Unconventional B2B Strategy #7
Some companies build belief. Others build excuses.
In war, leaders don’t just give orders—they create belief, force momentum, and destroy distractions.
Robert Greene’s 7th Strategy of War states:
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Transform your war into a crusade … give your cause a sense of purpose and nobility. Unite your troops around a shared vision, fuel their enthusiasm, and remove any forces that create division or weakness.”The 33 Strategies of War
Here’s how to apply it to the B2B battlefield
Manipulate with Story
Your team doesn’t need a vision statement. No clients want cliche promises.
They want a story to help them justify working with you.
Loosely adapt Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey framework to pull this off in even the most boring business:
- ACKNOWLEDGE the client or employee’s ‘old world’
- CALL them (the Hero) to adventure into your ‘new world’
- SPOTLIGHT how crazy hard the journey will really be
- CREATE intense contrast between the two worlds to trigger action
- REMIND them why the struggle is worth it (emotional payoff)
- JOIN them during all the scary and hard parts
Storytelling is hard. Here are some pro tips to make it easier.
Study the modern greats. Anything by Dave Chapelle, Tupac, Pixar Shorts, Jordan Peele, Neil Gaiman, Ken Burns, Miyazaki, and Ira Glass – is worthy.
Put in repetitions anywhere and everywhere. Phone calls with Grandma. Christmas letters. Email newsletters <ahem>. Pitch decks.
Manufacture Momentum
Create momentum by chaining small, tangible wins together.
Celebrate every win. Credit all players. Move to next challenge. Rinse & repeat.
Rapid momentum also keeps the attention of clients/employees. They will binge-watch your crusade.
Re-Imagined Villard Perpetual Motion Machine
Purge Toxicity
Negativity spreads fast. A toxic employee, vendor – hell, even a big client – can poison your company.
Root out and destroy toxic people without hesitation.
Will it cost you money/reputation/stability? Maybe.
But battles are won by motivated armies.
So, what motivates more?
An asshole client that gets a ‘talking to’ from the CEO after screaming at staff?
… OR …
A CEO who fires an asshole client, knowing the VC that brought the deal, will lose their shit?
In this scenario, nuking a toxic client creates a story for your team to rally behind, which can accelerate momentum.If it blows up in your face? Well … welcome to war. Make your next crusade a comeback story.
Oh, and if you’re getting stuck in the war metaphor, think about the rap battle in 8-Mile. Underdog leaves trailer park (old world) for the studio (new world), dumps toxic girlfriend, shares the story in a rap battle, crowd goes wild … drop.
Have a ‘drama-free’ (or at least story-worthy) Thanksgiving.
Hell, if you get fed up with Turkey Turmoil, give these strategies a test drive. What’s the worst that can happen, ejecting your racist uncle or hippy half-sister from dinner in a cinematic style?
