“Smaller players must be brave enough to build a distinctive, even unconventional brand identity, rooted in the heritage and the know-how of their own brand. They must be bold enough to innovate with a disruptive identity and value proposition.”   Alessandro Balossini Volpe, Professor of Brand Management
                                                                                                                                                                                                   When discussing the word “brand” it is important to recognize that there are two different kinds of brands each having different purposes and both working together synergistically: Company Brands and Product Brands.
For large organizations such as Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH), branding gets quite complicated. They have their own LVMH Company Brand, Company Brands of the 75 companies they own, plus the Product Brands from all companies. 

For this article, we are going to focus on Company Brands for perfumery and essential oils brands.
Your Company Brand, whether it is your company name, slogan, logo, or other aspect of visual identity (such as the use of the New Luxury Code Logo), needs to be developed or redeveloped from your Value Proposition, which represents the promises of what value you will continue giving to the rest of the Natural Essence Community. 
Along with your Mission Statement and Vision Statement, your Company Brand should reflect those promises which will be fulfilled through the proper execution of your Business Plan.
When you read articles that feature some aspects of branding, it is important to know which type of branding they are discussing, since it is quite common to discover authors who use Company Brands and Product Brands interchangeably.
Since we are discussing Company Brands, here is a diagram of a recent survey on brand authenticity:

How do we know if a survey is talking about Company Brands or Product Brands?
One clue in this diagram is to go down the list until you get to “Uses all natural ingredients”. Only 11% thought that natural ingredients were associated with authenticity. 
If this had been a survey about Product Brands, especially in natural essences, “Uses all nature ingredients” would have been near the top if not the top choice. But in this survey, it only rates 11% because they are responding to questions in authenticity of Company Brands.
Powering up your Company Brand presents an opportunity to revisit your Value Proposition to strengthen the value your Company Brand through improvements in messaging between your company and everyone you have contact with.

Who should you communicate with about the value of your Company Brand?

• Customers
• Employees
• Suppliers
• Your local community
• Legal
• Accountant
• Bank
• Insurance companies
• The media 

If you want a dynamic company culture that attracts and retains top talent; if you wish to achieve great relationships with and respect from those you deal with, power up your Company Brand and enjoy the positive results it produces.

Terry Johnson is teaching Business and Marketing, an essential course for developing a successful perfumery or essential oil business.  ​

Competition in today’s markets has never been stronger.
​Yet, I continually see examples of natural perfume and natural essence businesses that have not made many adjustments to their sales efforts to overcome the fierce competitive headwinds brought on by a deadly pandemic, numerous supply chain issues, and high inflation. These conditions have seriously changed consumer perspectives and require frequent reviews of sales and marketing strategies to reflect current realities rather than relying on consumer preferences and priorities that no longer exist.
You and everyone working with you should put on their selling hats for a while and focus on how to get consumers needing to purchase your products at premium prices, not just wanting to.

In the High-Value Natural Perfume consumer market, the first order of business is to identify every potential value feature of your products and incorporate those value features into selling benefits for consumers justifying premium pricing you need to charge. 
When consumers see something for sale that appears attractive to them, they determine the level of value that the product could provide them, and then they check the price. If the level of value is above the price, they are more likely to buy. If the level of value is below the price, they are less likely to make a purchase. 
Selling the value and benefits of your products greatly increases the likelihood of closing the sale profitably.

Here are 7 solid tips on strengthening and updating your Natural Perfumes and Essences selling strategies:

1. Focus on value to overcome consumer resistance to the premium prices you need to charge. If you build value that consumers consider benefits, they will respond despite higher prices.
2. Identify and sell higher income consumers in your local community that will be better able to budget for higher priced products they need.
3. Identify what you think high value consumers should consider valuable about your products. Examples of this could be sourcing from growers and producers who grow and produce with care by not using GMO seeds or synthetic pesticides, and utilizing sustainable packaging.
4. Avoid lowering prices. Consider charging for shipping but occasionally offering free shipping for a period of time as a way of discounting without having to lower your price.
5. Recognize that the most important sale is not the initial sale, but the second, third or twentieth sale. Effective selling creates lifetime customers.  And remember, it is always much less expensive to sell to an existing customer than to find a new one.
6. Move your selling strategies from discretionary sales (things that consumers may want, but don’t need) to necessary sales. Everyone needs the health benefits of natural essences.
7. Sell solutions to consumers problems. Natural essences reduce stress, improve immune systems, and promote well-being for everyone!  

Good Selling!

Terry Johnson is teaching and consulting at The Natural Perfumery Teacher's Academy. If you want to learn more about Business and Marketing in the Natural Essences World, you can follow his course or contact us for consultancies.

When great people pass, we often reflect on what made them great in the first place. I say this having seen the widespread tributes and sympathy for Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away after 70 years on the throne; which begs the question:
How will your Natural Essence business be remembered?

Will your business have a positive legacy because of where and when you began your business? Or how much money your business made?  
Or will it be because what you did with your business made the world a better place for it being here?
The driving force behind a memorable business legacy comes from starting with a clear Vision/Purpose that includes what you believe will make the world a better place, and then successfully executing the Mission based on your Vision to make the world a better place.
Everyone in the Natural Essence Community should consider the amazing opportunities we have to demonstrate to consumers how valuable Natural Essences and products made from Natural Essences are to consumers. Consumers will appreciate how much these Natural Essences contributed to their long-term wellness and well-being and will be far more likely to develop strong, lasting brand loyalty to those who provided them with superior products and services.

