958.Tire Makers. Map Makers. Taste Makers. How the Michelin Brothers Sold Trust, Not Just Tires.

The Michelin Brothers didn’t just sell tires—they sold a movement.

They built maps to encourage people to travel.
 They fueled behavior before they ever pitched a product.
 They created so much trust that people assumed the tires had to be just as good.

Eventually, they weren’t just guiding roads—they were defining culture.

From tires...
 To travel...
 To the world’s most trusted restaurant rating system.

This episode unpacks how you can sell more—by pushing less.
 How to influence behavior, build trust through usefulness, and create lasting impact.

📌 Stop selling the thing.
 📌 Start showing people where to go.
 📌 Be the mapmaker. Be the movement.

Transcript

0:00

alight 3, 2, 1. Let's get it. Lemme take you back to something I was listening to recently on Founder's podcast. If you have not subscribed to his podcast, man, I would tell you to do so, especially like if you're into biographies or how people think. It's a excellent, excellent podcast. And so one of the episodes I was listening to was about the Michelin brothers, like the tire guy, Michelin brothers. But what I realized in listening was these weren't just tire guys. They were movement guys. See, most people think Michelin just sold tires. They weren't selling tires. They were selling a movement. and I got to thinking about this sometimes in sales, we get so focused on the product that we're offering, like the pitch, the perfect close, the perfect script that we forget people don't wake up wanting your product. They want progress. They want possibility, they want a better version of themselves. And if your product just happens to help them get there, then that's where the real connection happens. Interestingly, the Michelin brothers knew this at the time, hardly anyone owned a car. If they don't own a car, then they don't need tires. But instead of the Michelin brothers thinking like, man, you know, there's no market for this and it's too small, and instead of bitching and complaining about that, they ended up flipping the script. The Michelin brothers gave away maps, but not just any maps. They created maps that were filled with restaurants worth visiting, roots worth driving and places worth seeing they realized if people travel more, they use their cars more, and if they use their cars more, they wear out their tires. So see, they sold the journey. They sold the motion. And the tires. The tires just sold themselves, and here's where it gets even better. These maps were so exceptional, so useful, so trusted, so well designed. That people start associating Michelin with reliability and expertise and that trust, it transferred. They said, man, if Michelin puts this much effort into a map and they just give it away, man, their tires must be solid too. And this is when the business exploded. See, that's your first lesson right there. Don't force the product. Fuel the behavior. Be the map maker. Meet people where they are, and ask them where they want to go, and then show 'em the clearest path to get there and stick with 'em. Because even when the map is clear, people are gonna take wrong turns. That's just part of it. Sometimes you gotta be wrong on the way to being right. But they'll learn. They'll build resolve. They'll find their own rhythm. They'll learn how to figure it out on their own. They'll learn how to use your map. And when they have a flat tire, emotionally flat, frustrated, overwhelmed, skeptical, getting beat down by their past decisions, thinking there's no use in even trying, you don't take it personal, you don't push harder. You're there to help them get back on the road. You're their guide, the steady hand, the one who reminds them of the direction that they want to go. Now here's the final layer to the story. Michelin went from tire makers to map makers to taste makers. They didn't stop at helping you get from point A to point B. They started rating restaurants that you may stop at along the way, and this is where the Michelin stars come from. I always wondered that. I'm like, how is Michelin tires associated? With Michelin restaurants. I had no idea the journey that took them to this place. It's crazy as hell. So a one star restaurant is considered a good stop. Two stars. It's worth a detour. Three stars. Oh, that's worth the whole journey itself. I mean, think about that for a second. These are tire manufacturers. Who now determine the best restaurants in the world? Why? Because the trust they earned through usefulness expanded into new territory. People thought if Michelin maps are that good and their tires are that dependable, I trust them to guide me anywhere, even through the world of fine dining. Yeah. That's what happens when you commit to service over selling. When you fuel the behavior, not just the sale, when you stay with people through the whole journey, not just the pit stop, this is where you earn your seat at the table. You earn the right to grow, to expand, to be respected in places that you weren't supposed to, quote unquote, supposed to dominate. Today, you're selling a product tomorrow, you're selling a whole freaking movement. Next year. Your name stands for excellence in any room that you walk into. So lemme ask you this. Are you pushing a product or do you see yourself fueling a movement? Are you pitching or are you creating a map for someone else's journey? You gotta sell the movement, fuel the momentum, and let the product take care of itself. All right, let's get outta here. Thanks for sharing today's episode. Remember, keep it simple, keep it moving. Never settle. Stay tough. Peace.