Organic growth: don't promise what you can't deliver. Charlie Dawson outlines two of the barriers stopping companies achieving organic growth.(Brand Papers)

Achieving long-term organic growth means doing more than buying of merging with another company of cutting costs to increase profit. It's persuading more customers to buy your offer, and attracting them back. Achieving this sustainably and making enough money to fuel the process, is at the heart of business.

Companies should think in terms of promises and delivery. A brand's a set of promises made to customers on several levels, and a business continually delivers on those promises in ways it can control, affecting customers future expectations.

In some industries this is easier to achieve. There's a difference in providing products versus services. Only a small part of soap powder manufacturers' efforts, and workforce, are visible to customers. In banking of retailing there's far more on display, and achieving consistent delivery of a promise is tougher.

It's a virtuous cycle (see diagram below). Customer insight must be continually refreshed to inform management of the brand and its promises. The resultant …