Before the last big recession (2010 – global economy woes, remember them?)…In my estimation (as a business consultant), only about 15% of companies understood the need for a mission statement and fewer still had any kind of published or publicly stated vision statement. Today it seems that every reception and website has both statements boldly proclaimed in something like 75% of businesses (again my personal estimate).
And a good thing it is too….BUT…and it’s a big but.
Whilst CEOs and boards have realised how important it is to keep the business focused on what they do & who they do it for (mission) and also on where they are going and what kind of business they are becoming (vision), nearly all those whom I come across have missed something very important.
The more I work in the area of Sales Growth (and that’s where I spend 100% of my time these days) the more I realise that significant growth comes where a sales team (and the rest of the business) is focused and based on something which gives the whole team a reason to go and sell and a reason for prospective customers to buy them…it is the “PURPOSE”…that is; the reason why the company does what it does, makes what it makes and/or sells what it sells.
Communicating a clear purpose is crucial for a business leader because it serves as the foundation for strategic decisions, employee motivation, and customer loyalty.
Purpose gives employees a reason to be emotionally invested beyond just a paycheck. It fosters a sense of belonging and a shared mission. When employees understand and believe in the company’s purpose, they are more engaged, motivated, and productive.
For the sales team, it is doubly so…it gives a very powerful point of difference in the ability to sell and in their attractiveness to clients and potential clients.
I have worked with several CEOs recently who know what their values are but have not shared their values with the rest of the business and for sure have never instructed their salespeople to tell prospective clients about those values. I’m talking about values such as ‘caring for staff’, ‘honesty’ & ‘going the extra mile’.
In this day and age, buyers are ever more careful about who they invite into see them about a purchase and even more careful about how they select partners to buy from. Ask any buyer if he would rather work with someone who is openly committed to ‘caring’ and ‘delivering service’ and they will tell you that they would bite your hand off to be working with such a company.
So many family businesses have failed to share and shout about the values that built the business in the first place.
So – if you know the values that your business is based on and the problems the founders set out to solve for the market you work in, chances are you can begin to put together a sense of purpose (why you do what you do). If you need help with this then ask – we would be delighted to help you, but don’t just leave it. Remember Simon Sinek’s wise words..” people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”. If you haven’t watched his Ted talk or haven’t seen it for a while – use this link to watch it again – it is very inspiring https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4ZoJKF_VuA&t=2s
When a salesperson believes in the purpose of a business and is aligned with the values of the business leaders, they become supercharged salespeople. Going out to see clients and speaking to prospects enables the message of a salesperson to become more powerful because it gives the buyer reassurance that this business is good to do business with.
If you lead sales and this resonates but you aren’t quite sure how to begin putting together your companies sense of purpose and how to relate it to sales to supercharge their efforts then get in touch, we can help and we can inject a great deal of ‘growth juice’ in the process.
At Kiss the Fish Ltd all of my team have the skills and knowledge required to help you so
Call me on 07880 558000 or email me at Andrew@kissthefish.net for a chat in which I’ll offer you a view..my aim is to help you not sell to you so get in touch.
