Are You Hiding the Best Reason People Want to do Business with You

By Kim Schlossberg, Andersen Alumnus Marketing Manager 1992-2002 and owner of Kim Schlossberg Designs

I was at brunch with a friend the other day, studying the overpriced menu. It had some typical items on it. Bacon and eggs. Avocado toast (with salmon – that’s interesting)! The menu said nothing special about these items.

But wait a minute! This is a barbecue restaurant. A smokehouse. So I just happened to ask the server if the bacon was house-smoked (yes, it was). I said – but wait, is the salmon smoked in house, too? There was nothing on the menu to tell me I wasn’t getting generic bacon or a plain piece of grilled salmon.

A couple of weeks ago I went to an amazing taco restaurant. They use produce from local farms whenever possible. They import their cheese from Mexico – only the best they can find, specially carried back by relatives. They hand-grind the corn for their tortillas. And none of this is on the menu – I learned it by having a conversation with the owner.

I wonder how many of us are doing the same thing as these two restaurants? Are we hiding the best reasons that people would want to do business with us?

I’m not suggesting old-fashioned puffery, and certainly I’m not suggesting that we mislead people. I am, however, suggesting that if we want people to buy from us, we need to give them a clear, compelling reason. And sometimes that reason is right under our nose and we don’t mention it.

Why? Maybe we just assume that everyone already knows what sets us apart. Or, we’re so close to how we do things that we don’t realize how we are different and special. Or maybe we’re just trying to be humble.

Whatever the reason, people won’t buy unless we give them a reason to.

Don’t fear being too salesy (unless you are) – just be honest and give your buyers the info they need to make a good decision for themselves.

Maybe it makes sense to bring in an outside person to help us see what we should be talking about. Our Brand Audits are designed to help you understand what is unique and special about your business, and to share that information with the world clearly and consistently.