Your reputation precedes you
Build Mode™ Issue 07.2025
Hello and welcome to this issue of Build Mode, a monthly update with brand insights to help you level up your business. We have an ambitious group of professionals working in real estate, architecture, engineering, construction, marketing, design, and development. You all inspire me to keep sharing, so thank you for being here.
Haven’t subscribed yet? Consider joining us and get the next issue delivered straight to your inbox on the first of the month.Many of my clients come to me not because they’re struggling to make sales or keep their businesses afloat. In most cases, business is humming along just fine. Contracts are being signed, the team is busy, and projects are moving forward.
And yet, there’s often a lingering discontent.
Internally, they believe wholeheartedly in their strengths and what makes them different. But externally, they feel their reputation doesn’t match their internal beliefs. So, what can we do about enhancing reputation? Does it even matter? And if so, what can we do to build and strengthen it?
Let’s get into it.
What is brand reputation?
When we talk about branding, we’re really talking about reputation. They’re synonymous. Through all the insights I’ve shared on strategy, naming, identity, guidelines, and more…. it really comes down to reputation.
To define it, let’s start with a look back at how I've defined the related concept of brand perception:
Brand perception is the way people feel about your brand, influenced by your visual identity, the words you use, the interactions with personnel, the testimonials and reviews, and past experiences with you. In short, perception is shaped through your actions.
While perception is formed on the individual impressions of actions, reputation is formed on the accumulation of those actions. Not just a single perception. It’s the long-term, overall assessment of your business by others, built up from countless individual interactions, experiences, and perceptions over time. In short:
Reputation is the accumulated perception of your brand over time.
It’s shaped by what you consistently do, say, deliver, and how you make people feel.
The challenging part is that your reputation isn’t built in one place. You can’t just log into your ‘reputation dashboard,’ push some buttons, turn some knobs, and crank up the clout. (I know there are reputation management tools out there, but for this group that generally isn’t in the consumer product space, those don’t really apply here). It’s shaped across many touchpoints, both seen and unseen.
Without creating an exhaustive list, here are the broad channels where your reputation takes shape.
Experience:
How you deliver your product or service and how you respond to feedback and reviews from the experience of people who buy from you.
Communication:
How you deliver content and communicate with others, with consistency and clarity, to shape public perception.
Presence:
How you appear online and in real life, through digital channels like social media and your website, to meetings and networking events.
Internal:
How you communicate your values and your vision within your organization so your team can become brand ambassadors.
External:
How you collaborate with partners and connections, and interact with the public as a whole.
Every interaction, every message, and every experience contributes to how others perceive you over time. From the way you serve your clients and customers to how your internal team embodies your values, the summation is your reputation.
Why reputation matters
Your brand is your reputation. And reputation is the foundation of business credibility.
When people say ‘your reputation precedes you’ (which is true), it means others have already formed an impression (ideally, a positive one) before you even enter the room. That’s incredibly powerful!
A strong reputation has its benefits, leading to more business opportunities, higher perceived value, and greater influence. Think of it as a silent ambassador for you, helping you earn trust, credibility, and authority to open doors that otherwise wouldn’t have been available.
Crazy thought…
Let’s imagine, for a second, reputation doesn’t matter; that you choose to neglect building your reputation.
What would that look like?
Well, you wouldn't care how people feel about your service, even if your reviews have tanked. You likely don’t have a website, or a social media presence, since you don’t care to communicate with others or have a presence digitally or in real life. You fly under the radar, avoid being in the public eye or interacting with the public at all, and likely, most people (even in your own industry) have probably never heard of you. You probably work anonymously, hidden behind an obscure legal entity.
Can you get business done this way?
Maybe?... but, if you ask me, it’s way harder. It means you’re forced to prove yourself from scratch in every new interaction with every prospect and partner. You miss out on the advantages that come with a strong reputation, and you lose the compounding benefits that a well-managed reputation provides.
When your reputation matters to you, and you manage it with care…
You don’t have to sell yourself in a sales meeting; the prospect is already sold.
You don’t have to prove your capabilities; your work speaks for you.
You don’t have to defend your cost; your reputation justifies them.
You don’t have to chase every request; the right opportunities find you.
You don’t have to convince communities you care; your track record shows it.
You don’t have to reassure investors; your results build trust.
You don’t have to overspend on marketing; reputation drives demand.
You don’t have to explain your process; partners already know it.
You don’t have to fight for talent; the best seek you out.
You don’t have to do any of these things, because, your reputation precedes you. You’ve taken the necessary actions that have formed positive impressions over time that have led to others believing in your business.
What you can do right nowHow to build your brand reputation
Reputation isn’t built overnight. Just like branding, it’s a long game. If you’re in a stage of your business where you need quick hits, look to growth hacks and marketing tactics. But if you’re in a place of strategic evolution, consider how your reputation can serve as your foundation and launchpad.
Each action is a small step toward a longer term goal.
Here are a few things you can do to build and enhance yours:
Collect and showcase feedback:
Actively encourage feedback, testimonials, and reviews from the people you serve
For positive feedback, highlight it and reinforce your value in the eyes of new prospects
Negative feedback, if any, will reveal gaps in your service delivery or other aspect of operations that you can address
Share positive content:
Go ahead and amplify your wins and the best parts of your business (with some level of humility and authenticity, of course). Case studies, project awards, thought leadership… all great sources for demonstrating your credibility.
And, enable your teams to share your wins too! Make it easy for good news to spread.
Communicate with consistency
When people know what to expect from you, they begin to trust you. Consistency in quality, communication, and delivery is key (because you’re being judged at every turn).
Having brand guidelines that cover visuals, tone of voice, and messaging (at a minimum) ensures your team is aligned.
Deliver quality work
Your product or service is the core of your reputation. Delivering at a high level, on every single project, creates a positive afterglow that spreads through word of mouth, referrals, and industry chatter (there’s also nothing quite like getting other industry players talking about your work!).
And, inevitably, if things ever go sour…
Respond well to criticism
Got a negative review on your business profile from an angry client? Acknowledge it directly with care, curiosity, and clarity. Reputation management isn’t about avoiding negative feedback but addressing it thoughtfully and transparently (you may even turn a detractor into an advocate in the process).
Or worse, a crisis that requires official communication? In the (hopefully) unlikely event that your business is in a crisis situation, be sure to have a communication protocol in place.
There are no shortcuts.
Ultimately, reputation is built through the accumulated actions that reinforce the perception you want to create. Every touchpoint is an opportunity to strengthen it. And over time, your reputation will become one of your brand’s most powerful assets.
That’s all for this edition of Build Mode! If this resonated with you and you think it might help others, feel free to forward it to a colleague. And if you want to discuss how to enhance your reputation through your brand, get in touch — I’d love to hear from you.
Best.
Kenny Isidoro
See my latest on Instagram, LinkedIn, or feel free to book a call.
It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.
— Warren Buffett
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