere – that you sometimes feel a déjà vu. And how the owners of these “logos” manage to feel proud about their claims to a unique identity surprises me. Did you not see what looks like your logo on the other hair services or interior design services business?
The inability to afford experts or professionals isn’t the culprit, trust me. It’s mindset. Heck! I’ve seen business owners that brandish 6 figure lifestyle use stock art logos from the internet. This paragraph is for the person that may say, hey! Professionals and experts are expensive. True! But the word isn’t expensive. The word is value. You’re charged the full value they bring to your table which is incrementally to your advantage.
Quick digression: The art of negotiation – this necessary entrepreneurial skill is like an attempt to go head-on with a raging bull for some “entrepreneurs”. If you can’t negotiate you’re not an entrepreneur. Period! Experts and professionals are human beings, they get a sense of satisfaction from their work aside money. The opportunity to work with the right client is one. It presents mutual benefits like Paul Rand and Steve Jobs relationship. Professionals and experts are on the look out for such clients too and some don’t have fat pockets they just have all systems check and working optimally as entrepreneurs. That’s why I call such category – Smart SMEs or Smartly-Run SMEs. It’s never about the price. It’s about the value and value they won’t ever compromise.
Back to the matter:
When Michael Jordan, a hall of fame NBA player and multiple MVP awardee was entering into business he had this to say; “I drove around town looking at every sign looking at logos”. Imagine what he would have seen. Yes! World class logos as more prevalent in the mix. Wacky logos exist everywhere in the world no doubt, so my guess is that he’d have carefully chosen the part of town to drive through. How do I know this? The Jordan logo is world class. Indeed a globally recognizable Logo called the Jumpman. The logo was made by a renowned designer.
This reference is to validate that the more visually exposed and educated business owners are to world class identity and the branding experience, the more they’re able to leverage on building a sophisticated business environment. The kind that’s able to deliver high impact on society in the form of better product design, on-brand delivery and corporate behavior, and logos that give off international standard. So imagine if as much as 40% of Nigerian SMEs demand global best practice on every service provider they hire and this they do beyond just affordability but actually demanding it because knowledge and expertise from professionals is understood and appreciated as imperative to their success. Indeed the kind of success of turning their business to a brand – what kind of business environment would we have? From B2B and B2C will be a beautiful business society. And the untold unfavorable impact of quacks will kick-the-bucket naturally.
