“What” Is the Last Reason Customers Buy

Why customers buy is a question that plagues every business owner. If only it were a simple answer. What if there is a simple answer? If you are just getting to know me, I am a huge fan of personal development. I am constantly reading books on writing, business, investing and a bunch of other topics of personal and professional importance. I recently came across an author named Simon Sineck via YouTube.com. Simon wrote a book called Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. Simon’s book went underneath my radar of new books to read in 2011 when it was released. Here’s a taste of his message from the first clip I saw from Simon Sineck:

Here’s the longer version:

 “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

After seeing this, I thought about how a traditional business plan is written. The product you’re selling as a business person isn’t in the first few pages. The Executive Summary is generally first, and The Mission Statement is next. The product or service, the marketing the distribution, the who does what, etc. doesn’t come until there is a carefully thought out “Why.” The motivation can’t be “that you want to pay the bills” or “I want a red Ferrari.” That’s not enough. Those are reflected in the profits or the results of your business activities. The “Why” has to be how you are going to make a difference in other peoples’ lives and how you are going to change the world. Whether you know it or not, you DO change the world every day you live in it, positively or negatively.

At the time of writing this blog post, this is all I have. I have ordered Simon’s book Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. I will definitely keep everyone posted on how the information in this book affects my thinking and how I apply this knowledge to my marketing, my services, and my business.

The two questions that Simon asks in this video that caught my attention were “Why do you get out of bed in the morning?” and “Why does anyone care?” These are HUGE questions to ask yourself on a personal and a professional level.Your answers could make a big difference in our results.