My friend Dougie runs a coffee bar near my office, in an area surrounded by other coffee shops and cafes. He faces very stiff competition, yet his establishment is always busy. People even have to queue to get their morning order and he only sells coffee and hot chocolate.
His coffee is no cheaper than his competitors and in measurable terms, not really any better. His service is no quicker than anyone else’s, in fact it might even be a little bit slower.
So why is Dougie’s coffee bar the most popular in the area? It’s not what Dougie does that makes the difference; it’s why he does it. You see, Dougie loves people. He makes a point of not only remembering his customer’s names, but their coffee orders as well. He has built a loyal following of people who have made a visit to Dougie, part of their morning routine. Many of these loyal followers (and I can speak from personal experience) would go out of their way to buy a coffee from Dougie.
If it was about “what” Dougie does, we would buy our coffee anywhere. We buy our coffee from Dougie because he constantly demonstrates his purity of purpose. It is never, ever, “all about price”.