In this page, we’ll share tips for crafting powerful and compelling mission and vision statements, and define why both are important for the success of your company. We’ve also compiled a list of some of the world’s best examples of vision and mission statements.
As a B2B marketing agency focused on accelerating growth, we’ve road-tested these tips to help our clients thrive.
No matter what industry your company is in, crafting clear language that describes your purpose is a transformative exercise. It will make a difference for your business — and we’ve seen the same techniques work for individuals in their careers and personal lives as well.
Contents
Here are the topics covered in this guide. You can click on any topic in this list to jump to that section.
Why B2B Mission and Vision Statements Matter
The Definitions and Purpose of Mission and Vision Statements
Clarifying Your Company’s Focus
What Do Your Vision and Mission Have to Do with Your
Brand?
Don’t Put It Off. Your Mission and Vision Statements are Mission Critical!
Your Guide to Crafting Powerful Mission and Vision Statements
Download our bonus “Mission + Vision Workbook” for free.
It’s full of simple, step-by-step exercises to guide you through the process of writing your mission and vision statements.
Why B2B Mission and Vision Statements Matter
Your mission and vision statements act as your compass and map to fulfilling your company’s potential.
What is your greatest goal? Maybe you want to…
Grow revenue or profit
- Increase ROI on your current resources and tactics
- Improve organizational alignment and culture
- Improve your message and differentiation
- Make a difference in the world
- Stay relevant
- Attract top talent
- Lead with purpose
- Live a more meaningful work life
Why does a vision statement and a mission statement matter when it comes to building your business, your brand and your bottom line?
Aren’t all mission and vision statements doomed to wind up a as bunch of forgotten, warm-and-fuzzy words on a dusty poster hanging in the break room?
If created with care, they are the key to living a fulfilled existence at work and building a powerful and lasting connection with both your team and your customers. If crafted with the right intention, vision and mission statements can help align your company’s efforts and focus its strengths on achieving big goals. After all, WORDS HAVE POWER.
Words have power. What is your mission and vision?
These statements do not simply restate what you do and how big you want to be, but answer the deeper question of “why do we care?” and “what do we stand for?”
Choosing the right words will send a positive ripple through your organization on every level. Your mission and vision are at the core of your values and the foundation of your company culture. What does that mean for the health of your organization? Here are a few insights from industry leaders to get you thinking.
From a leadership standpoint:
According to Dharmesh Shah, HubSpot cofounder, “Culture helps make a large body of small decisions quicker — and a small body of large decisions easier.”
Crafting your mission and vision statements is an investment in the health of your company.
From a financial and growth standpoint:
In the words of Dina Dwyer-Owens, author of Values Inc., “The bottom line (and a profitable one too) is that a company that lives and leads with values will always outperform, outshine, outdo and outlive competitors who leave ethics at the back door. … The Dwyer Group Code of Values brought real value to our company and our culture as we became a $1 billion annual business systemwide.”
From a sales standpoint:
Adam Harless, head of sales operations at Prezi, notes: “Our mission and product really resonate with those sales teams that are trying to find new ways to reach potential clients and leave a lasting impression on them.”
From a marketing standpoint:
According to our own Blender CEO Dacia Coffey, “We’ve seen time after time how B2B companies that get this right make better budgeting decisions, keep their messaging on point and resonant with their audience, attract better talent, and open up lines of internal communication leading to increased revenue.”
From a team standpoint:
Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, is well-known for stating: “It goes without saying that no company, small or large, can win over the long run without energized employees who believe in the mission and understand how to achieve it.”
The Definitions and Purpose of Mission and Vision Statements
After years of consulting and workshops helping clients maximize their effectiveness and growth, these definitions are the formula that we have found to be most impactful.
Vision statement definition:
A vision statement is a declaration of an organization’s overarching objective or goal. We refer to it as the DREAMING piece — if everything goes right, it is how your organization will change the world.
Mission statement definition:
A mission statement is a formal summary of values of an organization. We call it the DOING piece — it describes how you act as a servant leader. It proclaims who you serve, what you serve and how you do it every day.
Your vision should be big, exciting and compelling.
Your vision statement should be an audacious dream of a future reality based on the work you do. It should be bursting at the seams with possibility. It’s where “begin with the end in mind” becomes real. It’s the heart and DNA of your organization. Your vision should be so big that it feels nearly impossible. Your vision should require people to dream.
Your mission covers the who, what and how.
A well-crafted mission statement answers what you do, who benefits from this and how you do it. Depending on the particular organizational structure, the mission statement of a company can be broken down into its different divisions. All in all, the purpose is to help you stay focused on the activities of today that further your dreams of tomorrow.
