You can keep your whizz-bang bells and whistles

Does the following sound familiar?

You have an issue with an organisation, and you call to discuss it. A very friendly call handler tells you the issue will be resolved if you wait 48 hours.

You wait 48 hours. The issue isn’t resolved. You call again. This time, you’re told by a different call handler that all issues must be notified in writing before they can be passed on to the engineers.

Two people, two different stories. You’ve still got the original problem and now there’s another issue – you’ve lost trust in the organisation.

Trust is built on consistency

Relationships in business – and indeed in all aspects of life – are based on trust, but trust can be fragile. We tend to focus not on the nine times out of ten, that we experienced a satisfactory outcome, but on the one time the supplier let us down. When you experience a lack of consistency in responses, your relationship with the supplier is immediately on a poor footing. Indeed, what could have been an otherwise positive customer experience can be jeopardised or irreparably damaged.

Consistency doesn’t sound all that exciting, does it? It’s easy to think of all the negative connotations – staid; same-old, same-old; predictable – but it has been shown countless times that consistency delivers results. What’s more, consistent small actions are often far more effective over the long term than a big, exciting move that cannot be sustained and soon fizzles out.

Small steps work, impractical actions don’t

We could probably all find an example from our experience where we have attempted to make a radical or dramatic change, only to discover that it’s impossible to maintain. It sounds good to be in the gym by 6.30 every morning, but when you’ve got to get the kids up, dressed, breakfasted and at school, five days a week, is it going to happen? You need a goal that fits your lifestyle and that you can actually do every day.

This isn’t about scaling back ambitions. It’s about ensuring the ultimate goal is reached. Small consistent steps are the key to success in life and in business, and when you pick the right steps, they soon become your habit. You don’t need to make excuses, you will naturally be doing what feels good, right and effective.

We know it works for Plane Perspective and our clients. We are consistent in our approach, communications and reporting and we’re always available. Our clients know that they can rely on us. They trust us to deliver effective marketing that aligns with their business needs and values. For us, it isn’t about being big, flashy or generating huge excitement that evaporates the moment another client calls. It’s about doing the right thing, for every individual client, over and over again.

And do you know something? Our consistent, steady approach doesn’t just align with our values. It’s also far more satisfying than all that whizz-bang, bells-and-whistles nonsense.