Strategic Change Management in 1 or 2 steps?

During the Brand Strategy Conference presentations, discussions were centered around how to get an organization to understand branding, design thinking, or social media. One approach is to sell the overarching concept before selling-in the related strategic change associated with embracing it. This is what is referred to as a two-step sell. However, a more effective approach can be a one-step sell, where the strategic change is linked to things the organization already believes in and supports. This can be done to avoid telegraphing strategic change and creating unnecessary hurdles. The idea is to start with aspects of brand building where agreement to do something already exists rather than introducing an unfamiliar concept. This approach can be especially effective for small-minded organizations.