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A constant mistake I see companies make is over-tinkering with their brand. Companies are always coming up with new reasons that they need to change their brands. The market is changing. Customers expect something different. Or…it’s just been a long time since we’ve done anything with the brand.

The truth is that brand shouldn’t change. Yes, times change and it’s important that your brand stays relevant, but that doesn’t require a complete overhaul. Brands should only be tweaked slightly to maintain relevance in the current marketplace. Their basic characteristics and message behind the brand shouldn’t change significantly.

Why?

Because consistency is how brands are built. Your customers can’t connect with your brand if it’s always changing. They won’t know who you are or what you stand for. And more importantly, a brand that’s always changing will never earn the customer’s trust.

Think about it like this. You meet a new person. The two of you get a long great. You like the same things, stand for the same values, etc. Then, you go to hang out with the same person a week later, and they’re completely different. They look different, talk different, believe different things…they’re not the same person. You wouldn’t feel the same about them anymore, would you?

Successful brands aren’t built overnight. They take years, even decades to build. And they’re built through consistency. Through years of consistent messaging, customers start to connect with brands and build relationships with them.

Consider Lexus. The brand has been a leader in luxury vehicles for years. Their branding hasn’t changed significantly the entire time. They’ve always stood for luxury and innovation. The endless pursuit of perfection.

It might seem boring that the brand has stayed the same, but that’s what works. When consumers want a luxury vehicle, they’re going to likely at least consider getting a Lexus.

If Lexus were to suddenly start releasing cheap cars for the average person, their brand would be diluted. Consumers would be confused, and the Lexus brand would inevitably suffer.

Consistency is the key to building your brand. Never forget that. And never change just for the sake of changing.

I’ve always been a firm believer that it’s better to do one thing exceptionally well than to do a dozen things at a mediocre level. Unfortunately, not enough companies take this advice to heart.

Too many companies try to be everything to everybody, when in reality they would be better off focusing on being something to somebody. It might sound counterintuitive, but the narrower your brand’s focus is, the stronger your brand can become.

Here’s a good example of what I’m talking about.

No matter where you are in the United States, you’ve probably heard on In-N-Out Burger, even though the fast food chain only has locations in a few states in the Southwest. Why is that?

One of the main reasons for In-N-Out Burger’s success is that they’ve focused their efforts on doing one thing well—making a killer burger. Their menu is the complete opposite of almost any other fast food place you go to. It’s very limited. Rather than giving customers 50 different options of mediocre courses, they just offer the following: hamburger, cheeseburger, double cheeseburger (Double-Double), fries, and shakes.

The In-N-Out brand is built on being something to somebody rather than everything to everybody. The brand has a very small focus, and that’s what has driven its success to date.

Now, let me give you an example of just the opposite.

Remember Blockbuster Music? Yeah, you probably forgot about it. That’s because it was a colossal failure. Blockbuster used to be the undisputed king of video rentals. That was their focus. Then, they got greedy. They tried to start selling music too, so Blockbuster Music stores were opened across the country.

Problem was, people associated the Blockbuster name with two things: rentals and movies. The new music concept was confusing to consumers, and as a result, the company faced years of losses. It was a disaster.

Sure, you can point to examples of companies expanding their focus successfully over time, but typically, these are the exceptions to the rule. Healthy growth and expansion within your category is possible, but when you start expanding your brand’s focus too much, the brand name gets watered down, losing its strength and profitability.

No company is perfect. And no company keeps 100% of its customers happy. Occasionally, you or one of your employees will make a mistake that leaves a customer ticked off. And in this web 2.0 world where angry customers can take aim at brands online, it’s important that you resolve customer disputes whenever possible.

Here are 4 simple tips to help you during a crisis.

