Beware the All-Purpose Brand

I don’t know about you, but I am immediately suspicious when I sit down at a restaurant and am handed a menu the size of a daily newspaper. You know the ones — they’re so tall you can’t see over them and when you open them up you knock something off the table.  And there, for your dining pleasure, is page after page of everything from appetizers to desserts — and while the waiter may be telling you about the specials, you’re already wondering how the chef has time to prepare anything that could be considered ’special,’ given that he/she has to turn out everything from onion soup to Baked Alaska.

My point? As the economy continues to wreak havoc on small businesses in general, and professional service firms in particular, the temptation is strong to widen the net in hopes of snagging work that would normally be outside of one’s core competencies. I’m seeing this happen with my clients at an alarming rate, clients whose brand was water-tight before the recession hit and whose list of services now read like the six page, laminated menu above.

It is more important than ever to stay true to your brand, to reinforce what it is that you are known for. Otherwise, like the all-purpose restaurant, you will be perceived as a jack of all trades, but the master of none.