How Culture “Done Well” Secretly Cost Us $100,000s

Confession time. This was a hard earned and very costly lesson for me and Sponge. I will explain how these problems cost many business owners hundreds of thousands of dollars! For us it was a million plus!

Like us, many businesses we have spoken to didn’t see these problems as avoidable. But they are! And once we solved them for ourselves and developed a framework to repeat the solution, we have helped our clients solve it too.

The big challenge is that until we know something is solvable, we don’t value the solution or the effort required to solve it. And we continue to suffer, unnecessarily. It is a case of we don’t know what we don’t know. Until we do! It will save you a fortune, heartache and more. Ready to see what I mean?

The Main Thing

First! My team and I love Rebranding, Renaming and Refreshing brands.

But, the reasons most people start looking for our help aren’t the bigger reasons they really need our help most.

They feel there’s a need for a change. That’s true, there is. But often what they tell us, is a symptom of deeper issues.

There are 3 huge problems that most of our clients are suffering from when we meet. It’s through no fault of their own mind you. And they are easily fixable, with the right guidance.

Each of the 3 problems, which I will share in a moment, all fall under this banner:

Good design today is table stakes.

That might sound funny coming from a branding agency! But it is true. Good designers can make a logo look good, or a system functions beautifully.

That today is the price to play. People have low tolerance for average design.

Today it is meaning that is magnetic

Your audiences, both top prospective team members and your market, crave meaning from the brands they choose.

And they vote with their attention and dollars.

Brand Success Today

All brands, to be truly successful today, need to have a solid foundation that gives their people this meaning that they crave.

Brand to us, is this meaningful foundation.

Because it governs how you and your team show up in the world, the experiences you create for your customers and the story you tell.

You are either united as one awesome clear voice, or you’re a mixed bag of vastly different messages.

Which do you think is better?

Building Awesome Foundations

To give your audiences meaning, it needs to be defined and refined. Your meaning is created in the How and Why you do what you do, not merely What you sell.

When we look closer, your How is your culture code. And your why, is your impact model.

When Culture and Impact are fused as the nucleus of your brand, only then are you able to tell a truly meaningful story that resonates for all your audiences.

But any of these three (Culture, Impact and Storytelling), merely done well, is not enough.

All three have to be done awesomely. A merely done well foundation results in these 3 huge problems, which cost 100s of thousands of dollars, even millions:

Problem 1: Bad hires

Bad hires cost a fortune to support and replace.

This is usually a result of having a non-existent, or generic culture code, to try and get a good culture fit during the hiring process.

Culture merely done well still results in bad hires. Check out how much the true cost of a bad hire actually is!

Problem 2: Disengaged team members

Disengaged team members are unproductive and demoralising for the rest of your team.

This is usually a result of not giving your team the meaning they crave, either through a noble purpose or an impact model that they really care about.

Not only is it demoralising, but it costs a fortune in that team member’s lost productivity. Check out my 90 second instagram reel explanation.

Impact merely done well still results in disengagement. We’ve all felt the drop in energy when there is a bad fit! But have you felt the palpable energy shift of 100% superstars!? It is unforgettable.

Problem 3: Skyrocketing Retention and Acquisition costs

Costs skyrocketing for acquiring new clients and team members, and keeping them!

This is usually a result of not giving your audiences a compelling, ongoing story that resonates for them, keeping them in love with your brand.

The bigger truth of this is that without a clearly defined and articulated culture code and impact model, your story cannot really be compelling. People buy Why and How you do what you do. Not what you sell.

For some insight into building a culture of storytelling, check out this post.

Storytelling merely done well still results in attrition. Losing great clients and team members is a nightmare. What if it simply stopped happening for good?

Much More To Branding

As you can see, today, branding is much deeper than an awesome name, brand identity or marketing strategy. It is why we are so passionate about sharing what we’ve learned over 21 years of helping clients.

What we love doing most of all is helping businesses like yours build upon all the great work you’ve already done. And taking you to the next level. Making you awesome. While saving you 100,000’s of dollars (maybe millions), and making you more profit while you create real impact in the world!

It’s all about that little bit more. It is this bit more that separates you from the crowd today, making your business truly good for the world. And that is our purpose at Sponge.

The good news is that this work is fun, easy with the right guidance, and it’s engaging for you and your team. We are here to guide you on the fast track for awesome results, because we know the path well. It is all about implementation.

Dive deeper with us on your Culture, Impact and Storytelling, and give your audiences the meaning they crave. Book in a 20 min strategy session with me now to discuss how. Warmly, Luke & team.