The question everyone working in insight should think about

We insight folk generally want our audience to sit up and listen when we deliver disruptive insight – but more than that, we want them to act.

One of the biggest barriers to action is resistance to change. Changing the way we do things is inherently difficult for all sorts of reasons: notably stepping outside of one’s comfort zone, financial risk and potentially, personal sacrifice.

We rarely think about the impact of actioning our insight from this angle, but we should do so more often. For each stakeholder you want to think or behave differently as a result of your insight recommendations, try asking the following question:

“What’s in it for them?”

And then answer it as honestly as you can. The answer may vary from stakeholder to stakeholder. The most powerful antidote to risk aversion could be a financial projection of the available opportunity, but it could also be a case study or proof of concept from elsewhere. Your stakeholder may be excited by the idea of piloting something new for the business, or she may be scared. Discover what it is that will really motivate her.

Once you’re clear ‘what’s in it for them’ (or at least, your most ‘key’ stakeholder), there may still be barriers to action. Try to fathom what might be standing in the way of change, and consider what you can do to help overcome those obstacles.  Your stakeholder may be at a loss to know exactly how to implement change and measure the impact. For example, it’s all very well to tell her to focus on a particular segment, but how easily will she be able to target that segment if internal systems and processes revolve around an older segmentation? And if she has to spend time establishing new ways of working, will productivity be affected?

We’ve spent a lot of time helping clients embed and act on insight. We think insight professionals need to get deep into these questions at an early stage. And those working on the client-side in particular have a great opportunity to be instruments of change, if they do so.