Your mission should help to define the transformation you provide for your customers. It should never be “all about the money.” As Peter Drucker states: “The mission statement has to express the contribution the enterprise plans to make to society, to economy, to the customer.” Furthermore, “Mission statements that express the purpose of the enterprise in financial terms fail inevitably to create the cohesion, the dedication, the vision of the people who have to do the work so as to realize the enterprise’s goal.”
Vision = Someday
Mission = Every Day
To get started, download our bonus “Mission + Vision Workbook” for free.
It’s full of step-by-step exercises on crafting your mission and vision statements.
How do these fit together in the real world?
Consider Zappos.
The vision of Zappos.com, is “delivering happiness to customers, employees, and vendors.”
And their mission statement is to “provide the best customer service possible. Deliver WOW through service.” (No wonder it is referred to by Zappos employees as their “WOW Philosophy”.)
Here’s our own version at The Marketing Blender.
Our vision is a business world full of connection, meaning and prosperity for all.
Our mission is to be experts in sales and marketing alignment and masters of message. We strive to destroy the apathy that sucks the life out of the business world by daring to ignite the mind, inspire the spirit and penetrate the heart during business hours, every single day.
See more examples of vision statements
See more examples of mission statements
Clarifying Your Company’s Focus
This is where the rubber meets the road. Your vision statement paints a successful future for all to see. The mission statement is the path you will follow to get there. One is the dreaming, the other the doing. Both are critical.
Your company vision should synthesize all the possibilities into a specific and powerful point of clarity.
The more clearly you can articulate your primary purpose, the less time and resources you’ll waste later trying to fix poor communication and unwanted cultural behaviors. Your employees and your customers will know that they are part of something bigger and why they should care.
Your mission statement helps your entire team know what it looks like to give your best each day. It focuses on the people you serve and reminds everyone that influence and success happen every day, not just in some rosy, far-off future. It should also help individuals tap into the intrinsic motivation that gives real meaning to their work.
From a practical standpoint, you should be able to bounce your opportunities and ideas against these statements to determine if your decisions will take you in the right direction.
Developing these statements is especially important for any business in the seed phase. They will not only guide your decisions but also accelerate your growth. Creating these statements is not rocket science; stay focused on your ultimate goals!
You must write down and share these statements, because unleashing your potential through your work is imperative. There is power in the words you use to shape your days, your life and your company.
Never underestimate the impact of your DREAMing and DOing. Your mission and vision matter…
Your business gives you the opportunity to apply your strengths and gifts to bless the world in unique and powerful ways. Don’t back away from the challenge.
What Do Your Vision and Mission Have to Do with Your Brand?
Your brand is not your logo. It is your truth. And your vision and mission ensure that your truth has teeth. In the B2B sector, with its long sales cycles and multiple decision-makers, making a strong impression has never been more important.
What is your identity? Your purpose? Your reputation? A brand that is founded on a powerful vision and lived every day through an authentic mission has the invaluable advantage of being consistent. And consistency amplifies your brand and earns trust. Every touch. Every time.
Vision + Action = Brand. Craft powerful mission and vision statements…
Don’t put it off. Your mission and vision statements are mission critical!
Run your business and your life in harmony. Leadership should mean having the power and responsibility to forge the life of your dreams. But all too often, this doesn’t happen. We get consumed or distracted. Having powerful mission and vision statements gives us focus.
In fact, leadership can take a toll. 77% of C-level executives and entrepreneurs say they have not achieved their dreams for their companies and their lives. 60% also say they are generally unhappy with how their business is going.
If this is going on at the top, you’re right to assume it’s trickling down to the team as well. According to a 2015 Gallup poll, only 32% of employees are engaged with their jobs. Half are not engaged, and 17% are “actively disengaged.” This is showing up as billions in lost revenue due to employee turnover.
On the other hand, employees who are fully on board with your organization’s mission and vision go above and beyond to make your company a success. According to the Dale Carnegie Institute, companies with engaged employees outperform those without — by 202%!
Can you imagine running an organization that is filled with engaged, empowered, high-performing employees? Would that help you achieve your dreams and bring you daily joy to see how your business is thriving? If so, it’s time to get serious about defining your vision and mission.
Your Guide to Crafting Powerful Mission and Vision Statements
So how do you start? Our workbook shows you step by step how to create unique and powerful mission and vision statements for your organization.
Need more help?
Developing your mission and vision can be challenging work, because it forces you to take an honest look at your current culture compared to your ideal state. Too often, we cannot see our own organizational nuances or blind spots, because we are a part of them.
Bringing in a consultant to act as a guide leads to statements that are not just words framed on a wall, but a call to arms that will help you take effective action every day to bring your dreams into reality.
As a B2B agency focused on accelerating growth, we’ve helped our clients get to the core of their truth and craft it into compelling mission and vision statements. Statements that have helped them transform their B2B marketing strategies and their business. Let’s discuss how we can help you.
