I will begin this article by asking you one simple question: Why is that some companies succeed in business and others not? They get to penetrate the market so fast? And whatever they manufacture they sell it over night? Why people love and remain engaged to them?
What I came to see throughout my entire carreer is that general goes to particular and micro is same as macro. Same patterns, different sizes.
For example, look at the structure of our brain that has these 2 parts: the limbic, that manages the feelings or emotions and the cortex that involves functions like rational thinking and logic. Same as a business I may say. Core values or mission and organizational stuff or logical processes.
Not surprisingly, we are created in such manner that actually the limbic brain is the leader (that inspires) and the cortex leads (the authority, the power). An information (such as data, arguments, real facts) gets to our brain and is being processed by our cortex, the rational filter, and then gets to our limbic part, the emotional one. In this case we often see the reactions like, “I understand what you say, it’s logical and yet I just can’t do it. It doesn’t feel right.” We first rationalize it and then feel it. But we don’t manage to be driven to action by those words. The cortex’s ok with the info, the limbic’s not.
Unless…
The information that is presented has an emotional charge. This one gets straight to our limbic part of the brain! The very center of your core values, principles and beliefs! From here we get those wonderful feelings that “I knew it” and “I can feel it in my guts”. The intuition. We feel it first and then rationalize it. Gut decisions.
Ok. So what is that these great companies do and manage success so fast, never failing?
They learned that in order to manipulate people you manage first their brain. Great marketing strategy and real NLP, I may say. They understood is not about the products you sell but is about the way you sell it to people. Emotion over thought, leader leads.
Great leaders think beginning with WHY. Why my company exists? What is my purpose, my cause, my belief, my values? And then they add the How and What.
Marketing, as we know it nowadays, goes like : “Look at us, we are great, we created this trendy wonderful product. You should have one, you need it because…”. They say WHAT is the product, HOW they manufactured it and then, CTA’s. Usually, all they get as a reaction from other people is “We don’t trust you, like you or even listen to you”.
But what if they put the WHY in the front, like Apple did, and they would say “Why are we here? Because we believe that we can face any challenge in this industry. We came here to reinvent it. We are different. And, as a result of our beliefs, we created this product. Wanna buy?”
These are the leaders that managed to set a set of beliefs that touch the limbic part of the brain. Because we are attracted to the ones who share same visions, creeds, motivation and values. These companies get high engagement from customers due to their trust in being one standout firm, driven by strong principles, not about to break or give up easily. They are authentic, different, genuine.
People don’t buy what you do they buy why you do it! They buy experiences. And you are one experience. Not a product. Not no mention your goal is to do business with others that share your vision, support, stand by you and not with those who only want what you have! This goes for hiring people in your company, making business and personal choices. Unconditionally support. Real motivation.
People act by belief not money. They believe in you and your company. Your vision, they share it and fulfill their dreams through you and your products. Talk about your beliefs and you’ll attract individuals like you. Find out their beliefs and you won the market. Why is this so important?
Because 2.5% are innovators, 13.5% are early adopters,34% are early majority, 34% are late majority and 16% laggards.
For a mass market success you need to penetrate the market between 15% -18%.The innovators and early adopters! They are the trend setters and the testers for the last 82% of the market. What are their beliefs? “I am a leader, the first, I care the way people see me”. Make them believe in you and your marketing tactics are already on the move.
As a conclusion, you need to build your cause to be theirs. Give them the I have a dream speech not the I have a plan speech. They don’t care what you know or have until you show them you share it with them. And you should share the same vision.
Competition analysis and monitoring is at the core of each and every sales strategy: knowing the market is an essential skill.
