BUSINESS EDU
Clarity: Why It’s Important to Business Success by Cathryn Castle Garcia ,Owner, ClearStoryCoach.com, The Azores
T HE WORD OF THE YEAR. It started as a trend, but it’s one that has managed to stick around for decades, long enough to earn status as a useful tool. Why? Well, it seems focusing on a well-chosen word can function as a powerful strategic anchor, guiding business deci- sions, priorities, and practices throughout the year. If you didn’t select a Word of the Year a few weeks ago, when all those “Word of the Year” generators popped up on the socials, don’t fret. I’ve got one for you. The word is “clarity.” The word “clarity” is particularly well-suited to business planning because confusion is one of the most expensive problems a business can have. Confusion shows up in unclear offerings, inconsistent messaging, and scattered marketing
efforts. But let’s be clear; clarity is not simplicity. Simplicity aims to reduce effort. Clarity assumes effort and accepts it as a challenge. Clarity is a discipline and a practice. Clarity insists you do your homework. It begins with asking probing questions and setting clear goals. Vague goals such as “grow the business” or “improve marketing” aren’t action items. Clear goals, by contrast, are specific, measurable, and tied to real outcomes. When clarity is the anchor, we ask better questions. Clear Questions Let’s get started. I’ve identified a few key questions to ask that will give you a clearer picture of your business: Why are we doing this? I’ve written about this before, but I firmly believe all entrepreneurs should regularly watch author and speaker Simon Sinek’s classic TEDx Talk, Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action. It’s had over 13 million YouTube views and his bestselling book, Start With Why , has sold over a million copies. Defining your business’s why, and being able to clearly communicate it to employees and customers is the key to your success. If you’ve never crafted a Why Statement, you’ll find a lot of online tutorials on how to do it. Here’s a simple fill-in-the- blank to get you started: “We are in business to [contribution] so that [positive impact of your contribution].” Knowing your why is foundational to everything you do. In business. And in life. It pays to spend some time thinking about it. Who are we serving? Get specific. You must know who walks in the door most often, who spends the most money over time (and what they’re buying), and who refers the most future customers to your business. These people are your core customers. Clearly identifying your core customers will enable you to nurture your relationship with them. It will also help you attract other core customers from the same demographic, and it can help you identify outliers to target as future customers. What problems are we solving? Practically every column I write repeats this message; every single buying decision we
Clarity is not simplicity. Simplicity aims to reduce e ff ort. Clarity assumes e ff ort and accepts it as a challenge. Clarity insists you do your homework. It begins with asking probing questions and setting clear goals.
If your marketing message isn’t CLEAR, all you’re making
is NOISE. I can help. Hi, I’m Cathryn. I specialize in branding and marketing strategies for the scuba industry. Visit my website for a FREE Brand Messaging Guide. Email me at hello@clearstorycoach.com to schedule a call.
CLEARSTORYCOACH.COM
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