This TED Talk is great. Simon Sinek describes it’s not what you do, it’s why you do it. People don’t buy what you do or how you do it, they subconsciously buy what you believe. It’s about first appealing to a Vision; “Be in pursuit of a dream,” he describes.

For example, Zappos. Their brand is all about a dream. They’ve achieved cult-like, almost Apple-like brand status at this point because of their promise to “Deliver Happiness to the world,” notably their customers, vendors and employees. It may sound dumb to some, but that’s their dream, that’s their brand and that’s what underlies the conversation when they talk about their WHAT and their HOW (selling shoes, Free Returns policy, etc). People subconsciously think, “I, too, want the world to be Happy,” and start to love and form a relationship with the company and the brand. The great brands have an ideal they appeal to. People buy what you believe, not what you do.

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