The first thing that comes to my mind when looking for a new car is…do I really have to do this? Until I am searching for a ultra high performance sports car, it will remain one of my most undesirable things to do. And I know the reason why.
It is not that car sales people haven't changed (improved) over time, they have…thank goodness. It is not that cars haven't continually added great new features; what you can get on a car today is close to science fiction improvements. BUT the reason that I still detest looking for a new car is the outside-in approach that almost every car dealer utilizes to sell cars. They start with What the car does and not with Why do they make the car in the first place.
If they would start with why they made the car that I'm looking at, that would inspire me. Inspire me to make a purchase; I might even spend more money on a car with similar features, but a more interesting and inspiring why. There are very few people that I know that don't get excited about the Tesla. It has a fantastic WHY. Independence from oil and the countries that control much of our supply. A better environment for today and tomorrow. A statement that they believe in something contrarian to everything that we have known about the automobile. It is inspiring!
What can you do to change how your prospects and customers think about your organization? I would suggest that you read a great 2009 book by Simon Sinek, Start with Why. At the very least you should watch and listen to his TED talk in which he describes how to inspire people by starting with “why” before you get to the "what" you do. This process will help you go beyond how you are differentiated and increase your results beyond your imagination. I hope that you will consider figuring out your why and then let everyone know what it is.
Our WHY is to help organizations make sense of all of their technology choices so that they will make great decisions. We want people to feel less intimidated by technology and leverage it in ways that help them become more successful.
Let us know what your WHY is.