Why Are You Even IN Business Anyway?

Last time I talked to you, I had you answer the question, "Why should anyone do business with you?" I think that question is vitally important for you to develop an effective advertising campaign. If you can't give me a good reason why your service is different, distinctive & (hopefully) better in some way than your competitors, then "so long!" I will be on my way to find someone who cares about me and about themselves enough to want to earn my business.

My buying decisions are based on information. Everyone wants to feel that they made the best deal or the best choice when purchasing something. And to do that, you have to convince me that I made that right choice by telling me why I will get that good feeling when I deal with you. Case closed.

This time, I have another crucial question for you: "Why are you in business anyway?" If your response is, "Whaddya mean, 'why?' I wanna make money. Duh!" then you may very well fall into the category of soon-to-fail businesses. Here's why:

What happens when you aren't making the money you projected you would make -- when the bills get harder to pay and the regulations pile up -- when the competition seems to be eating you alive, or when the bypass comes in and your drive-by traffic drops off?  Will you just give up, throw in the towel and call it quits?

If your reason for going into business is only to make money, you might make it, or you might not. But if your reason for going into business is something beyond that, you will have a deeper purpose. You will be more prone to continue on, to find a way to beat the obstacles and stand up to the opposition and the trials.

If you know that your widgets outperform the rest, your roofing technique provides a more long lasting, storm-proof roof, or your childcare's facility and staff are more qualified and better at protecting your clients' kids, or whatever it is, you will have a lot more at stake than just a paycheck or keeping your bottom line in the black. I am not saying money isn't important. You have to eat and pay the bills. But if you don't have more than that going for you, it will be too easy to give up, cut corners or become discouraged. And quite frankly, if that is how you feel, you should go out of business and go to work for someone else who does have that sense of deeper purpose.

I am certain that I have dealt with businesses in the past who went under simply because they were only in business for the money. There was no real love for what they were doing, no sense of providing a better service or product, no driving desire to be the best or to provide the best in what they were doing. Don't be one of them.

Sit yourself and your partners down and have a good session of purpose-searching. If you really can't think of any reason to be in business beyond making money, good luck. I prefer working with well-purposed survivors.