You are probably not telling your prospects this. But you should

By Lan Vuga

Is there a communication gap in your business that is costing you?

You maybe heard about Simon Sinek and his quote “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

If not, here is the link to his TED talk I recommend you watch. It will be 18 minutes worthy of your time.

Sinek also wrote a book called “Start with why” (Goodreads link to the book. If you wish to connect with me to see what I’ve been reading, add me as a friend)

I was re-reading his book and would like to share a couple of lessons and try to find some application for you and me as solopreneurs and business owners.

A short summary of the main topic of the book is:

Each business has a “what they do,”, “how they do it,”, and “why they do it.”

People don’t buy “WHAT” you do (the product) but “WHY” you do it (why you created the product, the motivation behind it).

“

WHAT: Every single company and organization on the planet knows WHAT they do. This is true no matter how big or small, no matter what industry. Everyone is easily able to describe the products or services a company sells or the job function they have within that system. WHATs are easy to identify.

HOW: Some companies and people know HOW they do WHAT they do. Whether you call them a “differentiating value proposition,” “proprietary process” or “unique selling proposition,” HOWs are often given to explain how something is different or better. Not as obvious as WHATs, many think these are the differentiating or motivating factors in a decision. It would be false to assume that’s all that is required.

WHY: Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do. When I say WHY I don’t mean to make money—that’s a result. By WHY I mean what is your purpose, cause or belief? WHY does your company exist? WHY do you get out of bed every morning? And WHY should anyone care?

“

The core

Maybe you started your business to do something more meaningful than your previous career.

Or it just grew from a side business.

But you probably never thought about your “why” and its importance for your customers and the growth of your business.

Your “why” already exists, hidden behind the tasks you do every day.

It’s the emotional charge behind what you do.

But if you haven’t given it a proper thought, now is a perfect time.

To lead you in the right direction I want to share a couple of examples that will help create a more concrete image in your head.

I took them from a book called Business for punks by James Watt.

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Don’t just start a bakery in Idaho. Start a crusade to educate people about the health and taste benefits of fresh small-batch sourdough bread.
Don’t just start a hairdresser’s in Berlin. Start a quest to see how much fun it is possible for a customer to have whilst getting their hair cut.
Don’t just start a mechanic’s in Manchester. Start a mission to redefine people’s expectations when it comes to customer service in auto-care.

Businesses fail. Businesses die. Businesses fade into oblivion. Revolutions never die. So start a revolution, not a business. It is no longer enough just to start a business. You need a clear purpose, a mission, and a reason for existing.

In today’s saturated reality the market for yet another brand, another business, another product or another service, is pretty much non-existent. Yet the market for something to believe in is infinite. You need to give people something to believe in.

Make crafted products you love, create environments you want to hang out in and give the kind of service you’d love to receive yourself.

“

So tell me, what is your revolution?

What are you fighting for? Or against? What do you want to offer to the world? What is the reason behind all of this you are doing? What do you believe?

These are great questions to get fired up.

Don’t think you are completely the same as everyone else.

Maybe you offer the same service (food tours, walking tours,…).

BUT (and that’s a big but).

Your WHY makes you different! It makes you unique!

You as a business owner should communicate this!

We think it’s not important to tell people about our motivation. About why we do what we do.

We think people only look at the features and benefits of our products, the costs,…and that’s it.

But it’s not.

There is more behind it.

Because business is about aligning values of the brand with the values of the customer.

Your “WHY” = Your VALUES and BELIEFS.

Sinek helps us understand why it makes little sense to argue with an Apple follower:

“Macintoshes are, in practice, only better for those who believe what Apple believes. Those people who share Apple’s WHY believe that Apple’s products are objectively better, and any attempt to convince them otherwise is pointless. Even with objective metrics in hand, the argument about which is better or which is worse without first establishing a common standard creates nothing more than debate. Loyalists for each brand will point to various features and benefits that matter to them (or don’t matter to them) in an attempt to convince the other that they are right. “

The first sentence is particularly strong:

“Macintoshes are, in practice, only better for those who believe what Apple believes.”

It is the same for your business. Your products are better than other products only for those that believe what you believe.

If you have been reading my articles, you know I mention beliefs often. Especially this article about creating high-quality leads is important in understanding the beliefs of your customers and how to change them.

The thing is, when our beliefs and our feelings come in play, we stop caring about the details, the features, the technicalities,…

They fade away and become, mostly, irrelevant.

Think about this statement:

“Loyalists for each brand will point to various features and benefits that matter to them in an attempt to convince the other that they are right. “

So Apple buyers don’t care about some lacking features if you compare them to a PC. They just care about certain parts of the whole experience that matters to them. This is what they value. This is what they believe in.

This is the goal of selling our tours as well.

By communicating what we believe, people with similar beliefs become attracted to us.

An apple fan maybe doesn’t even check the disk space, RAM, processor etc…

He is the kind of person who buys Apple. He believes what Apple believes.

My WHY

I believe that growing a travel company should be challenging but not overwhelming.

I believe clarity and focus have to always be present.

If they are not, you are pushing on the gas paddle while your gear is in neutral.

And in that why you can’t go forward. You can’t grow.

And what excites me is growth. Business growth. Personal growth. Revenue growth. Customer and employee satisfaction growth.

Changes for the better.

I love them.

I love to inspire them.

I love to coach. I love to lead. I love to challenge.

And I love to do it in an industry that brings happiness and joy to people’s lives. That shows a new and different world to the guest. That opens new horizons.

People want to experience the richness of our world with people (businesses are people) that have the same values.

The thing is.

Everyone is searching for their tribe.

Somewhere to belong to.

Communicating your “why” will help people find you. it will help them find their tribe. Your tribe

And you as the business owner will make a difference in their lives.

I want to help to make these connections.

This is my “why”.

Simon Sinek writes:

“No matter where we go, we trust those with whom we are able to perceive common values or beliefs. We want to be around people and organizations who are like us and share our beliefs. When companies talk about WHAT they do and how advanced their products are, they may have appeal, but they do not necessarily represent something to which we want to belong. But when a company clearly communicates their WHY, what they believe, and we believe what they believe, then we will sometimes go to extraordinary lengths to include those products or brands in our lives. This is not because they are better, but because they become markers or symbols of the values and beliefs we hold dear.”