capitalism

The burden of verification

Every transaction carries a hidden tax: the cost of proving it's safe to make. In a transactional relationship, that tax never goes away as every exchange has to be checked, justified, verified from scratch, because there's no history of trust to lean on. Relational capitalism on the other hand is what happens when that burden gets paid down over time, and trust becomes the discount rate.

There's transactional capitalism, where you maximise for the individual transaction, and there's relational capitalism, where you optimise for the lifetime discounted value of the relationship over time. I think shrewd companies move people from feeling transactional to feeling relational. Metaphorically, your customer is looking for a marriage, and the CFO is running an escort agency. The fundamental problem is that they look at the relationship in a much more transactional, much more short-term way.

I think lots of things that are long-term valuable in indeterminate ways, and don't lead directly to a transaction, get deemed worthless and that's the verification burden showing up again: if it can't be priced and proven in the moment, it doesn't count. What do you think?

From the fringes

Image c/o The Guardian

Sometimes a pause gives purpose the opportunity to find you as when people have a vested interest it stops them from speaking the truth. Sustainability by using less becomes a tricky conversation as this goes completely against capitalism. Although we might not like the answer, and change is always uncomfortable, it’s tough to argue that there’s even a contest. Great design and a joined-up user experience matters more than ever in our lives today. I think by bringing design thinking to the core by understanding your customer strategy will help you position potential solutions. Contact me via e-mail for 1:1 sparring and coaching sessions in 2023.