And It's Not What You Think...

I often hear people tell me: "You don't see an awful lot of businesses do inclusivity".

You're in for a treat, then.

I've been collecting nearly 50 resources of businesses that do inclusivity through and through.

It also tells the story of how much our customers' demographics have changed.

Can you guess your customers' #1 reason to buy product or engage with a service?

Their personal values.

In a recent Fast Company article written by Stephanie Mehta, she highlights consumers are putting "me over we".

Consumers are much more conscious of where they put their money. The article states an alarming fact that 3 out of 4 say their values have changed in the past 5 years, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic being the #1 reason for their shift.

It's clear to say that as a business, you have no choice but to also shift your mindset, priorities, structure and communication to deliver to customers' personal values.

So, where do you even begin?

1) Mindset

Do you love travelling? If you do, then, do you remember how excited you get about travelling?

Travelling kicks in your inner explorer. You're curious, you imagine the endless discoveries and you have the courage to experience a new world. The path can sometimes be challenging, but the destination is a huge accomplishment. Having this mindset helps you see the world through someone else's eyes. You build empathy and hands-on learning. Your senses are heightened. You simply can't wait to share all your travelling stories and the experiences you gained back to your friends or family.

Shift your team's mindset to a traveller's mindset:

• Choose a destination
• Imagine the possibilities
• Explore what you discover
• Share your stories

2) Priorities

• Set realistic and clear priorities
• Set tactics to action them
• Measure your progress

You might be overwhelmed with the number of priorities - a great number is 3.

3) Structure

With the 3 priorities you've clearly set, assess your growth under the following questions:

• What are the insights you've learned?
• Which actions have you taken on the insights?
• What results did you get from taking action on those insights?
• Are the results showing an increase or decrease?
• Which new customer segments have we not explored?

With this structure, it becomes an easier tool to action on the next step: Communicating with your teams or executives what you've learned about your customers and how it fits with internal priorities. Click this link to access the tool to help you structure your priorities.

4) Communication

This is a tricky one because people have various learning abilities: auditory, visual or kinesthetic. This also means you need to communicate with a mix of these abilities to tell your story.

Just like you would show photos (visual) or video (auditory/visual) or an object (visual/kinesthetic) from your trip to Rome while telling your story, apply the same principles to presenting customer insights with your teams or executives.

5) Story

Show, don't tell. What is it about stories that keeps us captivated? There are several storytelling methods and there's a structure to it.

The Hero's Journey is my favourite because it fits well with the traveller's mindset - the explorer on an adventure.

Next time you're watching a Netflix show, pay attention to The Hero's Journey.

Be the explorer on an adventure and bring people along the adventure:

From the call to adventure > to the challenges > to the transformation and the gift upon your return.

Champions, you can make the biggest impact in your business to meet your customers' personal values. Come back to this tl;dr as a refresher:

• Customers have put "me over we"
• Shift to a traveller's mindset
• Set 3 realistic and clear priorities
• Action your priorities with structure
• Present with a mix of learning abilities
• Bring people on The Hero's Journey

Talk soon!

Junie

P.S.: What's your advice on this content? Leave it in the comments and I'll make this better for you.