The best meetings are meetings of minds
Say Do is the brainchild of a dynamic collaboration between market researchers and business change strategists united by their passion for driving business growth through the pursuit of customer truths and improved sustainability.
Because the best lessons are the ones you can share
As market researchers and business change strategists, we have watched sustainability grow rapidly as an issue for businesses and consumers over the last decade. With ringside seats in boardrooms, sitting rooms and factory floors we have listened to senior executives, customers, employees and suppliers as they grapple with the growing pressures to sell, serve, make and buy more sustainably.
And we have learned A LOT.
We noticed that although the conversation around sustainability varies, depending on the business and market, it often ends the same way. When business leaders put sustainability in a silo, whether as a regulatory requirement, compliance matter or response to investor pressure, instead of incorporating it in their customer proposition, the result is headline aspiration, small print action.
At the same time, the vast majority of customers were telling us that they accept the need to live and shop more sustainably but are prevented from doing so either by feelings of remoteness from the cause, practical obstacles such as cost, time, lack of information, or by “green washing” and tokenistic initiatives that fail to wash. Result: as above.
It became clear to all of us that the businesses and customers failing to become more sustainable have something else in common too: they are not doing in practice what they are saying on paper or in surveys. In other words, they have fallen into the ‘say do gap’ and businesses, as well as the environment, are losing out as a result.
Because the best stories have happy endings
In the gap between aspiration and action, between PR and practice, we saw a missed opportunity for businesses to improve customer acquisition, strengthen their brand and improve financial performance. To seize that opportunity, we know that businesses need a deep understanding both of their customer needs and the operational drivers of commercial performance. More than this, they need a means to synthesise these two often conflicting world views, if businesses and their customers are to live happily ever after.
We are not the first to conclude that sustainability must be commercially beneficial for businesses to achieve meaningful change and future success. What sets us apart is our ability to create synergy between commercial and sustainability performance by working from both the inside and the outside of the business and by using a data driven process that makes change effective, realistic and manageable.
Because the best pioneers are the ones who have been there before
With a name like Say Do, it’s very important that we practice what we preach. 4D, the four-stage programme development strategy designed specifically for Say Do is pioneering in its approach but its tools and techniques are proven. Whether its key stakeholder interviews, competitor benchmarking, ROI modelling or training workshops, every element has been selected for its efficacy in application by our experts in market research and commercial operations.
Because the best decisions are confident ones
We believe in going the extra mile when it comes to doing our homework. By using proprietary in-depth research into consumer perceptions of sustainability, together with your own customer data, we learn what motivates and challenges your customers, generating clear priorities for change. We also use established ROI modelling tools to determine the profitability of potential initiatives and to support risk-assessed decision making.
Because the best plans are flexible
We have so much confidence in our approach that we want to see it in action on the ground. We know that, whatever the data says, reaction on the ground can be unpredictable, circumstances can change and markets evolve. This is why we don’t just leave you with a fixed route map. We work with you every step of the way, to deploy the programme throughout the business, assess reaction and evaluate progress. Regular monitoring enables us to refine the plan and ensure it continues to deliver intended outcomes.