1. Address the problem quickly—The longer you wait to address the problem, the angrier the customer will get and the less the customer will trust you. You have to get your arms around problems as soon as they pop up. Let the customer know that everything is going to be okay and that you’re going to fix things for them.
2. Don’t play the blame game—Customers don’t want to hear you blaming employees, suppliers, or whatever else for the problems they’re experiencing. All they want to know is how you’re going to rectify the situation.
3. Apologize sincerely—A sincere apology can really go a long way to building goodwill with a dissatisfied customer. The key word here? Sincere. Robotic, bland corporate speak won’t work here. Your apology should be personal and heartfelt.
4. Provide reassurance that it won’t happen again—If you want a customer to come back to you after a dispute, you need to reassure them that it won’t happen again. Let them know what steps you’ve taken to prevent the problem from ever reoccurring.

Have you ever made a mistake that’s left a customer angry? How did you fix it?

Share your experiences by leaving a comment below.

When I first entered the freelancing game a few years ago, I was in a position where I felt I had to take all business that came my way. I didn’t know when business might stop rolling in or when I’d hit a slow patch, so I didn’t want to take any chances on turning away business that I might desperately need later.

So as a result, I often ended up taking on clients and projects that were less than ideal. I’d take lower pay in some cases, and I’d deal with clients who were always demanding more for their money and who were just a total pain in the neck.

Over the past few years, I’ve thankfully grown my business to a point that I’m in total control of who I work with. So if there’s an abusive or just annoying customer that’s taking up too much of my time or just isn’t financially worth the hassle, I can sever my ties with them without fear of missing the money.

The thing I’ve come to realize is that not every customer is right for your business. We’ve been taught our whole lives that the customer is always right and that we should go out of our way to please every customer we come across. But that’s just not true.

Here are some common signs that a customer isn’t right for your business:

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You’re not perfect. No business is. Every business has weaknesses they need to improve on. And that’s okay. As long as you have some good strengths, you can run a successful business. But if you really want to stand out in your industry and crush the competition, you have to focus on identifying your weaknesses and turning them into strengths.

The problem is that most people are too close to their business to accurately assess their strengths and weaknesses.

Today, I’m going to share one simple strategy for figuring out your business’ weaknesses. Once you know these, you can focus on building them up and gaining more market share.

Pay attention to all customer feedback

Whether it’s an online review, a Tweet, a blog post, a phone call, or an in-person conversation, customer feedback is important to helping you grow your business. The problem is that too many companies only focus on the good feedback. They get their testimonials, post them for everyone to see, and that’s it.

Me, I value the negative feedback. Any time someone says something negative about your business, no matter where it is, make note of it. Try to boil the complaint down to its most basic source so you can see just what it is about your business that they don’t like.

Over time, you’ll likely start to see some trends develop. You’ll find multiple customers making negative comments about the same thing. Once that happens, you know you have a weakness. Correct it by any means necessary.

One other note—Look for negative remarks in what seem to be positive reviews. For example, sometimes a customer will say some really nice things about your business, but they may have a complaint hidden in there without you noticing.

Here’s an example:  “My experience with ABC Company was great. Their customer service reps were super friendly, and the product was so cheap that I didn’t even mind it taking 2 weeks to get delivered.”

Overall, it seems like really positive feedback, right? But what about that little remark in the end about the product taking 2 weeks to get delivered? That’s a very subtle complaint, but it’s one that you need to pay attention to. Perhaps ABC Company has slow delivery times. Not all customers will be as understanding.

Getting customer feedback

Of course, before you can analyze customer feedback, you need to get some. Earlier this year, I wrote a post outlining 7 tips for getting customer feedback. The main methods are to:

1. Give online buyers the option of completing a survey

2. Include comment cards with all orders

3. Offer discounts or freebies to lost customers in exchange for feedback

4. Send a follow-up email to buyers

5. Offer your products for free to reviewers

6. Talk to your customer service reps

7. Include product rating system on your website

If you want to read more on each point, you can view the original post by clicking here.

Do you know what your business’ weaknesses are? What have you done to correct them?