Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Friday, October 24, 2008

Why?

Through my involvement with Entrepreneurs Organization, I had the good fortune to meet Simon Sinek, a marketing expert whose teachings are focused on the Why (vs the What and How) of your business.

He has developed a concept called The Golden Circle: a model based on "human decision-making that guides organizations on how to inspire people to buy or support, with cult-like loyalty, any product, company or idea."

Simply put, loyal customers don't buy "what" you do or "how" you do what you do, they buy "why" you do it.

To quote Sinek:

The Why is the single driving motivation to do things

The How is the specific action that is taken to realize the Why.

The What is the tangible manifestation of the Why


Let me use Apple as a recognizable example.

Apple's "what" is to sell computers.

Apple's "how" is to design computers that look nice and are easy to use.

Apple's "why" is to inspire people to think differently.

Companies that focus on the Why of their business are able to appeal to their clients' emotional side, as people love to buy based on what makes them feel great. When done successfully, client relationships are built on loyalty vs price.

Simple, isn't it? Yet as simple as this is, many companies (including us over the years) have stumbled their way through a pitch by telling a prospect What they do. Quite simply, do people really care?

I used to get a lot of glazed expressions when I told people that RIGHTSLEEVE sold promotional products to companies looking to enhance their image in the market place. The common reply was "Oh, I get it, you sell swag. Ya, we get lots of that stuff at our company. People call us everyday and send the same catalogs. Competitive business, no?"

We have spent a lot of time recently focusing on the Why of our business. Over the years, we have learned from client interactions that product is product is product. However, what is truly special is the way in which product is used to solve a specific marketing challenge.

The way a product is used to cement an emotional bond between the marketer and their client is the RIGHTSLEEVE Why. This is the philosophy that underpins our rallying cry Friends don't let friends buy bad promo.

One of my favourite examples of this Why can be summed up in this photo posted on flickr. These boxer shorts were all the rage at the mesh conference. The emotional bond was, ahem, clearly evident.

Selling the product is just the What. Offering great service is the How.

Inspiring clients is the Why.