Indifference vs inertia

The greatest tragedy of strategy is saying we're customer-first but then forgetting to do it with our own clients. We're obsessed with the right thing to do, “for the brand”. Or more to the point, why it matters “for the business”.

But in doing this, we forget that who we're selling to, first and foremost, is an individual. So what's in it for them? For their team? For their direct bosses?

It sounds crass, but without selling effectively to your first internal audience, you lose the game before it started. And part of it comes from selfish reasons, because that's just human nature.

Sure, ideal scenario is they do it for the wider cause. But this is like expecting people to switch to EVs only because it's good for the planet. Some will, most will do it for the tax benefits. But actually, what matters is that people do it.

Figuring out the right thing to do is job number 1, for sure. But job 1.5, shortly thereafter? It's motivating people to be interested in doing it. And then, job 1.75, is to get them committed to stick to it.

We're not just up against indifference. We're up against inertia.