Many of us are trained to say the right things, but far fewer actually do them. Doing what’s right is difficult—it requires sacrificing resources, investing time, and often takes longer than expected. In contrast, saying the right things is easy, and people can be quickly trained to do it.
Perhaps this is why politicians fail to deliver on election promises, software solutions fall short of expectations, and products and services often disappoint.
The key lesson for us as consumers is that sales and delivery are two separate functions. Salespeople are rarely involved in service delivery, and if we don’t hold businesses accountable for what they promise, we will continue to receive subpar products and services.
