It’s true that people buy from companies they like. We feel an affinity with some brands and not others and our purchasing decisions reinforce our values. The Internet has given rise to a new kind of savvy, connected customer. She seeks out purpose driven brands whose ideals resonate with hers.

While it’s important to spend time working out why your business exists beyond profit making and how you create difference for your customers, it’s equally important to do the work of understanding your customer’s motivations, frustrations, values, hopes, dreams and desires.

How can you hope to sell something to someone if you don’t know who she is and how your purpose intersects with hers?

Image by Patrik Nygren.