Business Stripped Bare

remember, are about meanings. Every brand means something, and nobody can ever really control all the meanings a brand acquires. Brands are ideas. They are tangles of associations. They are dreams. In the developed world we live in such a brand-rich environment, we take their power for granted. I don’t think that we should underestimate the power of the brand in China — as a force for change.

I come from a line of lawyers. My father was a barrister in the English legal system. I was probably the first in a number of generations not to go into law, but I understood the value and importance of protecting a good name. We have nailed Virgin’s colours to the masts of many businesses, so every one of them must pull its weight with our customers.

The day-to-day survival of the Virgin brand depends upon all kinds of companies, and if one of our companies spoils your day, then that’s the day more than just one Virgin company will suffer. That’s the day you write off our TV service and look up another broadband provider. You open your wallet and there, poking out the top, is a Virgin credit card. Well, you’re not going to be using that again in a hurry. You reach into your pocket to make your call and there, in your hand, is a Virgin mobile phone. You think to yourself: Was this thing such a great deal, after all…?

Whatever your brand stands for, you have to deliver on the promise. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, and deliver everything you promise. That’s the only way you’ll ever control your brand. And beware: brands always mean something. If you don’t define what the brand means, a competitor will. Apple’s adverts contrasting a fit, happy, creative Mac with a fat, glum, nerdy PC tell you all you need to know about how that works. Even in the absence of competition, a betrayed brand can wreak a terrible revenge on a careless company. How many brands do you know that mean ‘shoddy’, ‘late’ and ‘a rip-off’?

You see?

Easy.

And that’s why our next chapter is all about delivery.

3. Delivery

Special Delivery

Right now, I’m sitting in my daughter’s home in London and the house has been busy all morning with visitors coming in to see me and talk about Virgin. I’ve already had several meetings with financiers, our bankers and a Swedish television crew making a programme about Britain. I’ve also taken phone calls from many of our managing directors and business partners. I’ve asked Nicola, my personal assistant, and other Virgin Management Limited people to fire off a volley of emails. There’s been a list of invitations approved for a media launch. And last night, after flying in from Necker Island, I had a late-night supper with the singer Christina Aguilera, who told me how baby Max is doing and her latest music plans. I’m flying off to see the French president later this afternoon. Tomorrow we’re heading to Mumbai to meet some Indian business figures from Tata, the industrial group, and then on to Japan where I’m speaking at an investment conference. We never sit around for long —unless we’re on holiday. We thrive on ideas, but our day-to-day business is about delivery.

Good delivery depends upon many things. Two of the most important elements are good communication, and attention to detail. Neither of these essentials is difficult to understand or implement, so, naturally, they’re often the first things we forget.

In the early days of Virgin Atlantic, I used to write regularly to all our people, telling them what was happening in the business. I’d jot down my thoughts in my notebook, make a few corrections, get someone to sort out my spelling mistakes and send it out to everyone. I thought letter writing was an important way of communicating.

This wasn’t so easy as we grew larger, and because of Virgin’s success and my subsequent fame, anything I wrote inevitably hit the press as a news story. So it became difficult to pen the unrestrained letters of the early days. Nevertheless, it is important for people running companies to write a regular letter to keep their staff in touch. And a personal letter sent to someone’s home is, I think, still very much more appreciated than an email. Be brave: hand out your email address and your phone number. People aren’t stupid, they know not to misuse it or badger you — and by doing so, you will be giving the people who work for you a massive psychological boost. In any event, regular communication by the leadership team is a must in any service business. So keep talking and keep explaining.

I now have a team of people who meet once a week to go through every Virgin company, looking at figures, projections and income. They have a list of priorities, and a list of new projects. They make sure that the Virgin Group is running efficiently. This frees me up to dive in and out when necessary. They know if there is something urgent, they can phone me and I can then focus on the things that really need my personal input.

Don’t waste your precious time. Phone calls and emails can eat your day. Don’t let them. No one will think less of you for getting to the point. Because there are so many calls to make every day, I generally keep them very brief. And a short note to somebody is often quicker than a phone call. As the business has got bigger and spread across the globe, a lot is dealt with by short notes. However, I’m always willing to pick up the phone and talk directly to people if an issue needs resolving that way. There’s no question that if you are trying to persuade someone to join you, invest with you, or make some changes, then it’s important to speak to them directly and take the time so that they know what they must do. Face-to-face conversations are more efficient, and videoconferencing will always come a poor second to a shared pot of tea.

Recently I had lunch with Raymond Blanc. He’s the owner and renowned chef of Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons in Oxfordshire. The reason Le Manoir is so successful is that Raymond makes sure that every tiny bit of detail is carefully thought through. If you’re running an airline, a restaurant or any other kind of company, it’s the attention to detail that really defines great business delivery.

I’d advise every owner of a company to keep a notebook and jot down the things that need doing. If you’re listening to staff or customers, then write down the main points. If you’re visiting a factory or touring a new site or partying with your staff, use the notebook. When you’re busy with a lot going on around you, if you don’t write things down, I doubt you’ll be able to remember one out of twenty items the next day.

Let me give you an example. The main reason why staff become frustrated is that the same problems and complaints keep cropping up and never seem to get properly sorted. On a recent Virgin Atlantic flight someone told me that the sugar had run out, not once, but on two or three occasions. Why were we not stocking more sugar? And why were we overstocking vegetarian dishes, so that people who didn’t want this had no other option? These weren’t major problems, and they were easily fixed, but someone somewhere has to make the call, the very next day, to sort them out. Otherwise we become the no-sugar airline. The healthy-option airline. Worst of all, we’re the not-really-listening airline. And there are enough of them out there already.

I carry a notebook everywhere I go. Every blue moon I wax philosophical. But most of my entries are like this one, and these are the sort of dull, dreary, absolutely essential entries that everyone should be capable of writing, but so few do: ‘Dirty carpets. Fluff. Areas around bow dirty. Equipment: stainless steel, grotty. Choice of menu disappointing — back from Miami, prawns then lobster (as a main course) in Upper Class. Chicken curry very bland. Chicken should be cut in chunks. Rice pretty dry. No Stilton available on cheeseboard.’

I also noted that the duty-free trolley was going up and down the aisles without making any sales. I looked at the in-flight service report. Sure enough: no sales. Something had to be done either to encourage the passengers or to improve the sales opportunities (more likely, both), or get rid of the trolley altogether and save the weight.

But what’s most revealing now — and most useful to you if you really are reading this for business lessons — is this note: ‘Staff desperate for someone to listen.’

Under this I jotted down an idea: ‘Make sure flight staff reports are actioned IMMEDIATELY,’ and I’m pleased to say that they now are, and onboard staff get the action and feedback they need.

When we launched our routes to Japan, I knew that we needed Virgin Atlantic to pay particular attention to cultural differences and to the Japanese sense of respect and formality, without spoiling our offering. It’s a fine balancing act. On the inaugural flight I added some more thoughts: ‘Need slippers in Upper Class, not socks. Need Japanese beers. Only one kind of newspaper from London: English. Need Japanese too. Japanese tea