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Picture for a moment a successful, midsize engineering firm. For the first 30 years there are strong values, great people and no dedicated marketing staff. Then I show up without an engineering background, and needing tools to market. I needed design software, collateral pieces, a website, a clearly defined value proposition and a brand to tie it all together.

For my tried and true engineers, I represented a tidal wave of change and that made them uncomfortable. The firm’s motto was simple – do good work and our clients will hire us again. This had worked successfully in the past. So, why change?

We had a problem (you may face such challenges too).

Brand confusion

We had modified the logo many times throughout our history. Old logos were used and the colors had changed slightly over the years (new colors were added without much deliberation). We added taglines almost every year to publicize our annual external focus. We also called ourselves by different versions of our name – abbreviating the name because it was hard to say.

Externally, we looked confused. Which logo, which color and which tagline was current? I use the word “we” because I was a part of these changes and (I can now see) … part of the problem. Our messaging wasn’t compelling. Our words and our look didn’t make it easy for new clients to want to choose MacKay Sposito.

Everyone was a brand expert

Colors, fonts, shapes, styles, placement of the logo all brought opinion after opinion. We spent a lot of time discussing options and not moving forward with a clear decision.

Legacy allegiance

Changing the brand and colors felt like a betrayal of our legacy. We wanted to honor what made us unique. Changing the logo (or the name) meant leaving behind what made us great.

We can do it ourselves

We historically did not have a budget for branding or website design, so taking the leap to hire a brand consultant was too much of a financial risk. We did everything we could in house. In fact, I designed our website on a free platform (wix.com) and am embarrassed to admit it!

With the problem defined, I began (with a small team of brand believers) a seven-year journey to raise awareness among my firm leaders that this was a problem. The world around us was changing, and we had to adapt and change too.

Here are some of the lessons we learned, and tips for business leaders considering a rebrand:

It cannot be done in house

Any firm that could would offer branding services to its clients. Our founder once said, “Do what you do well and let others do what they do well.” Stick to your expertise.

Commit to the journey

Momentum (and financial investment) is lost when there are starts and stops. In fact, people end up repeating the process over and over again. If the necessary resources can’t be committed to the journey … wait.

Find a partner and trust it

It took us a while to find the right firm to help us create our brand. Once we did, it was a fantastic match. They got us. They utilized data to drive our brand decisions. They interviewed our clients and the community.

Select a small team of decision makers

For us, we utilized our six majority shareholders – our brand leadership team. They attended all branding meetings. They discussed, debated and made decisions. We later formed a brand ambassador team of managers, but that team’s mission was to help implement the brand and not help create it.

It’s never just about the logo

Branding is most powerful when it’s used in a whole system – name, colors, typography, placement, messaging.

People may not like the logo’s colors and design

It’s not about you; it’s about your clients and employees. While our personal preferences do play into how we choose a brand that fits our company, remember that it’s about the buyer connecting with you. Think about what will appeal to the buyer first.

A brand can link to sales

Today, we have tools at our fingertips to track who looks at our website, for how long and which pages, etc. We can track proposal statistics and debrief after wins and losses to discover how our brand has impacted buying decisions. With tools, we can finally begin to articulate return on investment.

We launched our new brand Sept. 6, 2012. We did this while honoring our legacy and becoming clear on who we are and what we do well. I couldn’t be happier with this process; it was worth the seven-year investment.

If you or others in your firm still need convincing to rebrand, then watch the video at: http://youtube/Hzgzim5m7oU. It’s about the power of words, and while they are only a component of a brand, what a difference they can make!

Have you faced a similar challenge at your firm? Tell me what you think.

Lisa Schauer is the vice president of business development at MacKay Sposito. Contact her at 360-600-8373 or at [email protected].