The Authentic Desire

I want to share two personal stories you might find useful.

Then at the end of this email there will be a huge marketing lesson for you. So wait for it… 

For years now, my amazing wife, Sophy, has had issues with her nose. We’ve bounced from doctor to doctor without much success. And then, not too long ago, we found a doctor that actually held the solution to her problem. 

Eureka! 

In fact, it was a very rudimentary situation for the doctor and he said so. 

I was intrigued because my wife has had such a hard time. So I asked him about it and he said “Oh, my own wife had the same problem. So I researched the issue to help her.”

Which takes me to my second story… and then the lesson at the end of the email (keep reading!)

Last year, Sophy and I were in Rome and sat in one of the best-rated gluten-free restaurants in the city. This was right after Oktoberfest in Munich, where we drank and ate a bunch of stuff I shouldn’t have. My gluten sensitivity was acting up, hence the gluten-free restaurant.

This restaurant was fantastic. Superb. As good as any pasta or pizza I’ve had anywhere else in Rome or the world for that matter. 

I met the restaurant’s owner. It turned out the restaurant was so good because the owner’s daughter had an extreme form of gluten intolerance. And so, with his daughter in heart and mind, he started the restaurant.

The outcome? Fantabalous food. 

So, what do both of these stories have in common? And what is your marketing lesson?

Both the doctor and the restaurant owner have what I call an “authentic desire”. They had a real life problem they wanted to solve for themselves or a loved one. 

Some of the greatest businesses in history have been built on the same foundation! Whether it’s Travis Kalanik who started Uber because he couldn’t find a cab one night. Or whether it’s Mark Zuckerberg starting Facebook because he wanted to pick up girls. 

Focus on an authentic desire and you can literally change history!