Understand the Whys

Have you seen those DIRECTV commercials with Rob Lowe? Thanks to Comcast, you might not have the chance any more.

Lowe plays various awkward versions of himself while pointing out why DIRECTV is better than cable. My favorites are “Scrawny Arms Rob Lowe,” “Super Creepy Rob Lowe” and “Far Less Attractive Rob Lowe.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMfzh8Zfi5U

Turns out Comcast thought he was “Not Completely Truthful Rob Lowe.” The Better Business Bureau agreed that DIRECTV could not substantiate some of the ads’ claims and should discontinue the campaign.

At the same time, Comcast was ranked the least trusted company by United States consumers in the just released 2015 Temkin Trust Ratings.

The ratings are based on data from an online survey conducted in January 2015 of 10,000 US consumers. Respondents were asked to evaluate how much they trust 293 organizations across 20 industries on a 1 (“do not trust at all”) to 7 (“completely trust”) scale.

Supermarket chains earned the highest level of trust (H-E-B #1, Publix#4, Trader Joe’s #7). Some other “Top 20” companies include Amazon (#10), Lexus (#12), Apple (#14), Lowes and JetBlue (tied at #17).

Comcast comes in at 293, just ahead of Charter Communications, Coventry Health Care and Time Warner Cable.

TV service providers, wireless carriers and Internet service providers scored in the “poor” to “very poor” range.

I’m guessing the results aren’t surprising to you.

Why?

Exactly.

The companies we trust understand the Whys. Leaders of the trustworthy companies know why they are in business. Their purpose and values drive what they do and how they operate.

Equally important from a marketing perspective is understanding your customers’ why. Why do they buy from you? What do they want to feel? What problem are you solving? You need to continually learn from and about your customers so you can truly know what their why is.

Once you’ve answered the two Why questions, craft your story. Make it about them—your customers. Use client testimonials, case studies and success stories to show current and potential customers how you can truthfully solve their problems. Meet their needs when they do buy and thank them formally and informally.

You’ll gain their trust and their business.