Brand is your only lasting advantage.

Multi-breath explanations usually mean unclear strategy. If you can't say it in one breath, your customer can't repeat it.

Swap in buyer language, not internal capability words. Don't say "integrated solutions for digital transformation." Say "We help banks build brands that drive growth."

If you can't back up your claims with all three types of proof, you haven't earned a rebrand yet.

3 Outcomes: Quantifiable results from actual customers. Real metrics, not projections.

3 Stories: Narrative evidence showing transformation. Real customer journeys with specific details.

3 Artifacts: Tangible proof points prospects can see, touch, and experience. Case studies, testimonials, demos.

Busy = Reacting, optimizing, doing more of the same. Running more campaigns without a clear message. Adding features without clarifying the category.

Bold = Choosing, creating, doing what's hard but right. Saying no to good opportunities to focus on the right ones. Simplifying messaging even when it feels risky.

Busy creates exhaustion. Bold creates momentum.

Jargon creates distance. When you use words customers don't use, they feel talked at, not talked with.

Don't say: "Comprehensive financial solutions" / "Integrated suite of services" / "End-to-end digital transformation"

Say: "Help me save money" / "Make banking easier" / "Tools that actually work"

Test: Would your customer use this word in a casual conversation? If no, find a simpler alternative.

Perfection is a procrastination tool. Waiting for perfect means insights go stale, market opportunities pass, competitors move faster, teams lose momentum.

Your capture layer is not your performance layer. Raw thinking doesn't need to be polished to be valuable.

Ask: "Is this good enough to test or learn from?" If yes, ship it.

What you hope is true isn't the same as what is true. Score based on market evidence, customer feedback, and actual results.

When running diagnostics, the goal isn't to score well. It's to see clearly. Honest self-assessment beats comfortable delusion.

If you're scoring your own clarity, credibility, or execution, ask: "Would a customer confirm this?"

Banks, churches, and libraries are the three places people go for guidance — and three places that cause the most anxiety. Why? None of them are set up to ask curiosity-based questions.

Product questions sort people into buckets: "Business or personal?" / "Checking or savings?" / "Do you need a debit card?" They put the burden on the customer to already know what they need.

Curiosity-based questions discover aspirations: "What's going on in your life that brought you in today?" / "What are you hoping this account helps you do?"

Behind every account opening is an aspiration — like the nurse renovating her kitchen so her aging mom can move in, or the small business owner who's finally ready to hire local. You'll never hear those stories if you're sorting instead of discovering.