In my last post, I talked about the importance of identifying your educational consulting company’s Mission.
And I pointed out how having a well-articulated Mission gives your work focus (keeping you from exploring every shiny object that crosses your path) and the motivation to succeed (because the Mission can only succeed if you succeed).
Today, I want to talk about another crucial piece of your company’s positioning: what you promise to your clients (your Promise).
Let me explain the difference between the two…
How Your Mission and Your Promise to Clients Differ
Your Mission is the why, the driving force behind what you do and how you do it.
Your Promise is what you deliver for your clients. It’s what you want your company to be famous for, the #1 thing your customers value about what you do for them.
In other words, your Mission is primarily inward-facing. Your Promise is outward-facing.
Now, notice that I said that your Mission is primarily inward-facing. Everyone in your company needs to know and support the mission, as that drives your company’s day-to-day work.
But that doesn’t mean that you can’t share your Mission with the outer world. Some companies do; some don’t.
If your company has a Mission that’s all about changing something highly-visible about the world, then it makes sense to share that Mission in your marketing.
If your company’s Mission is primarily about living and working according to your own personal values, but less about changing the world writ large, you may not ever mention your Mission in your marketing materials.
So, again, your Mission is primarily a driving force inside your company. It may or may not be something you share with your customers and clients.
Now, if you DO share your Mission outside of your company, your Ideal Clients may care about your Mission, if it aligns with their values. And that’s all good–but it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll buy from you.
What your clients definitely DO care about is your Promise, because that aligns with their personal self-interest. And if you deliver on what you promise to clients, they will buy.
So, your marketing is primarily about your Promise to clients.
Mission vs. Promise: Some Examples
Now, I know this can be a little confusing in the abstract, so let me give you an example.
Are you’re familiar with Bombas? They’re primarily known for selling socks, but they also sell underwear, T-shirts, and shoes.
But what they’re most well-known for is their Mission, which is, as their Home page states, “One Purchased = One Donated.”
For every pair of socks you buy from them, they donate a pair to places like local Salvation Army outlets for distribution to homeless people and other struggling populations.
It’s one of those noble, outward-facing, world-changing kinds of Missions, so of course, they make it a big part of their marketing. And the fact that many people’s values align with the values that Bombas represents has allowed them to grow to be a very successful company.
But let’s dig into this a bit deeper…
Do I support their Mission? 100%. I’m proud that there are socially-conscious companies like Bombas out there doing good in the world.
But am I going to buy socks from them? Maybe. But only if they provide good socks at a good price while supporting those in need.
My heart may support their mission. But my self-interest wants good-quality socks.
On their About page, they say, “We wanted to offer new, clean clothes to everyone who needs them. So we created the most comfortable socks, underwear, and t-shirts we could imagine. And for every clothing item you purchase, a clothing item of the same kind is donated to those experiencing homelessness.”
Now, this is a bit tricky because their Mission and their Promise to clients (customers) are so closely intertwined.
So, let’s pull those two things apart from the paragraph above.
Their Mission involves offering clothes “to everyone who needs them.” And every time a customer purchases an item, “a clothing item of the same kind is donated to those experiencing homelessness.”
Their Promise (to their customers) involves selling “the most comfortable socks, underwear, and t-shirts we could imagine.”
If their clothes were of terrible quality, it wouldn’t matter how noble their Mission was. Nobody would buy them, and the business would die.
I hope the difference between your Mission and your Promise is getting clearer.
But just in case it’s still fuzzy, here’s another example.
Disneyland’s stated Mission is “to inspire possibilities for the child within all of us.” In other words, it’s all about championing the role of imagination and self-expression to help people achieve their dreams.
And Disneyland’s Promise is “the happiest place on Earth.” That’s what the customer experiences when they attend Disneyland.
And when customers experience “the happiest place on Earth,” where they’re surrounded by all these magical works of the imagination come to life, they’ll be more inspired to expand their own imaginations–or at least, that’s Disney’s hope.
In other words, by delivering on their Promise to customers, Disneyland achieves its Mission.
See how that works?
Your Turn–Define Your Promise to Clients
Think about what you want your educational consulting business to become famous for to your Ideal Clients. What do you want to deliver to them so that they come to value the work you do?
That’s your Promise.
If you’ve never articulated this to yourself, take some time to do it now.
As with your Mission, try to capture it as clearly and concisely as you can–preferably in a single phrase.
One other thing…
Your Promise to clients is not a specific product or service. Those would be ways that you deliver on your Promise.
We’ll talk about that important distinction in my next post.
Till then…
To Your Success,
Willy
P.S.–If you’ve yet to articulate your consulting company’s Mission and Promise and you want a sounding board as you work on it, I offer myself to be that sounding board.
Come up with one or more drafts of your Mission and Promise and run them by me. I’ll get right back to you with my thoughts.
You can email me directly at willy@edconsultantmarketing.com.
