Selling Whys | Hance Zhang’s Blog

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I’ve been delving into the phenomenon known as Steve Jobs’ reality distortion field, trying to grasp how he pulled it off. This led me to an intriguing insight, partly inspired by a famous TED Talk by Simon Sinek.

Mediocre salespeople sell products—they make you buy a thing. Good salespeople sell a lifestyle—they make you buy into an idea. But the truly extraordinary, those who often become charismatic leaders, they sell visions—they sell the “why.”

I find it astonishing that most people don’t proactively think of the “why” in their own work. They complain about being treated like tools in a corporate machine, yet they willingly instrumentalize themselves. They’ve programmed their minds to function like a tool: receive input, produce the desired output, repeat. They don’t question why the work is being done, in what context it adds value, or whether there might be a better way. They clock in, complete the tasks assigned, submit their work, and do it all over again the next day. How can anyone be surprised when the corporate machine treats them like a tool if that’s the life they’ve chosen?

In our workplace, there’s a principle we call the 7/2/1 rule. It means that in an ideal business unit, 70% of the people are focused on the tasks handed to them—the what. Their role is to take the inputs and deliver quality outputs. 20% are tasked with figuring out the best way to accomplish those tasks—the how. And the remaining 10% engage in the strategic discussions, deciding what to do and why to do it—the why. In real-world practice, I find it’s more like a 85/10/5 division.

The brutal reality is that many people struggle to find a “why” in their work or life. This sense of meaninglessness is, in part, a byproduct of capitalism’s rise and the decline of religion. Yet, people need a “why.” And if you can be the person who identifies a compelling “why” and sells it to others, they’ll work tirelessly for it—and it won’t even be about the money.

This is where strong, influential leadership comes into play. It’s exactly what Jobs did when he convinced John Sculley to leave Pepsi for Apple: “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want a chance to change the world?” Apple’s vision—affordable, delicatedly designed personal computers—was a much stronger “why” than selling soda.

The world isn’t short of hardworking, intelligent, and well-trained people. But only a few possess the agility to adapt to the market change, the strategic vision to see ahead, and the charisma to sell those “whys” to both employees and customers.