Being predictable is often associated with being boring. And, if you eat the same breakfast every day for a year, tell the same jokes at parties, and wear the same clothes each day to work, you might be considered a dull person, this same type of consistency in sales and marketing doesn’t breed unoriginality—it breeds success.

Consistency is the best way to establish a sense of community with your audience. When your audience knows exactly what to expect from you, they keep coming back, and for a business based on repeat customers and referrals, that is everything.

But you might be thinking: how can I maintain consistency in my marketing or my sales approach without it feeling too repetitive or my customers losing interest? The best part about established consistency is it allows businesses to actually veer away from what customers are used to without throwing them for a loop.

Think of some of the most easily recognizable logos in the world: Nike, Apple, Starbucks. All of these are highly established brands, consistent in their approach for decades. However, if you take the Nike check, the bitten apple, or the mermaid, and alter them in some way—in color, size, pattern, etc.—you would still recognize the brand associated with those logos.

Our brains are so trained to see patterns and expect consistency, it doesn’t matter if our expectations are slightly off—we will still recognize and appreciate the brand for what it is. Here are a few ways you can apply this tactic to your sales and marketing:

The sacred script

Sales scripts are among the most consistent components in a sales-based business’ arsenal, and are toiled over and perfected until they are as effective as they can be. But there’s always room for improvement, right? Your script should uphold a certain degree of consistency across employees, but once the necessary elements of uniformity are well established, there is great benefit to letting people employ their own personality and spin on their pitch. It is completely possible to keep a consistent approach without placing employees in a box and taking originality off the table.

Malleable marketing

Where your marketing is concerned, building up consistency and expectations with your customers is important. You can’t establish a solid brand and expect to be recognizable within a week. But, given time, being consistent will afford you the ability to branch out later on—changing your logo, for instance, without confusing customers. Consistency in the words you use to describe your business, your relationship with customers, and values are all important elements to establish, but can be adjusted over time once reliability in your business is earned.

There is no need to fear consistency in your brand. Being predictable is essential in gaining the respect and attention of your audience, and will help them continue to trust in you and what your business can do for them.