Two Questions You Should Be Asking About Your Business

Remember those connect-the-dot books from childhood? They were always in the reject pile at the dentists’ office, begrudgingly opened only when all the good coloring books were filled up.

As a kid I always wanted to know what the big picture was before I even started drawing the lines. I would guess - that’s definitely a pony! - but the picture always shifted as the lines appeared on the page.

Before I started making connections, I was really just staring at a blob of dots. (Not a pony).

The same is true for your brand.

You can’t begin to know what your big brand picture looks like until you start connecting the small dots on the page. (Tweet that!) It starts with two important questions.

1. WHY do you do what you do?

You didn’t start your business for the money. There's something bigger going on, and around here we call it your brand cause. It's the reason your brain crackles like fireworks when you're doing work you love.

You can discover your brand cause by thinking about:

• What you want to be known for
• How you want to change the lives of your customers
• How you want the world to look after you’ve changed it

Your cause is about more than your business - it’s your big rubber stamp on the world that reads, this is what I was meant to do. And it makes up a major part of your brand foundation.

2. WHY do your clients need you?

Or, more accurately, Why do your clients need YOU?

You’re not the only option, but there’s a reason your client decides that you’re the BEST option. We make buying decisions based on our beliefs, goals and values - our priorities - not on features and benefits. This is why it’s so important to understand your ideal client.

When you create a link between your client’s priorities and your brand cause, you become the best option. She hires you because there’s a gap between where she is now, and where she wants to be.

That gap is called potential, and it’s your job to help her fill it.

And get this - by tapping into your brand cause to help your clients, you will feel closer than ever to reaching your own potential. It's a win-win.

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This post is part of a series about brand story development.