In the book, “The UnStoppables: Tapping Your Entrepreneurial Power,” author Bill Schley writes,

“The core of any business, the original heart and soul that first allowed you to succeed with customers, never really changes for companies that stay vibrant and relevant, no matter how big they get.”

This is so true and yet, growth and change cause many executives to lose touch with their core story. And as a result, so does the rest of the organization.

Over time, the message becomes confusing, fragmented and inconsistent. More and more elements of the story are added and the core gets lost.

In the book, Schley goes on to say …

“Inside that billion-dollar corporation, the value equation you first discovered is just as simple — and most important, it needs to be, if you want to keep going and growing.”

One of the most difficult things to do is to keep your corporate story simple. Especially as the business grows, solution offerings expand and the strategy becomes more complex.

But the great companies do what it takes to stay true to their core. Not just once, but multiple times as the business evolves. They stop down and they go through the difficult process of “redistilling what matters most” in their story. Then they define and implement a process for ensuring that story is delivered consistently internally and externally.

In a recent survey, CMOs were asked if they are confident their teams are on message — only 27 percent said yes? That’s a real problem when you consider that as much as 70 percent of your brand perception is being driven by employee interactions with customers.

When employees do not deliver a consistent message, customers get confused as they move from one phase of the customer journey to the next. And, this has a negative impact on business performance.

Your story, your promise to customers — is the foundation of sustained business success. And this will never change.

The question is, have you lost touch of that story?

Has your corporate message gotten overly complex? Confusing? And inconsistent?

This happens more often than many executives would like to admit. With that said, savvy leaders “see and hear” when this is happening and they do something about it. They bring the organization back to the heart, soul, story and promise that inspired the business from the very beginning. They eliminate the noise. They realign, cleanse and simplify.

Mind you, this is not easy. It requires time, energy and investment — but it is worth it. Because the effort translates into improved organizational clarity, higher employee engagement and increased customer conversion rates. All of which improve business performance.

We will close with one more quote from Mr. Schley …

“The selling proposition that made them (employees, partners and customers) choose to buy from you — the values, the dream, the reason the market needed you — is the foundation of it all.”

Make this the year you bring clarity back to your business (your story).

Make this the year you put processes in place that will ensure that story is delivered consistently inside and outside of your organization.

Your employees, partners and, most of all, your customers … will thank you in more ways than you can imagine.