Marketing

Mar 29 2026

When Creating a Second Brand Helps and When It Dilutes

By Michael Lynch Brand Management, Branding & Identity, Business Strategy & Positioning

When Creating a Second Brand Helps and When It Dilutes Creating a second brand often feels like a strategic answer to a common question: How do we appeal to a different audience in a different category? While the logic seems sound on the surface: different audiences, tones, and price points—it…

Mar 29 2026

The Person in the Room Who Didn’t Introduce Themselves Is the One Who Abandoned the Deal

By Michael Lynch Conversion Optimization & Sales Psychology, Business Strategy & Positioning, Lead Generation & Demand Creation, Marketing Strategy & Growth

The Person in the Room Who Didn't Introduce Themselves Is the One Who Abandoned the Deal Here's a situation that just happened to one of our clients. They were in the final stages of talks with a potential client that went exceptionally well. The chemistry was right, the questions were…

Mar 22 2026

The Secret Role of Flaws in Building Trust

By Michael Lynch 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…

Mar 17 2026

The Expensive Gap Between What Brands Deliver and What They Communicate

The Dangerous Gap Between What Brands Deliver and What They Communicate

By Michael Lynch Branding & Identity, Business Strategy & Positioning, Thought Leadership & Authority Building

The Dangerous Gap Between What Brands Deliver and What They Communicate HP Field Notes | Highly Persuasive The most expensive problem in branding today isn't a bad logo or an outdated website. It's the gap between what a company actually delivers and what the brand communicates to the wider market.…

Feb 25 2026

Why Buyers Change Their Minds After Saying Yes

By Michael Lynch Business Strategy & Positioning, Conversion Optimization & Sales Psychology, Influence & Consumer Psychology

Why Buyers Change Their Minds After Saying Yes — And What the Reversal Is Actually Telling You DemandSignals™ - Business Intelligence for Leaders You know the story. A prospective client tells you they’re ready to move forward. You’ve already mapped out the kickoff and drafted the paperwork. Then, at the…

Feb 24 2026

How Partner Channels Dilute Brand Positioning Through Structural Damage

By Michael Lynch Business Strategy & Positioning, Conversion Optimization & Sales Psychology, Email & Retention Marketing

Why Partner Channels Dilute Brand Positioning — And What to Do Before the Damage Becomes Structural There is a special kind of brand positioning problem that only becomes visible after it's already expensive to fix. It doesn't announce itself. It accumulates quietly, through a series of commercially logical decisions that…

Feb 24 2026

Why ‘We’re Different Because of Our People’ Doesn’t Differentiate — And What Actually Does

By Michael Lynch Business Strategy & Positioning, Marketing Strategy & Growth, Pricing & Revenue Growth, Thought Leadership & Authority Building

Why 'We're Different Because of Our People' Doesn't Differentiate You — And What Actually Does HP DemandSignals™ | Highly Persuasive In 2018, a global management consultancy commissioned independent research into how procurement teams perceived the major firms in their competitive set. Their findings made internal waves quickly. When procurement directors…

Feb 17 2026

When a ‘Good Enough’ Brand Becomes Dangerous

By Michael Lynch Business Strategy & Positioning, Branding & Identity, Luxury & Premium Brand Strategy, Marketing Strategy & Growth, Thought Leadership & Authority Building

When a 'Good Enough' Brand Becomes Dangerous HP Field Notes | Highly Persuasive Nobody sets out to build a mediocre brand. What happens is more subtle than that. A company builds something credible — a professional website, a presentable sales deck, reasonable case studies, a logo that doesn't embarrass anyone…

Feb 15 2026

Why Margins Keep Shrinking Even When Business is Growing

By Michael Lynch Business Strategy & Positioning, Pricing & Revenue Growth

McKinsey's 2023 pricing study found that a 1% improvement in price realisation — simply holding your pricing a fraction more firmly — generated 8-11% improvements in operating profit for the average company. No new clients. No new products. No operational changes. Just better pricing outcomes on the work already being…

Oct 04 2025

Why Too Many Options Kill Momentum in High-Stakes B2B Sales

By Michael Lynch Influence & Consumer Psychology, Conversion Optimization & Sales Psychology, Marketing Strategy & Growth

More Options, Less Action: The Hidden Cost of Choice In most boardrooms, the default prescription for boosting conversion is to add more. More features. More pricing tiers. More “solutions tailored to your unique needs.” It’s dressed up in noble language—empowerment, flexibility, customer-centricity. After all, who doesn’t want to give their…