Would You Take The High Road if You Knew Your Successful Brand Sucks?

There's something interesting that happens when your business takes off, you want more.

more content.

more traffic.

more press.

more sales.

It's natural to want to optimize your success. Who wouldn't want more?

But if you're not careful, you may end up making the most dangerous branding mistake there is: falling 'off-brand'.

Check this out'

A Detour in Your New Life

Back in October, I received an email from AppSumo.

Its transparency surprised me.

I almost felt like I was on the receiving end of Jerry Maguire's manifesto, calling for a change.

AppSumo made a confession. They admitted to losing sight of their vision. Their need for 'more' caused them to slip the quality of products they were selling. Their email promised a change. They also released a YouTube Video explaining their new policy on selecting products and the problems with sending 750,000+ emails a day.

I couldn't help but wonder'

What could trigger a rapidly growing, wildly successful company to all of a sudden realize their success was causing them to fall off brand?

I came across this video The Six Steps to a Lovegasm, where AppSumo's founder shares the real story about what made him stop sending emails that didn't contain value.

' okay, it's a great video you should watch but here's the Cliff Notes:

Ross, Dress for Less.

Seriously.

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In a conversation with his buddy, Noah Kagan got called out big time.

His friend jokingly compared AppSumo to the bargain basement retail chain. You know the store, the one that you have to dig deep down into a bin of junk to find the one or two items that are an awesome deal. Burn!

Somehow, along the journey towards success, AppSumo took a detour in what the brand stands for.

The casual remark permeated him. So much so that a few days later when sending out an email for the latest product, he finally snapped and said, 'F*ck, no!'

There was no way he'd send another email for a crappy deal.

It was time to get back to basics.

Back to building relationships.

Back to consistency in the value they deliver.

AppSumo needed to be refreshed.

And to date, they've taken the high road. They've veered away from their former 'sell, sell, sell, more, more, more' mentality. They're back to sending emails offering products that provide 10 times the value you pay for them. Oh, and they even throw in a few unexpected freebies here and there, too.

The High Road is Hard to Find

Falling off brand can become a costly mistake, for your reputation and your bottom line.

So how do you figure out if you are heading down the wrong path?

1. Define Your Brand. Create a brand platform that is genuine to you and your vision. By clarifying what you stand for and what you are striving for, you will make better decisions in keeping on brand.
2. Listen to Your Customers. Don't be afraid of negative reviews and customer feedback. Sure, it may hurt to hear but you will never improve or grow your brand if you are not paying attention to what your customers want or expect from you.
3. Gut Check. If you find yourself not wanting to come to work, dreading calls with clients, secretly hating you're the company you've created, you are off brand. This is when you have to sit down and really think about why you are not happy or satisfied and what needs to be done to correct it.

Keep the Conversation Flowing' if your company appears to be successful, would you be able and willing to take the high road of refreshing your brand to refocus on your vision and create a more genuine experience for your customers? Which companies do you wish would refresh their brand promise?