I recently finished reading (listening to) Simon Sinek’s book Start With Why. If you’re not familiar with it – or him – Simon has one of the most watched TED Talks, in which he describes “The Golden Circle”. The Golden Circle is three concentric circles: “What” – the outer circle, “How” – the middle circle, and “Why” – the inner circle.
He describes them as follows:
- WHAT: Every organization on the planet knows WHAT they do. These are the products they sell or the services they offer.
- HOW: Some organizations know HOW they do it. These are the things that make them special or set them apart from their competition.
- WHY: Very few organizations know WHY they do what they do. WHY is not about making money – that’s a result. WHY is a purpose, cause, or belief. It’s the very reason your organization exists.
While our HOW is what sets us apart, our customers very often can’t see those differences. Many of the differences are intangible, so it’s not something that can be seen; rather, it’s often felt. How does it feel to do business with you? Read More
Have you ever been to Disneyland or Walt Disney World? If you have, then the sound of animatronic characters singing “It’s a Small World” is resonating in your head. Sorry, but that was my thought when I was reflecting on a great conference in Mexico where I recently presented. It was attended by people from over 70 countries; the bringing together of all of these people is what made me think of how small the world really has become. The attendees were some of the top wedding planners from their areas. Many of them have celebrity and high-profile, very affluent clients. To be invited to the conference, they had to apply and be accepted. Needless to say, I was in quite impressive company. I was pleased, but a little surprised to see so many of these top planners in my breakout session on communicating with prospects.
you into the industry, not your business acumen. To be successful, you need both. Once you decide to sell products or services, you need to develop your business skills and an understanding of the many ways to measure your success.