"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter."
Usually attributed to Churchill. Probably not his. Still quoted constantly, because it captures something people recognize.
There's a version of it in business, and it isn't about customers.
Customers aren't ignorant. They're just not thinking about you very much. They have complicated lives, limited attention, and no particular obligation to understand your positioning. They'll give your brand a few seconds and a rough impression, and that's the whole relationship as far as they're concerned.
That's not a failure on their part. It's the condition you operate in.
Which is exactly why the ignorance that actually matters sits on the other side of the table.
When a leadership team doesn't know why their best customers chose them, that's a choice they've made. When a board approves, or disapproves a strategy built on assumptions nobody has tested in two years, that's a choice too. When positioning gets softened, propositions get broadened, and prices get held — all without anyone asking whether the customer's reality has moved — that's not caution. It's operating blind and calling it prudence.
The customer is allowed to not think hard about your brand.
You're not.
So here's the version I'd offer:
"The best argument against your strategy session is a five-minute conversation with your ideal customer."
Most companies would learn more in those five minutes than in the two days that preceded them. That should be uncomfortable. It's meant to be.
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In 30-days, we'll give you a Relevance Diagnosis to expose you to the gaps that are costing you choice (and money).
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