A good mission statement describes an organization’s purpose, customers, products or services, markets, philosophy, and basic technology. According to Vern McGinnis, a mis- sion statement should define what the organization is and what the organization aspires to be, be limited enough to exclude some ventures and broad enough to allow for creative growth, distinguish a given organization from all others, serve as a frame- work for evaluating both current and prospective activities, and be stated in terms sufficiently clear to be widely understood throughout the organization.
A good mission statement reflects the anticipations of customers. Rather than developing a product and then trying to find a market, the operating philosophy of organizations should be to identify customers’ needs and then provide a product or service to fulfill those needs.
Good mission statements identify the utility of a firm’s products to its customers. This is why AT&T’s mission statement focuses on communication rather than on telephones; it is why ExxonMobil’s mission statement focuses on energy rather than on oil and gas; it is why Union Pacific’s mission statement focuses on transportation rather than on railroads; it is why Universal Studios' mission statement focuses on entertainment rather than on movies. The following utility statements are relevant in developing a mission statement:
Do not offer me things.
Do not offer me clothes. Offer me attractive looks.
Do not offer me shoes. Offer me comfort for my feet and the pleasure of walking.
Do not offer me a house. Offer me security, comfort, and a place that is clean and happy.
Do not offer me books. Offer me hours of pleasure and the benefit of knowledge.
Do not offer me CDs. Offer me leisure and the sound of music.
Do not offer me tools. Offer me the benefits and the pleasure that come from making beautiful things.
Do not offer me furniture. Offer me comfort and the quietness of a cozy place.
Do not offer me things. Offer me ideas, emotions, ambience, feelings, and benefits. Please, do not offer me things.
A major reason for developing a business mission statement is to attract customers who give meaning to an organization. Hotel customers today want to use the Internet, so more and more hotels are providing Internet service. A classic description of the purpose of a business reveals the relative importance of customers in a statement of mission:
It is the customer who determines what a business is. It is the customer alone whose willingness to pay for a good or service converts economic resources into wealth and things into goods. What a business thinks it produces is not of first importance, especially not to the future of the business and to its success. What the customer thinks he/she is buying, what he/she considers value, is decisive—it determines what a business is, what it produces, and whether it will prosper. And what the customer buys and considers value is never a product. It is always utility, meaning what a product or service does for him or her. The customer is the foundation of a business and keeps it in existence.