The power of belief

Great organisations like Apple understand that belief is what drives people's decisions. And they know precisely how to create it

Are you hypnotised by your own marketplace experiences? Are you convinced that all you have to do to grow your business is engage people with captivating content and deliver on your brand promise? Sorry, you are deluded.

Most people and organisations don't have a clue about how people actually take decisions. They assume that everyone is searching for an 'answer'. But what people are truly after is novelty and recognition; a sense of control and identity enhancement. What people really want is 'to believe'.

In the book Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson wrote, "Early on, Mike Markkula had taught Jobs to 'impute,' to understand that people do judge a book by its cover and, therefore, to make sure all the trappings and packaging of Apple signalled that there was a beautiful gem inside. Markkula was exposing Jobs to the hidden logic that drives people's decisions and behaviour. He was teaching Jobs, and Apple, about belief."

Today, Apple is the most valuable company in the world; twice as valuable as Exxon, the world's second-largest company. Apple understands that brand success is not about winning a debate; it is about signalling meaning. It is not about convincing people with well-reasoned arguments; it is about unearthing what people need to feel good, smart and special and then giving it to them. Apple, and other great organisations, understands that belief drives people's decisions. And they know precisely how to create it.

It is no mystery that the essence of business success lies in influencing people's decisions. And that those decisions are driven by people's motivation and thinking patterns. But - and this is a critical - choices in the marketplace are not influenced by changing someone's thinking. People's thoughts and behaviour follow their perceptions and feelings. As Markkula made clear to Jobs, people impute meaning and fabricate belief; they do not compute it.

Today, the significant business challenge is to get leaders to embrace this counterintuitive notion; that people's perceptions drive their feelings and that those feelings, in turn, drive their thoughts and decisions. Once a business 'gets' this distinction, the opportunities are boundless.

Great leaders grasp this distinction and are obsessed with their brand's performance (and pulling you into it). Before you even know it, you are rationalising the purchase of a $3 cup coffee, a $150 pair of cricket shoes, a $20,000 motorcycle, or a $500 phone. Why? Because you are a Starbucks kind of girl. You are a champion like Manan Khakhar. You are a rebel IT manager. You think different, that's why.

The present, bemused way of thinking, is a chimera: A brand is a promise and all we have to do is engage people with our communication and deliver on our that promise. Really? What precisely is Starbucks' brand promise? How about Nike's or Harley's? Surely you must know Apple's brand promise? Leadership brands don't make promises. They create belief through carefully and precisely crafted associations and experiences.

Starbucks wants you to believe you're special as you exchange pleasantries with their Barista. Nike wants you to believe you are a winner, as you proudly slip on your $150 cricket shoes. Harley wants you to believe you are a member of an exclusive club. And Apple? Well, let's just say Apple totally gets belief and the spirit of our times.

I am not saying that business is all about image, and that product and service attributes are irrelevant. In fact, it is just the opposite. From selecting organic eggs for my children, which tells me that I am a caring Dad, to driving an Audi, which tells me that I'm a successful one, today the substance of a brand is as important, if not more so, than the sizzle in creating resonant associations and the subsequent belief.

What I am saying is that your products, services, pricing, place of business, promotion, and people are all a means to an end. And that end is always belief. The question is, do you know how to create it?

By Tom Asacker, author, The Business of Belief: How the World's Best Marketers, Designers, Salespeople, Coaches, Fundraisers, Educators, Entrepreneurs and Other Leaders Get Us to Believe