Typically brands stay the same and don’t change but in the satellite industry it seems to happen pretty often. From minor tweaks to a logo to full on rebranding of the entire company, we have seen a brands become more fluid overtime. In most cases, the changes have always been for the better. A sleeker look, more vibrant colors to better express the brands personality and voice, or a whole new name. Combine all of these evolutions of the brand and you begin to see the challenge. What do you do with all of the outdated stuff?

I have found that large corporations with corporate locations have the ability to mandate the brand refresh and bring their stores to compliance quickly but authorized dealer networks and franchises tend to lag behind in this area.   As a result you start to see an eclectic collection of brand logos on the apparel they wear and in the stores they own. Banners from five years ago are still on display with old logos, technicians are in the market with their favorite shirt from 4 years ago, wrapped trucks, store signage all from some earlier iteration of the brand or logo.

To them, it’s their rite of passage. It shows how long they have been in the business and they have some sense of pride tied to it. And that’s the dilemma. How can you expect your franchisees or dealer to keep up with your brands evolution when they’ve bought and paid for all of your previous items? For the most part they will refresh about 80% of the things they have, but every change leaves behind more relics.

The good news is that brands consider this. They weight the costs and benefits. They accept that the changes won’t be immediate and in some cases will never change. But here lies the opportunity for the authorized dealers and franchisees. The new brand has budgeted for this. This is the best time to make a marketing push because they want you to get rid of your old stuff. The incentives will be higher and they are in a position to work with you if you show the initiative to embrace the change.

Embracing change is against most people mindset. They like what they have, they are comfortable, and they don’t think it’s worth changing. What they miss is that without the change. You become outdated even faster. Those who refuse to change will soon find themselves fully equipped to live in a world that no longer exists. Resist the urge to hang on to the old business and push forward into the new change. It’ll probably change again, but you’ll be better positioned to change with it.