Vision Statement Examples (A to Z)
Get inspiration from some of the best examples of corporate vision statements.
ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION:
Our Vision is a world without Alzheimer’s disease.
AMAZON:
Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.
AVON:
To be the company that best understands and satisfies the product, service and self-fulfillment needs of women – globally.
CATERPILLAR:
Our vision is a world in which all people’s basic needs — such as shelter, clean water, sanitation, food and reliable power — are fulfilled in an environmentally sustainable way and a company that improves the quality of the environment and the communities where we live and work.
CHARLES SCHWAB:
Helping investors help themselves.
COLD STONE CREAMERY:
The ultimate ice cream experience.
DISNEY:
To make people happy.
FACEBOOK:
To give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.
FORD:
People working together as a lean, global enterprise to make people’s lives better through automotive and mobility leadership
GIRO SPORT DESIGN:
To make sure that riding is the best part of a great life.
GOOGLE:
To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
HARLEY-DAVIDSON:
To fulfill dreams through the experiences of motorcycling.
HUBSPOT:
To make the world Inbound. We want to transform how organizations attract, engage and delight their customers.
IKEA:
Our vision is to create a better everyday life for many people.
INSTAGRAM:
Capture and Share the World’s Moments.
INTUIT:
To revolutionize the way people do financial work.
LIFE IS GOOD:
Spreading the power of optimism.
MICROSOFT:
Empower people through great software anytime, anyplace, and on any device.
NIKE:
To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. *If you have a body, you are an athlete.
NORFOLK SOUTHERN:
Be the safest, most customer-focused and successful transportation company in the world.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN:
To be the most trusted provider of systems and technologies that ensure the security and freedom of our nation and its allies.
RESTON ASSOCIATION:
Leading the model community where all can live, work and play.
SONY:
To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity.
TESLA:
To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
ZAPPOS:
Our vision is delivering happiness to customers, employees and vendors.
Mission Statement Examples (A to Z)
Here are some of the best examples of company mission statements. Use them to guide your efforts.
ADVANCE AUTO PARTS:
It is the Mission of Advance Auto Parts to provide personal vehicle owners and enthusiasts with the vehicle-related products and knowledge that fulfill their wants and needs at the right price. Our friendly, knowledgeable and professional staff will help inspire, educate and problem-solve for our customers.
CAMPAIGN MONITOR:
We deliver technology that solves complex problems in a beautifully uncomplicated way.
CATERPILLAR:
Our mission is to enable economic growth through infrastructure and energy development, and to provide solutions that support communities and protect the planet.
CVS:
We will be the easiest pharmacy retailer for customers to use.
DATADOG:
The DataDog team is on a mission to bring sanity to IT Management.
DEVON ENERGY:
Devon Energy is a result oriented oil and gas company that builds value for its shareholder through its employees by creating an atmosphere of optimism, teamwork, creativity, resourcefulness and by dealing with everyone in an open and ethical manner.
ERIE INSURANCE:
To provide our policyholders with as near perfect protection, as near perfect service as is humanly possible and to do so at the lowest possible cost.
GITLAB:
Change all creative work from read-only to read-write so that everyone can contribute.
IKEA:
To create a better everyday life for many people. Our business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.
INVISION:
We help companies of all sizes unlock the power of design-driven product development. InVision gives teams the freedom to design, review and user-test products — all without a single line of code.
MICROSOFT:
To help people around the world realize their full potential.
MYMOID:
We provide the most innovative digital payments solutions that increase your customers’ loyalty and connect them with your brand. We are not a company. We are an experience.
NATUREAIR:
To offer travelers a reliable, innovative and fun airline to travel in Central America.
ORACLE:
We help you simplify your IT environment so that you can free up money, time and resources to invest in innovation. We do this by providing a comprehensive and fully integrated stack of cloud applications, platform services and engineered systems.
PATAGONIA:
Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
PREZI:
We’re a presentation resource, on a mission to reinvent how people share knowledge, tell stories and inspire their audiences to act.
SHOPKEEP:
To rescue independent business owners from the nightmare of archaic POS, and replace it with something beautiful, simple and affordable.
STARBUCKS:
To inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.
TARGET:
Our mission is to make Target your preferred shopping destination in all channels by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and exceptional guest experiences by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less. Brand Promise.
UBER:
Make transportation as reliable as running water, everywhere, for everyone.
WEWORK:
Create a world where people work to make a life, not just a living.
ZAPPOS:
To provide the best customer service possible. Deliver “WOW” through service
ZENEFITS:
To make entrepreneurship easier and more accessible to everyone, and to make it as easy as humanly possible for businesses to manage and care for their employees.
Feeling inspired to craft your own? Download our bonus “Mission + Vision Workbook” for free.
It’s full of simple, step-by-step exercises to guide you through the process of writing your mission and vision statements.
