Why It’s Important for People to Believe in Your Business
Let’s talk about the why.
Why do you wake up in the morning? What makes you get up and check your email every morning. Why are the hours, the frustrations, the Pinterest boards, and endless Zoom calls worth it?
If you are a small business owner or an entrepreneur, you probably do it for love of your business. You do it because you are passionate about it, because it’s something you believe in.
How do you talk about your business
hours about your business and why you really believe it is worth it. They probably share your excitement...and frustrations. We’ve all seen the parent who makes a better case selling their kid’s business than their kid does.
What about your prospects? Business partners? How do you actually sell your products and services?
Do you tell them about all the bells and whistles your product has? Do you have powerpoints with all the right numbers? What details are important for prospective clients and customers to convert and click buy?
And more importantly, at the end of a conversation with a prospective client, would you say they believe in you?
Details Versus Beliefs
Internationally acclaimed writer and speaker Simon Sinek revolutionized the concept of selling in his mind-blowing Ted Talk, How Great Leaders Inspire Action. He basically started this whole conversation about beliefs, business, and asking the question why before anything else.
People don’t just make decisions about what’s best. They don’t make decisions based on statistics and specs alone.
People make decisions based on feelings. They align themselves with brands that make them feel good, with brands that they believe in.
This is why your friends and family believe in you...and your prospective clients might not. You speak from your heart with your friends and family. But it’s all too common to speak superficially with clients and customers.
The Golden Circle
Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why is centered around the concept of the Golden Circle. The Golden Circle simply states that you should first talk to people in this order:
Why does your brand do what it does
How does it do what it does
What does it do
We communicate in this order because statistics don’t create lasting connections. Shared beliefs do.
The most successful brands all have one thing in common- they all lead with the why.
Why do people buy Apple? Because Apple believes in thinking different.
Why do people buy Nike? Because Nike believes in shedding excuses and just getting stuff done.
Why did people vote for Obama? Because Obama believed that yes we can make change.
Why do people buy Tesla? Because Tesla believes in pushing the limits.
Why do people want to work for Costco Wholesale? Because Costco believes that all humans deserve to be treated with decency and respect.
What would you see if you analyzed the people supporting these brands? You would find a lot of people who believe the same thing.
How to Adopt the Why for your Business
Now that we’ve talked about why this is so important, let’s talk about how to do it. (Yes, this article is following the Golden Circle.)
Talk from the heart, not just the head
You believe in your business; tap into that passion when communicating. Whether in marketing material or with prospective clients, try connecting on an emotional level. Share the statistics and the details, but after you’ve found common ground on a feeling level.
Find your why
You can’t communicate the feelings behind your initiative if you don’t know why you are doing it yourself. Spend some time analyzing your business or your project and figure out why it exists, why it deserves to exist, and why other people should give it two seconds of their time.
Look to connect with people who believe what you believe
Not all prospective clients are going to become super clients or loyal fans. However, those repeat customers are the ones you really want to spend your time talking to because they are the ones who stick around.
They are the ones who buy your product, even if it is more expensive than the competition.
They are the ones who recommend your service to others.
They are the ones who forgive you when you mess up and stick with you even when the economy is bad.
And 100% of those customers are people who believe what you believe in. Talk to those guys; the rest will decide whatever they decide on their own.