Here’s the unblemished truth: Revenue and Reputation are two sides of the same coin. On the flip side of this coin is Adversity.
Too often, business growth is measured only in numbers — sales closed, revenue booked, targets met, Value and Volume increases. But in all my years ins ales leadership and PR strategy, I’ve learned that growth is not just numbers. Growth is a story…it follows an intentional and deliberate trajectory in authentic storytelling.
A business may hit short-term sales targets, but without trust, credibility, or a strong reputation, those numbers don’t last. Indeed, in the Nigerian experience, there are companies that deceived its shareholders for many years with brilliant sales figures while carrying heavy sales inventories in its stock. On the other hand, a brand with strong perception but no clear sales strategy will eventually lose investor confidence.
Big businesses understand the importance of brands. Great brands are eternal revenue spinners. Think of Coca-Cola or Guinness! To this extent, therefore, a brand must be authentic; must posses’ strong pedigree of consistent delivery of superior consumer satisfaction and must have a proposition that consumers need and must be willing to pay for. Brands are therefore wonderful assets when they capture the essence of a product, service or event succinctly, meaningfully and with endurance over time.
Reinforcing these brand attributes through a deliberate and planned Reputation Management Strategy is smart business. Consumer product companies have brand guardians to protect their hard-earned conceptual assets.
As earlier stated, and now reaffirmed, Revenue and Reputation are two sides of the same coin.
- Sales without reputation feels transactional.
- Reputation without sales feels ornamental.
- Together, they create sustainable growth.
In a career that spans over 35 years, I’ve seen firsthand how businesses that invest on both sides – Revenue and Reputation – thrive:
✅ They attract investors more easily.
✅ They retain customers longer.
✅ They inspire employees to perform beyond targets
Every consummate Salesman knows that repeat purchases for his product gains him a foot in the door for Customer-Retention.
In today’s world, perception is not a side issue — it is currency.
And the leaders who can balance targets with trust and authenticity will define the next generation of growth stories in Africa and beyond.
Kenneth Ihedioha is a Sales and Marketing veteran. He writes from Lagos.
