Does A Big Brand Need You

I have not been bogging much lately and have been getting a little bored of the same old topics so I found Chris Brogans blog at chrisbrogan.com 100 Blog topics I hope you write and picked this one so without further pain here goes.

Often we go out to a store and pick up some brand name product you know the one I'm talking about the big brands like Coke, Pepsi, Guess, Calvin Klein, Mars bars etc. etc. the list goes on and on. When we do pick these items up do we even think about the non brand name product the no name as we call it. Does the thought ever even enter your mind as to whether or not these companies even care one bit as to if we pick them or not do they need you buying the product or service. Well I'm not an expert but having worked as a sales rep I can assure you that yes and I mean yes they most certainly do need you.
Why me? you say well everything starts with one, you make your first dollar when you make your first product, your first product needs to be sold to your first customer,your first customer likes the product tells another about it and not only do you get a repeat customer but now you got a referral customer too. Repeat this oh I don't know lets say 100,000 times and guess what your the talk of the industry.
Not convinced yet well then explain why these companies spend billions on advertising every year. What you think everyone forgot who coke is or Pepsi that they need to sponsor every event that happens spend millions on a Superbowl commercial so they are shown to millions of viewers. Do they honestly need to do that? probably not.
They do need you and they need to keep showing you how great they are due to the small guy the possible next big thing. Just because a company is small doesn't mean it cant cut into your profits and fast. They only have to come up with a cheaper version of the brand name, do some serious marketing some fancy packaging a cool name and a catchy slogan and boom in your face big guy. Look at whats happening in the auto industry the cheaper imports are selling like hot cakes offering more options better quality in most cases, while the big names are on the verge of collapse they need you now more than ever Don't they?

If you are big you want to stay big the companies that don't spend on giving the customer what they want don't last too long even if they have been around for 100 years. Times change and so do products new ingredients materials and on and on if I can make a jean or a soft drink or a fast food restaurant that offers great style or taste and appeals to a wide range of shoppers and offer it at 10-20% less than the competition you think I will cut into anyone's pockets. Now if the big guys don't care I can only get bigger and bigger, while their profits get smaller and smaller but that's not likely to ever happen is it. Not a chance the second the big companies notice you on the radar they will do everything to squash you more advertising new product lines lower price they make it real hard to stay in the game for long.
Still think you don't matter to the big name? They only got big because they wanted to they know the only way to get big is YOU. If You don't buy they don't profit. I said before how I was a sales rep what do you think I wanted some other guy or gal selling my customer a product no way in hell. I would offer it at a less price try to get them the next model up for the same price anything not to have my client walk away to the competition.That client represents you the sales rep is the big names. Now they know that sooner or later the competition is going to win you over but with more marketing better price you will be back.

It sometimes may seem like hey we are the only game in town so ha ha screw you but not so. The people doing that don't care its a job but get a blog or a news reporter on your side talking about how poorly they treat clients and watch how fast things change when the CEO get wind his main goal to make business grow and keep the name of the company and its reputation clean

So in closing your decision to buy or not to buy a product means the world to a company Big or small so choose what suits you best and remember that they will try to persuade you but you buy what you like and what is best for you situation period.