In working with a client I have been asking the question, “Why do your customers remain loyal?” I’ve gotten different answers for what is at the top of the list. But there is something consistently at the bottom:

Consistency and reliability.

Consistency is not seen as a priority for them. Honestly, I don’t blame them. It’s not too sexy. It doesn’t sound fun. In fact, it almost sounds detrimental. If we’re consistent, doesn’t that mean we’re boring and just blend in with everyone else?

No.

That is conformity.

Consistency should be exciting! (hence the exclamation point)

But it’s not. (hence the period)

Why is that? Because we don’t really believe we can be consistently remarkable. And we don’t believe that because we don’t think the core of what we do is remarkable. The scary part is… we might be right.

The dangerous part of this realization is that it encourages us to try strategies and tactics that aren’t consistent with our organization’s DNA. We do some zany promotions in order to garner attention. We blast advertising out to the masses, most of which aren’t interested in our message.

So, what are you doing?

Are you conforming to the competition?

Are you consistent, but boring?

Do you chase the soupe du jour?

Or are you consistently remarkable?

The trick to being the latter is in consisting of something remarkable to begin with.

Despite popular opinion (and popular behavior), you don’t pull remarkability from the outside into your edges (i.e. advertising). You pull it into your core and then PUSH it out to the edges. You assimilate it into your DNA.