Why “What You Do” Isn’t Why Education Leaders Buy
Why is Apple more innovative than everyone else?
They don’t have better engineers than Microsoft. They don’t have access to better components than Dell. They don’t have more money than Google.
Yet, they command a loyalty that borders on religious.
In 2009, Simon Sinek gave a TED Talk that explained this phenomenon. He called it "The Golden Circle."
Most education founders I talk to have seen the video. They nod along. They say, "Yes, start with why. I get it."
But then I look at their sales decks.
Slide 1: The Dashboard (The "What")
Slide 2: The AI Integration (The "How")
Slide 3: The Pricing (The "Transaction")
They understand the theory, but they aren't practicing the biology.
If you are an education founder with under $5M in revenue, you cannot afford to sell from the "Outside-In." You don't have the brand recognition to survive on features. You have to sell from the "Inside-Out."
Here is the deep dive on why biology dictates that your features are killing your deals—and how to fix it.
The Biology of the "No" (Why Logic Fails)
To understand why your pitch is getting ghosted, you have to understand the human brain. Sinek explains that the brain is organized into three layers that perfectly match the Golden Circle.
The Neocortex (The "What"): This is the outer section of our brain. It is responsible for rational, analytical thought and—crucially—language. When you give a Superintendent a list of features, you are speaking to their Neocortex. They can understand you. They can process the data. But the Neocortex does not control behavior.
The Limbic Brain (The "Why" and "How"): This is the middle two sections. It is responsible for all of our feelings, like trust and loyalty. It is also responsible for all human behavior and decision-making. But it has no capacity for language.
Here is the insight that changes everything for sales:
When you pitch features ("We have an AI dashboard"), you are talking to the Neocortex. The buyer understands you, but they feel nothing. They start comparing your dashboard to Pearson’s dashboard. You become a commodity.
When you pitch belief ("We believe that zip codes shouldn't determine literacy"), you are talking to the Limbic Brain. You are hitting the decision-making center directly.
Sinek famously said: "People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it."
This isn't just a slogan. It’s biology. We make decisions based on "gut feeling" (Limbic) and then we use facts (Neocortex) to justify them later.
If you don't win the Limbic brain first, your features don't matter.
The "Founder Advantage" (You Are The Why)
In the education market, this is even more critical.
If you are a giant publisher, you can sell on "What." You have the scale and the history.
But if you are a startup, school leaders are not buying your software.
They know startups are risky.
They know you might run out of cash.
They know the product might break.
So why do they buy? They buy you.
They are buying your judgment. They are buying your conviction. They are buying your "Why."
Most founders try to hide their story. You want to look "corporate" and "safe," so you scrub your personality from the pitch. That is a mistake. Your founder story—the reason you quit your job to solve this problem—is the only thing that separates you from the noise.
It is your proof of conviction. And conviction creates trust.
Case Study: From "Tutor" to "Partner" (Paul King)
Let’s look at a real-world example from inside the EdSales Elevation Experience.
Paul King runs a tutoring organization.
In the beginning, his messaging was "Outside-In" (focused on the What):
“We provide high-dosage tutoring for high school students.”
The Result: He was compared to every other tutoring vendor. He was a line item in a budget. He was chasing leads.
We worked with Paul to flip the script to "Inside-Out" (focused on the Why). He stopped trying to sell "tutoring" and started selling a specific belief about student potential in New York City.
His New Narrative:
The Why: "We believe that failing the Algebra 1 Regents exam shouldn't be the reason a NYC student drops out."
The How: "We use a 20-week accelerator model with small cohorts and confidence-building pedagogy."
The What: "A contracted vendor service for NYC High Schools."
The Result:
Paul wasn't just a vendor anymore; he was a partner in solving a crisis. Principals who "believed what he believed" regarding the Regents exam started finding him.
He didn't need to convince everyone. He just needed to find the principals who shared his belief system.
The "Belief" Filter
This brings us to the most uncomfortable part of Sinek’s philosophy: Exclusion.
Sinek argues that the goal is not to do business with everyone who needs what you have. The goal is to do business only with people who believe what you believe.
When you lead with "Why," you act as a filter.
Some Superintendents will hear your belief and say, "That's not for us." Good. You just saved 6 months of wasted meetings.
Others will hear it and say, "Finally. Someone who gets it." Great. That is a Perfect Client.
Clarity of belief repels the wrong buyers and attracts the right ones.
How to Rewrite Your Pitch (The Inside-Out Framework)
Stop starting your emails with "My name is X and I have a platform that does Y."
Try this structure instead:
1. The Why (The Injustice):
Start with the problem you refuse to accept.
Example: "We believe it is insane that teachers spend 40% of their time grading instead of teaching."
2. The How (The Differentiator):
Explain the philosophical approach you take to solve it.
Example: "That’s why we built a system that prioritizes 'Human-in-the-Loop' feedback over automated multiple choice."
3. The What (The Proof):
Now—and only now—talk about the product.
Example: "It’s an AI-assisted grading assistant used by 50 districts."
The Bottom Line
Martin Luther King Jr. gave the "I Have a Dream" speech, not the "I Have a Plan" speech.
The Wright Brothers didn't have the funding, but they had the belief that they could change the world, which attracted the team that built the plane.
In education sales, your features are just the cost of entry.
Your belief is the reason they sign the contract.
Stop convincing. Start inspiring.
— Josh
Want to hear the full breakdown?
I go deep into the Paul King case study and the tactical application of Sinek’s theory in this week’s episode.