Here are several Action Steps to help you achieve a memorable business legacy:

1. Understand and Follow the New Luxury Code of Respect.
The New Luxury Code is a great starting point because it continually reminds us of the importance of respect, beginning with self-respect and then expanding outward from there. Mutual respect between members of the High-Value Natural Essence Community is necessary for development of better working relations and supply chain efficiencies within the entire Community.

5. Make an impact by Selling Superior Products!
No one should expect consumers to have a superior experience from using products that are not superior to begin with. On the other hand, products that provide superior results are always remembered! Your Natural Essence business has the power to touch and influence many lives and making a conscious effort to sell superior products assures your business will remain relevant and impactful with consumers in the long term.
 
​Enroll for a Business and Marketing Course in the Natural Perfumery Environment with Terry Johnson ​

Essential oils are natural products used by different industries, among which stand out pharmaceutical and food industries.
Due to the variability inherent to all-natural products and growing problems of adulteration, the 8 marker points listed below aim to draw attention to the main criteria determining the quality of an essential oil. Purchasing and using a quality essential oil have a strong impact all along the production and consumer chain.
​From respect of the producers work to the impact upon human health, it is vital to be vigilant in what you purchase as a natural perfumer, therapist and consumer. 

1. What are the quality criteria?
The quality criteria of an essential oil are established after in-depth analysis which certifies compliance with standards well established by AFNOR (body for the development of French, European and international standards) which is based on chemotypes (its biochemical ingredients), its density, appearance and odor. 

2. What are the regulations around the world?

• AFNOR (Association Francaise de Normalisation) Their "New Approach" provides directives and standards for members of the European Union states to facilitate intra-community trade. All companies wishing to exchange goods within Europe are therefore obliged to comply with their directives. For essential oils, they provide guidelines and information on various topics including determination of water content, chromatographic profiles, determination of acid value, content of phenols, etc.
• ISO (International Organization for Standardization) Their mission is to promote the development of standardization in the areas of intellectual, scientific, technological, and economic activity. For essential oils, they provide guidelines for packaging, conditioning, storage, labeling, sampling, testing, etc. ISO also provides, for a fee, quality standards for individual essential oils.

3. What technical documents prove the quality of an essential oil?
Each batch of essential oil (the batch number must be written on each bottle) has technical documents certifying that the product meets compliance criteria certified by a specialized analysis laboratory. Be sure to find it on the brand's website or ask for the essential oil analysis sheet if you want more transparency about the quality of your product. More and more brands clearly display this data on the product sheet of their website.

4. What quality tests are essential oils subjected to?
Essential oils are subjected to in-depth analyzes in specialized laboratories for this purpose.
• Gas chromatography to map the precise chemical identity of the essential oil and display all of its chemotypes.
• The hydrometer to measure the exact density of the essential oil.
• The rotatory power makes it possible to demonstrate that the essential oil is pure and natural with reference to AFNOR standards.
• The flash point to measure the flash point and check if the essential oil has not been "diluted" with a vegetable oil or a less natural solvent.

5. Is there a market price?
The market price is dependent on tariff fluctuations which are frequent because they depend on criteria linked to various external constraints like any agricultural raw material. Among these, we note the following:
• The seasonality which is essential to obtain favorable prices during the harvest period.
• geopolitics or crises that can ignite the price of local raw materials.
• Quotas decided for ecological reasons (eg rosewood in Brazil).
• the climate which can be devastating or on the contrary help to produce an exceptional crop quality.
• the “fad” phenomenon which can fuel certain venalities or a rise in prices due to excessive consumer demand.

6. What does "100% pure and natural" mean on the bottle label?
This mention often written on the labels of the bottles of essential oil means that this one has not undergone any transformation and that it is not diluted, not rectified, not deterpenated, not rectified (100% pure) and that it comes from a "natural" raw material (the plant).

7. What are the mandatory inscriptions on the label of a bottle of essential oil?
• The best before date or expiration date after opening
• Chemotypes or the essential oil identity card. The main 3 must be listed as ingredients.
• The full botanical name in Latin of the plant
• The origin or provenance of the plant
• The plant organ used to obtain the essential oil

​8. What can impact the quality of an essential oil? 

• Plants: The quality of essential oils can be negatively impacted by the use of pesticides and other chemicals, the variability in altitude, soil conditions and rainfall, and the difficulty of differentiating plant species and varieties.
• Processing: Because of the growing popularity of essential oils and aromatherapy, there are many products on the market that may not be suitable for clinical use. They can be found nearly everywhere, from health food stores to discount stores to the Internet. These products may include pure essential oils, but sometimes they are adulterated or diluted. Such adulterations are difficult to identify.
• Packaging and handling: Other considerations include packaging, storage, and handling. Chemical degradation can occur with exposure to heat, light, or oxygen. Essential oils from citrus products are especially prone to oxidation that can quickly alter the chemistry of those essential oils.
• Storage: Essential oils should be stored in tightly closed, darkened glass containers in a cool place to ensure lasting quality. Oxidation rates vary, but most essential oils can be safely used for up to 5 years or more after opening. Only citrus essences can have faster oxidation rate compared to essential oils extracted from other plants.