Skip to main content
All Posts By

Michael Lynch

Michael is the founder and principal of Highly Persuasive, a brand strategy and positioning practice built on how buyers actually perceive, evaluate, shortlist, and decide. We help companies close the distance between how good they are and how easy they are to choose. Brand, strategy, positioning, messaging, identity & marketing systems for professional services firms, industrial companies, hospitality businesses, and any company growing faster than their brand has kept up with.

Mar 24 2026
Are Your Service Names Losing You Deals Before You Quote

Are Your Service Names Losing You Deals Before You Quote?

By Messaging & Communications, Business Strategy & Positioning, Pricing & Revenue Growth, Thought Leadership & Authority Building
Are Your Service Names Losing You Deals Before You Quote? The name of your service is the first pricing signal the buyer receives. Before the proposal lands. Before credentials are reviewed. Before a single conversation has happened. The moment a senior decision-maker sees "Environmental Testing Services" or "Customs Clearance" or…
Read More
Mar 22 2026
The Secret Role Of Flaws in Building Trust In Business

The Secret Role of Flaws in Building Trust

By Business Strategy & Positioning, Conversion Optimization & Sales Psychology, Influence & Consumer Psychology
The Secret Role of Flaws in Building Trust We're conditioned to chase perfection. Polished websites. Immaculate pitches. Five-star reviews stacked like trophies. But here's the strange truth: perfection doesn't persuade — it repels. When everything looks flawless, people don't lean in with admiration. They lean back with suspicion. "Too good…
Read More
Mar 21 2026
Why the Origin Story Is Your Most Underused Commercial Asset

Why the Origin Story Is Your Most Underused Commercial Asset

By Business Strategy & Positioning, Branding & Identity, Marketing Strategy & Growth, Messaging & Communications
Why the Origin Story Is Your Most Underused Commercial Asset Buyers in serious procurement aren't evaluating your capabilities. They already know you're capable — that's why you're on the shortlist. What they're actually trying to answer is a harder question: how will this firm behave when something goes wrong? Credentials…
Read More
Mar 20 2026
What Your Employees Are Broadcasting About Your Brand Right Now

What Your Employees Are Broadcasting About Your Brand Right Now

By Messaging & Communications, Branding & Identity, Business Strategy & Positioning
What Your Employees Are Broadcasting About Your Brand Right Now The brand conversation happening about your company right now is not the one on your website. It's happening at industry dinners, in LinkedIn comments, in offhand remarks between professionals who know each other, in the way a former employee describes…
Read More
Mar 20 2026
What's the Difference Between a Personal Brand & an Authority Position

What’s the Difference Between a Personal Brand & an Authority Position?

By Business Strategy & Positioning, Branding & Identity, Thought Leadership & Authority Building
What's the Difference Between a Personal Brand & an Authority Position? Most senior leaders who are told to build their personal brand are getting the wrong advice for the right reason. The instinct behind it is sound: visibility creates commercial opportunity. The diagnosis is correct. The prescription misses by enough to…
Read More
Mar 19 2026
Why Your Best Work Doesn't Generate More Referrals

Why The Best Work Doesn’t Always Generate More Referrals

By Conversion Optimization & Sales Psychology, Influence & Consumer Psychology, Lead Generation & Demand Creation
Why Your Best Work Doesn't Generate More Referrals DemandSignals™ | Highly Persuasive Texas A&M research on referred customers found they close at higher rates, churn less frequently, and produce 16–25% higher lifetime value than clients acquired through any other channel. Every firm in professional services, engineering, and specialist industrial work…
Read More
Mar 17 2026
Most Sales Decks Inform Instead of Persuade — Here's the Structural Difference

Most Sales Decks Inform Instead of Persuade — Here’s the Structural Difference

By Conversion Optimization & Sales Psychology, Lead Generation & Demand Creation, Thought Leadership & Authority Building, Uncategorized
Most Sales Decks Inform Instead of Persuade — Here's the Structural Difference DemandSignals | Highly Persuasive When was the last time you sat through a sales presentation and thought: "Wow. That was compelling. I don't care about price, I'm ready to get started right now!" Clearly, most sales decks don't…
Read More
Close Menu