Did you watch Scooby-Doo cartoons as a kid? Even if you only caught a few episodes, I bet you’ll nail this match up quiz. Match the letter to the number (the correct answers are at the bottom of the post):
| A. Scooby-Doo B. Shaggy C. Velma D. Fred E. Daphne F. The Perpetrator |
1. Wore a neckerchief 2. “…if it wasn’t for you meddling kids…” 3. Wore glasses 4. “Ruh-roh” 5. Wore a purple head band 6. “Scooby-Doo, where are you?” |
Did you nail it? Did you get pretty close, at least? Even if you have watched only a handful of episodes, you probably aced this quiz. Pretty amazing since the show only aired 41 unique episodes. Yet because they dressed the same way, talked the same way, and solved mysteries the same way, every time, we remembered. Consistency sticks.
Conversely, you would likely struggle to identify the most popular tie, or neckerchief for that matter, worn by the Price Is Right’s Bob Barker. You can’t describe his tie, because it always changed, yet the Price Is Right has aired over 7,000 episodes. Variation gets forgotten.
Your business is more likely to have 41 touches with your prospects over its life time, than it is 7,000. In fact, you are likely to have less than 10 touches. Regardless of how many times you are exposed to your prospects, re-enforce the one thing that makes you unique. Just that one thing. Stay consistent. It’s the only way to make a long lasting impression.
Answers:
A4, B6, C3, D1, E5, F2
Well said Mike. This is what we need in business, Consistency. Consistency in providing great service and product.
Thanks Amber. The big question for you…. how did you do on the pop quiz?
Perfected it. 🙂 I am a fan of Scooby Doo.
Congrats. You have been awarded a neckerchief and a Scooby snack.
Great article and so true! I work primarily with “high-creative” entrepreneurs who get bored with what they’ve done and are ready to hop on to the next thing before establishing market traction. This is fine if you are a painter but not so effective if you’re building a personality and expertise driven info-business. Consistency is a huge part of building the Know-Like-Trust factor.
So, how do you get them to stick with what they are doing. I have a client who I do some work with (not for marketing), but see that they constantly try to change their marketing. What is the secret to making it stick?
Well… I’d sum it up as a combination of teaching and coaching. The teaching is specific to how the human brain learns (repetition) and, in the case of marketing messages, the exponential impact of know-like-trust (increased by Consistency) on conversions. Coaching helps them connect to their “why,” which for entrepreneurs is usually either make more money and/or serve more people. Once they accept that in order to achieve the “why,” the creative process needs to be channeled in a certain way, they are usually more open to the power of Consistency.
I get it. Thanks for the great feedback!