When two candidates apply for the same position and are equally capable, trained and experienced, who gets the job?
What about two businesses that have similar products, with similar prices, and similar reviews, which do you pick?
If you think about it, it could be the one that acts like they want your business or the salesperson that went out of their way to be kind, or it’s as simple as they just smiled and asked for your business.
It’s really no surprise that we prefer to buy from companies that make us feel like we’re a welcome part of their community.
And who does get the job if the applicants are equal?
It’s the guy with a true passion for the business. A high level of excitement and enthusiasm. An understanding of what it takes to make a company succeed.
In today’s economy, we are in the position where the need is greater than ever for those who can… think.
Thinking work is different from the typical jobs of past. In the past, success could be measured in physical quantities: how much work is done, sold or produced.
In today’s economy, the measures of success are increasingly intangible. Think about it: Music devices and phones are more successful because they use fewer buttons. Restaurants beat the competition because they make it feel more like home. Shoe companies can thrive because they give away half the shoes you buy. Cars are made, marketed and sold in ways that were unthought-of 15 years ago.
We have to figure out who is going to understand the customer better, the manufacturing process better, and the marketing better.
Successful businesses have discovered that somebody who is passionate is normally motivated and driven to succeed while trying harder to find answers. They think up clever stuff on their own. They enjoy the business, the customers, and the industry so much that they’re always discovering new things or additional ways that the business could succeed.
Passionate people are better employees because they care more than dispassionate people. Passionate people care more than the average employee, they care more than the average applicant, and they might even care more than you.
If you look back to the past, this might be the very reason why you got passed over, turned down or just didn’t get the job. It could also be the reason a potential client didn’t buy from you or your team members.
If you truly want to succeed in this business climate, you need to do what you’re actually passionate about and think. Otherwise, you’re just unfairly stacking the deck in some other person or company’s favor.