The Brand Factory's Branding Blog

Are you a life raft for drowning prospects?

Justin Cooper Added 10 months ago

Do you find your prospects are treating you and your business like a life raft? Do they have a desperate air about them? Do they seem to be saying "I've no idea what I'm looking for, but I want you to sort the mess out for me?" As a consequence, are you attracting a whole load of tyre-kickers?

If so, it's time to put a hole in that life boat and move to the deck of the80 foot Sunseeker instead.

That's where the smart clients are – who know what they're looking for. Who are clear on why you are the business that can help them. Who are clear on what you will do for them.

So how to make the switch? The first thing to do is stop focussing your brand marketing communications solely on 'what you do' and switch to 'why you do it.' That way you'll be able to connect with like-minded people who understand where you're coming from and can relate to what your business stands for. It's a meeting of the minds – a matching of values. Of course you still need to talk about what you do and how you do it – you just need to lead with the 'why.'

Check out Simon Sinek's TED talk for more on this.

He points to the fact that people are much more motivated by 'why you do what you do' than just simply 'what you do.'

So how do you find out the 'why' behind your own business? The bad news is that it's often hidden in your subconscious, so it's hard to find yourself. The start point is often a conversation with your best customers. But instead of asking 'what do you think I do,' try asking 'why did you choose to work with me?' Then ask 'how did you feel before you decided to work with me, and how did you feel afterwards?'

Get to the heart of 'why' and then talk about it. You'll attract far fewer life raft seekers and far more Sunseeker.

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Posted by Justin Cooper at 12:27 pm 0 Comments