Marketing taught us to solve problems.
Nobody told us to sit with the tension first.
The most effective stakeholder conversations don't start with solutions.
They start with listening, not for the stated need, but for what is underneath it.
A program manager who says “we need more visibility” is sometimes really saying:
“I'm worried we're going to lose this contract and I don't know how to show our value.”
A BD director who says “just get us something for the proposal” is sometimes really saying: “I'm under pressure and I need to trust that you have this.”
Seth Godin has written about marketing as the act of making change happen and that change is emotional before it is rational. I think about that every time someone walks into a conversation asking for a deliverable when what they actually need is confidence.
Speaking to someone's emotion isn't manipulation. It's humanity.
And in GovCon and B2B, where the stakes are high and the relationships are long, it might be the most strategic thing you do. Listen past the ask. Solve for the fear.
— The Strat Desk