It supports your vision, your personal values, and your business expertise.

Every division of your business, each person who works with you–all of it clearly and consistently expresses your unique promise of value.

Whether your clients talk with your receptionist, visit your Website, read your ad in a trade publication, hear your ad on the radio or see your ad on television, they immediately identify it with you. When this happens, you have their attention and have taken a big first step to cashing in on your business message ROI (i.e. the value of your message.)

The problem is that most businesses fail to communicate the value of the message. Indeed, most messages are nothing more than a litany of “how great we are” achievements. And from time to time, these companies decide it’s important (for them) to announce they have a new director or that they’ve moved–from where you truly don’t know and care less. Ah, then they have a SPECIAL promotion and scrunch all their laudable qualities in one or two awkward paragraphs and blithely ask you to pay them well for saving on a product or service you probably never even heard of.

Where is the value premise here? Who’s looking out for whom?

It seems to me that the client is getting short shrift and the company fishing for sales wherever they can get them. Clearly this is an example of a business message that has neither value nor consistency. The result: erratic, unpredictable business message ROI.

Now let’s do a replay of the last paragraph.

Business X has been regularly sending out flyers and, special invitations to its clients to come to its showrooms to benefit from discounts on popular items. Since Business X recently moved and hired a new customer service manager, it mails its clients an invitation to an open house and lunch to meet the new manager. I would venture to say Business X would get a pretty good turnout because there is nothing more appealing than a friendly get-together over food–it is inclusive and clients will feel pampered and pleased to be part of this milestone.

The value of this business message is continued business with current clients and the buzz created by inviting people to eat and celebrate in the location, with the new manager.

What created the value of this message is its consistency–over the years Business X has proved to its clients that it deserves their business and the new location and appointment of a new manager is one more way of telling clients they can keep counting on them to give them the products and service they ask for. The result: steady growth of business message ROI.

If you’re still thinking how much a consistent message will cost you, I suggest you reread the second paragraph carefully. And once you’re done, ask yourself which of the two message approaches would win your patronage–consistently.

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