There’s a big debate in marketing and copywriting…

Is it useful to ask customers what they want? Or can it be misleading?

In other words, is our research just a bunch of baloney?

I don’t think so, let me explain.

Truth is complex. Way more than we can imagine.

And our job as those who turn insights and data into strategy and persuasive words, is not to predict the future. But rather to point us in a direction that’s more accurate and useful than if we didn’t have any at all.

I like how Scott Adams puts it:

“Truth has two important dimensions: 1) accuracy, and 2) direction.”

Direction is what matters, and the best leaders know how important that is in persuasion.

Big bold claims make an impact because they point to a clear direction.

My research will never be 100% accurate. That would require an unlimited amount of time spent sweating through a massive amount of spreadsheets.

No one has unlimited time, so what do we do?

We at least get to a good enough point where we feel our direction might be the right one. And then we test it.

So next time you’re struggling and scratching your head after 14 hours of research with no end in sight – stop and breathe.

You’ve probably done enough. Time to move on and make a call.

Where have you been guilty of letting perfection and 100% accuracy lead you astray from figuring out the direction you need to take to start?

I’d love to know.

Quote and reflection of the day:

“We determine our own lives according to the meaning we give to those past experiences. Your life is not something that someone gives you, but something you choose yourself, and you are the one who decides how you live.”

• Ichiro Kishimi, The Courage to Be Disliked

Every single decision you take is both an indicator of your present circumstances and a predictor of your life’s trajectory. Pay attention.