As a young entrepreneur, I was fascinated with Apple’s brand.

The idea that two tech guys could build a multi-billion-dollar company was inspiring, to say the least.

Being a tech enthusiast and an aspiring entrepreneur, it really resonated with me.

So, I dove headfirst into reading countless articles on how to build a great brand.

Some of them emphasized the importance of a memorable name. Others discussed how crucial the logo and font selection are. Over time, I’ve come to realize that while these elements matter, one thing matters much more:

The experience your customers have with your service.

That’s what a brand truly is.

It’s not your logo, it’s not your font, and it’s not your name. To put it simply and clearly:

Your service is your brand

There’s a direct correlation between your customers’ experience and your brand.

If the experience your customers have with your service is good, then your brand is good. If it’s bad, the brand is bad.

Take Apple as an example. What immediately comes to mind is premium quality. That’s the experience I’ve personally had with Apple products, and it’s also the experience most others have had. Over time, that consistent experience shaped Apple’s brand identity.

You can’t force a specific brand perception if it’s not rooted in reality.

A cool name won’t hide the fact that your service sucks. A well-designed logo won’t cover for poor communication, and a good font won’t compensate for a bad experience.

The best and easiest way to create a good brand is to focus on delivering the best service you can.

From my experience, three ingredients make up a great service:

Communication

When you provide a service, the way you communicate matters a lot. I don’t mean how well you articulate or how concise you are, but how well you understand your customer.

You’re a great communicator when you’re a great listener.

How can you provide a great service if you don’t listen to your customers? It all starts with understanding their needs and doing your best to help them.

Then, be as clear as possible.

Set expectations straight, be clear about your pricing, be clear about what your service entails, and be clear about what you need from your customers. Clarity helps build trust, which is the foundation of every relationship.

When you provide services, your relationships are your biggest assets.

Transparency

It happens from time to time that I hire different service providers.

I hate it when I have no idea what’s going on. They might be doing a great job, and everything might be going according to plan, but if they don’t tell me, how am I supposed to know?

On the other hand, there are many cases when things don’t go well, and I only learn about it at the very end when there’s not much that can be done.

While providing services, I’ve put myself in my customers’ shoes. I’ve realized that if you’re as transparent as you can be, they’ll appreciate it. Not only that, but it will also help you provide a better service overall.

I see my relationships with my customers as partnerships where we are both invested in their success.

So, as in every healthy partnership, be transparent.

Transparency breeds trust and helps build an even stronger relationship.

Reliability

Last but not least, the third ingredient is reliability.

This one shouldn’t need much explanation. If I hire someone to do a job for me, I need them to be reliable. I need to get the service on time, at the right quality, and within the agreed-upon expectations.

If a service provider can’t provide this level of reliability, I’ll simply go elsewhere.

Your customers will do the same when you constantly miss deadlines or under-deliver. To be reliable, don’t over-promise. Promise only what you can deliver, and do your best to deliver just that.

Many service providers offer the world but fail to deliver. I’d know—I’ve made this mistake myself. It might help you land the contract, but it won’t help you retain a customer.

Optimize for relationships, not for profit.

division5 has customers dating back eight years. They keep coming back because they know they can trust me and that I’m reliable. Prioritizing relationships is the best investment you can make.

Don’t build a brand, deliver a great service.

If I could give advice to my younger self, this would be it.

Don’t focus on building a brand. Brands aren’t logos, names, colors, or fonts. Brands are by-products of great services or great products.

Focus on improving your service and delivering an extraordinary experience.

The brand will follow.