Recently I read Start With Why by Simon Sinek. I’ve seen this book floating around for years, but a social media comment made me finally pick it up.
It felt both timeless and dated, given how much has happened in the tech space since the book was written. It felt a little corporate and Silicon Valley heavy, if I’m honest, which is not really my jam. But I found things within it that resonated with me personally as a small biz start up.
It’s not a book with simple, straightforward how to’s; it’s a book of profound principles to incorporate. It’s a book that makes you work for it. Sometimes I wanted to talk back to the author and say, “But HOW, Simon, HOW do you do this?” Still, the book connected with me deeply because of the sense of authenticity and integrity that is very much how I want to do business.
Here are my biggest takeaways:
Know your why (and it's not your mission statement)
Your WHY is not what you do or what you sell. It’s not HOW you do what you do. It’s the WHY behind it all.
Can I tell you after reading the book, I find WHY to be a little intangible? It IS! I would describe it as your underlying motivation, your driving force, your essence – as a person and as a business.
Having a mission statement or vision statement does not equal your WHY. But your WHY might be lurking in your mission or vision statement.
I want to share an example because I think this is SO important!
Example mission statement:
Empower women entrepreneurs to break the gender barrier and confidently navigate the venture capital funding process to obtain more funding for their business ventures.
Example vision statement:
Empower 1,000 women entrepreneurs to get VC funding in the next 5 years and become a sought-after visionary leader, speaker and author, inspiring more women to become entrepreneurs.
The mission and vision are clear. But can you see the way it’s more of a “what” and a “how” statement? But… the WHY is in there!
Example WHY:
Empower women to break barriers.
Can you see how it cuts to the quick? Now, you have something more intangible, perhaps, but also more emotional, a gut feeling, the heart of the matter.
Now you know you’re in the business of empowering. You’re in the business of breaking barriers. Now you have the heart to inspire all you do.
without why, you're selling a commodity (and selling a commodity sucks!)
When your business becomes focused solely on what you do and how you do it, what you sell becomes a commodity. When what you’re selling is a commodity, you get caught up in selling based on lowering prices, adding features, constant manipulative promotions and fear-based messages. These things might get customers to push the buy button, but they don’t create enthusiasm or long-term loyalty.
I’ve seen pressure tactics in the online marketing space that that give me the ick – like flooding with email or short-term price manipulations. I’m not calling anyone out who has used these tactics! For me, it’s just about what feels authentic and full of integrity and how I want to be treated as a customer. I want to deeply serve my clients to give them something SO amazing they’re begging for it. I want to deliver deep value and deep resonance, not short term hits.
If you want to stand out in the marketplace and you don’t want to resort to manipulations to sell, start with WHY – your heart, your driving force, your essence – and make sure it’s reflected in all you do. When you start with WHY, you’re providing value to your customers that goes above and beyond what you sell. It’s your vision, your mission, your inspiration, the banner you fly and the community that flocks to it. People don’t want to just buy a product they want to be part of something bigger than themselves, part of a movement with meaning that resonates with them.
attract your people by embracing your why
Don’t just sell a “product”, have a heart and soul. Be authentic. Have a viewpoint. Don’t be afraid to share that heart and soul.
People that resonate with you and your viewpoint – your BIG WHY – will want to work with you and buy from you. Better yet, they’ll have a connection with your business that goes far beyond a rational buying decision based on features and pricing.
Infuse your WHY into everything. It’s the DNA of your business. Your WHY should be clear in your branding, messaging, advertising, what you sell, how you sell it. Your company culture and the people you hire should be based on your WHY. Your customer experience should be reinforcing your why. The way you run your business should be based on your WHY.
As an OBM, I want to help my clients get clear on WHY, make sure it’s reflected in strategy, and create a ripple effect with systems and backend operations that infuse that WHY into every touchpoint and customer experience.
Interested in working with me? Schedule a free discovery call to find out if we could be a fit.