There’s a good chance that you’ve seen Simon Sinek’s TED Talk, “Start With Why”. This is about knowing your business’ purpose, and telling the world why it should care! Businesses that not only know what and how they do what they do, but know why they do it as well, and can properly communicate this, separate themselves from the pack. Having a clear “why” for your business not only drives your company’s values and motivates your team, it attracts clients.
The “why” of your business contrasts with your “what”: the thing most businesses focus too much on. The “what” is your products or services; the tangible things you provide. But to really create a base that allows your business to grow and grow you need to tell customers more than simply what you do. You need to tell them why, as well.
Most will agree that there are two main ways of gaining clients: either attracting through adding value to their lives, or through manipulating the market. This can be thought of as the difference between inbound and outbound marketing. You are either adding value and making your business easier to find for those who need it (inbound), or actively seeking to reach clients through methods like promotions and advertisements (outbound).
Both inbound and outbound marketing have their strengths and weaknesses, but inbound is vital for long-term success and growth. There is only so much you can do through manipulation. But by communicating your “why” you give people a reason to buy. This attracts, rather than manipulates, clients.
I know what you’re thinking; “the products and services give people a reason to buy, not the “why” of a business”. But this isn’t quite true, or at least not as true as it might immediately seem to be.
Every business out there can tell you what they do, and they might even be able to tell you why you should buy from them; this can be called the “how”. A business’ “how” will focus on the thing that sets their products and services apart. These might be things like prices, quality, or customer service.
But think about it; don’t most, if not all, businesses do this? They do. So why do the vast majority of consumers still buy from a select few? You guessed it, they do it because of those select few businesses’ ability to communicate their “why”.
Businesses that can properly communicate this stand head and shoulders above their competitors. Think of Google; its “why” is “to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful”. This doesn’t focus on the intricacies of search engines. Rather, it stands as an intent. It tells people why they should care about what google is doing. Who wouldn’t benefit from information being easily accessible and useful? Because of this, Google hasn’t been limited with what it can provide. People know the “why”, so are prepared to buy things like mobile phones from Google. Would you buy a phone from Bing? Probably not!
The key thing that makes communicating your “why” so important is the role that trust plays in a consumer’s decision to buy.
We buy from people we trust, and we trust people who share our values and beliefs. So a business that shares its “why”, its values and beliefs and reason, will invite people to be part of something bigger.
People buy because of a business’ “why”, not its “what”. When we buy a phone, or a pair of shoes, or anything, the thing that ultimately guides our decision is the “why” of that business. Do we agree with their why? What do we think of other people who buy from them? The biggest, best companies like Apple or Microsoft attract people because of what they represent. We could buy our computers from a huge variety of manufacturers, but the vast majority of us don’t. We trust Microsoft and Apple; we want to be part of what they represent.
By clearly communicating the “why” of your business with the market you put your business in a position of authority within the industry. The value this has in the long-run is immeasurable, the trust you earn from clients will earn you sales for years to come. So, tell people why you do what you do, and why exactly they should care!
