Smart Doesn’t Stick

I’ve always been quick with a smart take.

Little flashes of clarity that make people stop for a second, maybe see the problem differently. They come from years of experience, patterns I’ve spotted, mistakes I’ve made, conversations I’ve had. Call them mini-epiphanies.

They matter. They open doors. But on their own, they don’t stick.

Hot takes vs. smart takes

That’s where I want to draw a distinction.

Hot takes are easy. They’re provocative for provocation’s sake. Designed to stir the pot, grab a headline, or rack up likes. They spread fast, but they don’t last. A spark that fizzles almost as soon as it flashes. Like I wrote in Don’t Accept the Defaults, they’re shortcuts designed to grab attention, not create clarity.

Smart takes are different. A smart take actually has to be…well…smart. It makes people stop, think, maybe even see the world differently. It sparks a conversation worth having. And in business, those conversations can open doors — to new customers, to new markets, even to industry transformation.

Think of a SaaS CEO on stage saying: “Software is no longer a product. It’s a service you renew every month.”

That one line won’t close a deal, but it might frame the next analyst conversation, spark an article, or set the tone for a hundred sales calls. It gets people leaning in. That’s the spark.

But even a line that sharp won’t stick unless there’s something behind it. Smart takes like this are useful because they set the conversation. They give people something to react to, rally around, or push against. That’s the work of leadership: to frame the conversations worth having — and then prove you can deliver.

What goes into a smart take

A real smart take isn’t random cleverness. It’s the synthesis of experience, instincts, and context. Somewhere in your head, there’s data, references, lessons from past mistakes, conversations with colleagues. It’s not neatly catalogued — it’s an amalgamation.

You couldn’t map every influence if you tried. Some you could point to — an article here, a customer story there — but not all. What you can do is synthesize what you know, apply it quickly, and frame it in a way that makes sense to the situation at hand.

That’s the real value. If you’re a successful founder, an advisor, or an operator, you’ve built a reputation on the strength of your perspective. You’ve developed instincts. You can spot patterns others can’t. You can offer a smart take when the moment calls for it. But even the sharpest take won’t carry the day without the receipts. That’s where the fuel comes in.

Spark to fuel

By the time buyers reach out, they’ve already done their homework. They’ve read reviews, checked analyst reports, talked to peers, maybe even run pilots. They come to the table with a somewhat informed opinion about what’s out there and what they think they need.

That means your job as a vendor is no longer to deliver education and smart takes. It’s to be a sensemaker. To help them translate their context and intent into a path toward a solution — and then into the actual solution itself.

As I wrote in Who Are Your Sensemakers?, leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room. It’s about creating a room where smarter thinking happens. And this is where smart takes run out of gas. They get you in the room. But once you’re there, buyers want clarity, not cleverness. They want to see how your story holds up against their reality. That’s when you need the backbone of evidence: proof points, case studies, benchmarks, and competitive insight that makes their choice feel obvious.

The shift that matters

A sharp line can open a door. A smart take can spark a conversation. But to keep people leaning in, you need more.

That’s the shift: from spark to fuel. From perspective to persuasion. From cleverness to clarity backed by proof. For top leaders, that shift is everything. Smart takes get you noticed. Evidence earns you belief. And belief is what actually moves decisions forward.

As I asked in What Cuts Through the Noise?, which signals actually stick? The ones that are clear, relevant, and backed by proof. Smart takes might spark attention, but they don’t stick without fuel.

Keeping the fire alive

Hot takes are noise. Smart takes are different — they carry real insight, those mini-epiphanies that make people stop and think. They can open doors and start conversations worth having.

But a smart take on its own won’t carry you very far. To be effective, it has to be followed with fuel: the data, the stories, the validation that prove it holds up in the real world.

As I wrote in Howling Dogs and Shiny Pennies, noise and sparkle distract. Hot takes do the same. Smart takes only become meaningful when paired with the substance that keeps them burning.

That’s the difference. Hot takes fade. Smart takes light the fire, but they don’t stick without fuel.

Smart doesn’t stick. Not without fuel. And that’s the part most people forget.

Berkson's Bits

Your customers keep a mental “will I renew” ledger.

Every workaround, every accommodation, every bit of friction gets tallied. It may be poor communication, repeated mistakes, missing features, or clunky UX — it all goes in the ledger.

When renewal comes around, the question isn’t “are you perfect?” It’s “is the value high enough to outweigh the workarounds?”

If yes, they’ll stay. If not, they’re a churn risk.

Want a clearer picture? Ask your customers what’s on their renewal ledger. The answers will be worth more than any survey score.

What I'm Listening To...

It's officially autumn in NYC, so here is Autumn, by Couch to get you in the mood. 

Smart takes are worth having. They can reframe a problem, spark a conversation, even shift a market. But on their own, they fade. What lasts is the follow-through — the data, the stories, the validation that prove you can deliver. That’s what sticks.

So the next time you drop a clever line, don’t stop there. Back it up. Because sparks don’t build belief. Proof does.

Smart doesn’t stick. Not without fuel.

Looking forward to continuing the conversation...

Alan