Being passionate about your business is a good thing – right?

I know lots of people who are passionate about their business. It’s a good thing and no more than I would expect from the people I mix with, given that most of them have chosen to do what they do.

However, I am constantly puzzled by the need that many folk have to “tell”  me they are passionate about their business. Maybe you are one of them.

Telling me you’re passionate doesn’t do a thing for me.

Would you tell me you are funny in order to make me laugh or say that you’re sexy in the hope I might introduce you to a friend looking for a fling? Would you start a business conversation by telling me you’re honest?

No? I thought not. So why tell me you’re passionate about what you do?

Do you think by declaring your passion that I’m more likely to buy from you?

Here’s a newsflash. I’m not – and neither is anyone else.

Your customers don’t care how you feel about your business

Actually no-one cares how you feel about your business. Its just not relevant. You could be bored to death by it but if you supply what people want at the right price they’ll buy it.

I understand the whole thing about buying decisions being emotional ones but its the customer’s emotions that are in the equation not yours. How you or your product makes them feel is important but will your declaration for being passionate affect their emotions?

No – and here’s why:

This is from Jeremy Marchant  http://www.emotionalintelligenceatwork.com I’ve edited his words slightly for context.

Jeremy says: ” …  it is a mistake to believe that, if you tell me how you are feeling, that is a conversation at a feelings level, at the level of emotions. It’s not. It is a rational, “thinking” conversation.

A description of how passionate you are about what you do is not an emotional experience for the listener. It is a factual monologue, which will have the inevitable consequence of keeping them in their thinking mode, NOT getting them into their feelings – in other words it precisely does what you don’t want it to do!

The way out of this impasse is … to convey your passion by HOW you talk. How you are. “

In other words, its better to let people see and feel how passionate you are than to tell them!

Getting people to connect with you on an emotional level is the key to any transaction but simply telling them how you feel doesn’t work.

Don’t tell me – show me

If you want me to buy from you, stop telling me you are passionate and start demonstrating your conviction that you have the solution to my needs.

Businesses are driven by process not by emotion

There are millions of businesses that make money without anyone investing any emotion into them. In some ways, its better to be detached and make the right decisions logically that to be so emotionally involved that your judgement is clouded.

Passion is a great thing to have in your life but it doesn’t have to be invested in a business in order to make money. Of course,  for some people, the ideal situation is to turn your passion into a way to make a living but there are those who prefer to keep them separate. The important thing is to recognise that what works for you and what works for the business may not always be the same thing.

Written by Bonnie Cotier of Golden Dog

 (Bonnie tragically died in a cave diving accident in May 2011 – doing what she loved. I miss her a lot)

Ann Hawkins, of Cambridge-based The Inspired Group, began the year asking us to reflect on this age-old question on LinkedIn. The discussion that followed dragged me personally back to contemplating my high school civics lessons and university philosophy lectures as I probed my current state of successfulness. Click here for the LinkedIn discussion.

The discussion highlighted that there are two sides of “success”. One concept is the process of living a fulfilled life. The other is the concept of materialistic celebrity life. While the latter was acknowledged, the consensus remained in agreement with Aristotle’s argument as presented in his book of Nicomachean Ethics.

“Success is… peace of mind in knowing… that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming”

Lee Jackson

Aristotle calls eudaimonia, translated loosely as “success” or “happiness”, a proactive state of being. It has no final end but is comprised of a continuous string of ends, each building one on the other towards a better, higher good.

According to Aristotle, in order to attain success you must use your skills and knowledge to pursue certain objectives for the sake of a higher objective. To illustrate: one accomplishes a singular objective or goal such as going to the gym and working out. A higher objective would be to get into shape. The highest objective would be the commitment to live a healthy lifestyle. It is the active pursuit of the highest objective that attains success.

He states that once our basic needs are met, each of us actively attempts to live well in our own way. Americans consider this concept an absolute right. It is written in our Constitution that we have the right to the pursuit of Happiness.

“Every goal I have achieved has led me to the next – enjoying the last for just a brief moment.”

Bob Brotchie

Therein was the meat of the discussion. All of the participants have their basic needs met and therefore have the ability, freedom and opportunity to pursue success.

Each of us had developed an individual approach to determine or measure our successfulness. There was a consensus that freedom of choice is considered an essential ingredient to one’s sense of success. Also, for many, our opinion of our successfulness was based on our contributions to the wellbeing of others, either through the work we do or the choices we make. The discussion provided a broad range of attributes of successfulness in life and business to consider and weigh.

The value to me came from stopping for a moment at the beginning of a new year to take a satellite view of my current situation as I map out both my personal and business plans for 2011. It was a good exercise to see if the singular goals I was making on a daily basis were adding to my highest objectives of living a successful and fulfilled life.

Many thanks to Bonnie for this thought provoking summary!

What does success mean to you? Share your opinion below or explore Bonnie’s excellent blog and share your ideas on her Golden Dog blog here