 Appreciate the importance of business purpose  Identify the elements of business purpose  Appreciate the difference between customer and company view points  Establish the means to define business purpose  Application via case study

Just how important is whiteness?

? What business are these companies in... A cement distributor A car manufacturer An insurance company A railway company

To provide the WANTS customers Need To satisfy!

The customer seldom buys what a business thinks it sells him!

A Matter of Purpose … but do we know what customers buy? What we SELL matters to us!  Products  The things important to us  Differences with rivals  Functions, appearance, packaging, channels  Customer behaviour  Irrational  What is produced  The things important to us  What is communicated  The things we communicate are important to us  A single decision maker  We understand the impact of customers on purchase

A Matter of Purpose c ontinued … but do they know what we buy? What we BUY matters to us!  Products  Satisfaction  Differences with rivals  Different ways to get satisfaction  Customer behaviour  Understanding & respect  What is produced  What’s in it for my satisfaction  What is communicated  The satisfaction I want & need  A single decision maker  There are 2 of us; consumer & channel

Which is best one for me?

? If only we could see the...

Seeking the unexpected will help you find out what they will buy? Ask the questions that are never asked!  Who is the non-customer even though he is or (might be) in our market?  What else does he buy with his money and do with his time?  What do customers buy from others and what satisfactions are they offered?  What would really provide satisfaction in what we offer now and might offer?  What would cause customers to do without us and what insights does this offer?  What is the total evocative product make-up that matters most and determines what, if and when the customer buys  Who are our non-competitors and are there opportunities we don’t see or exploit

The Areas of Focus … and supply the satisfactions customers want What is our business – and what should it be! What is our business? Who is the customer? What is value to the customer? What will our business be ? And what should it be?

Some last thoughts The Purpose of a Business is to understand the customer and provide him with an offer that provides him with more satisfaction in a way that he can obtain more efficiently and better than anyone else can! Shouldn’t we agree that the CUSTOMER is the business and that our Business Purpose is about creating and satisfying one

How A Tour Operator Finally Got it Right! See the full case; The Case of a British Tour Operator

 What game was the tour operator really good at?  What prompted the change?  Who was the customer?  What unique strengths did it have to gain competitive advantage?  What was the company's game plan?  What three interdependent issue drive business purpose?  Are you able to improve your business definition?