I love your perspective, and your earlier note makes a lot more sense to me now. Thanks for this great piece.
One thing did sting though: "If it’s free or simple, we subconsciously assume it’s not as valuable as the thing that costs more or takes longer." This is spot on!
What I’ve observed, though, is that this bias goes beyond subconscious—it sometimes feels deliberate. There’s a kind of sophistication signaling that happens inside organizations, where the goal isn’t to impress clients, but to impress colleagues (or dismiss them).
Suggesting a free tool that works can be seen as naïve or low-status, while proposing something more complex, expensive, third-party-integrated, and difficult to implement becomes a badge of thought leadership. Sometimes all of the above in one move!
I love your perspective, and your earlier note makes a lot more sense to me now. Thanks for this great piece.
One thing did sting though: "If it’s free or simple, we subconsciously assume it’s not as valuable as the thing that costs more or takes longer." This is spot on!
What I’ve observed, though, is that this bias goes beyond subconscious—it sometimes feels deliberate. There’s a kind of sophistication signaling that happens inside organizations, where the goal isn’t to impress clients, but to impress colleagues (or dismiss them).
Suggesting a free tool that works can be seen as naïve or low-status, while proposing something more complex, expensive, third-party-integrated, and difficult to implement becomes a badge of thought leadership. Sometimes all of the above in one move!
Have you noticed this in your experience?