A parable about hiring thought leadership writers… Imagine buying and paying for a Range Rover, but ending up with a terrible car that is clunky and doesn’t even go where you want it to. It’s frustrating. Infuriating. What’s even more galling—people are expecting you to take them places. You then have to spend even more to have your car taken apart and put back together as a Bentley so you can get where you want to go reliably. And, incredibly, making the Bentley ends up costing less than your original purchase. You could have just spent less money on the Bentley to begin with. You didn’t even realize that a Bentley could be available at that price point.
I see this story with clients far more often than you’d imagine. They paid Range Rover prices for thought leadership content that doesn’t work and they can’t use. They come to me because their initial provider gave them some of the pieces, but the whole piece doesn’t go anywhere. Serious buyer’s remorse, and now they need help to get back on track. The thought leadership needs a complete tear-down and rebuild. Stakeholders are frustrated with the delays, but they don’t have the time, patience, or skill to get the project back on track. Sitting by the side of the road and watching competitive cars whizzing by…
The good news—it’s still possible to rebuild and get back on the road. I often enjoy being the magic mechanic, but I can’t help but notice that buying the right thing and doing it the right way the first time would be more rational.
