Are you Luke Skywalker or Yoda? If neither of those names are familiar to you, then you need to pause this email for a moment and brush up on your Star Wars history here.
I ask that question because Donald Miller says your answer will determine your ability to succeed and grow your business. In a recent EntreLeadership podcast interview with Ken Coleman, Donald says brands often fail to make this important distinction:
“Your customer is the hero. Not you.”
In other words, many businesses (and business leaders) view themselves as Luke Skywalker – the hero, instead of Yoda, the helper. Why does that matter? Customers don’t really care if you think of yourself as the hero.
“If your brand comes along and says, ‘we are Company X… we’re trying to accomplish this and here are our goals,’ what your customer hears is, ‘oh, you’re a hero, too, and so we are both heroes.’ They don’t necessarily dislike you, they just say, ‘Man, I really hope you reach your goals and hope you have a heroic journey… we have that in common… that’s awesome. Will you please step aside, though, because I’m looking for Yoda?'”
See what just happened? When you talk to your customers about how great you are, you fail to help them. On the flip side, when you ask your customers what they need help with and then show them how you can help them, then you succeed.
Customers don’t need heroes, they need help. Customers don’t need Luke Skywalker, they need Yoda.
Go be Yoda. Go be. Go. (and know that you are loved.)
~Dennis