Tag: Simon Sinek

It’s time for something new

Posted on by philipdodson

I am starting to make some changes in my business and life. Changes that mean stepping out of the discomfort zone that I have been in.

It means putting myself in the ring, it means overcoming some fears and it means becoming vulnerable.

Every change is risky, however in today’s fast changing landscape, it is more risky to be ‘safe’ with your business, than it is to change it and be rebellious, to be different.

‘Playing safe’ is the new risky.

I’m already not ‘playing safe’, as I have been running my own businesses for 12 years. But I now want to take it further.

Inspired by many things around me, including reading many books, blogs etc, especially Simon Sinek’s outstanding book ‘Start with why’, I have decided to make the step into the ring, overcome some fears and put my ‘why’ into everything that I do, not just parts of my life, all of it.

I have been kind of doing this anyway (herein lies part of the problem, the ‘kind of’ bit). However, I have been a little sheepish about going the whole 9 yards. Mainly out of worry that it might effect my business, it might not sit well with all and I might lose some customers. I know that the ‘not doing’ is more risky and will lead to regret.

You start something and after a little while, the ‘why’ you do it gets a little bit clouded, a little lost and you can end up just focusing on what you do. Doesn’t mean that your business is a failure, but good enough just doesn’t cut it for me.

I realise now, that when I have put my views, my passion, my ‘why’, and inspired, it has massively helped my life. I am now more inspired than I have ever been.

So now is the time to step into the unknown and make the jump to do what this life of mine has lead me to. The journey has lead me to this point, all the knowledge, learning, experience of 48 years is at my disposal.

To be honest I have never liked the status quo, never liked the ‘established’ order, I have always been a rebel. I have blogged about this many times, about the need to change the old school world. I have also recently blogged about the need to not simply criticise what is there, but to actually start creating alternatives. That is why I already love coworking, as it is an alternative way of working. But the coworking is the ‘what’ I do and is not why I do what I do.

I am already taking the steps, along with others, to build an alternative, I am starting the New World Project and whatever small part I can play to create some alternatives to our current world is my driving force, to be part of helping to create change that is based on human kind. A world for the many not the few.

With my blog, I am going to share the journey going forward. I am going to be posting on the changes I am about to make, as I want others to be a part of it. I am going to be thinking out loud and sharing the journey. This is not a one person mission, this is the start of a change, a movement, a cause for a better world, however small or big it becomes.

The size of something does not matter, as worthiness is not defined by this, as I have learnt from reading & listening to Brene Brown, she’s right, we are all already worthy enough, good enough, no matter what we achieve.

If I inspire just one person to help, to join, to be part of making a difference, then that is progress towards a better world. The famous saying ‘a journey of a 1,000 miles starts with just one step’.

That’s it for today, I will be sharing more over the coming weeks plus still posting my blogs as normal. I am going to be taking my stuff over to my business website from next week, so you can catch up with my posts there.

#NewWorldProject

Tell the ‘why’ – don’t manipulate

Posted on by philipdodson

Tell the ‘why’ – don’t manipulate

Manipulation is how most companies sell. They use clever marketing techniques to manipulate you to buy their product/service. They add things, chop prices, do deals etc. All of this will bring about more sales.

It works for a while, as all humans are open to being manipulated. However, it never will bring loyalty, as any other company can out manipulate the buyers and people will switch in an instant to a better deal.

It will only bring you the late adopters, the laggards, it will bring you people only driven by price and the manipulations you offer.

Instead, you can build loyalty by inspiring your audience, then you don’t need to sell, you just need a great product/service, delivered well, that will get your customers to do the marketing for you.

Where does the inspiration come from? Simple, just communicate to your potential customers your ‘why’. As in why you do what you do. The what you do will validate the why. Look at all the successful products/services that have a hugely loyal following. All of them will have/do tell you ‘why’ they do what they do.

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It’s why people queue for Apple products, it’s why people don’t mind waiting 6 months + for a Harley Davidson, it’s why people get a ‘Never mind the bollocks’ credit card from Virgin when they already have a wallet full of cards and so on.

Sales & marketing should never be about manipulation. Marketing should be used to communicate your ‘why’ and then sales will come, and come again and again and again. Just make it simple for people to understand you and why you exist, then make it easy for people to buy. Then no need for sales.

By communicating your ‘why’ you will attract like-minded people who identify with your values, what you stand for, why you do what you do. Then they will walk over ‘hot coals’ to get your product/service often when you are more expensive and not always better quality than others.

If you want to look into how this works, check out Simon Sinek’s great book ‘Start with Why’. It is an truly inspirational read.