The secret new business phenomenon everyone senses but no one can put their finger on.

The biggest lie business keeps telling itself: as long as we provide functional value, customers will stay with us. It’s not true and never will be. Here’s why.

We’ve encountered the same problem for almost every business we’ve worked with. Consumers openly admit the business sounds and looks good, but it doesn’t mean anything to them.

It’s not a case of how good the business is, or ‘good vs great.’ It’s a case of complete non-connection, taking the form of customer indifference. We’ve found the root of this mystery is just one thing: trust.

We gather consumer insights in a very particular way, a method we haven’t changed in years: the old fashioned technique of open human conversation.

What makes this game so brilliant? Here’s what we see…

A: The ability to detect insincerity is hardwired into the human brain, but we’re not foolproof.

Hardwired founder David Robertson tells the story of Immigrant’s Son Espresso, a coffee roasting business that took off despite starting in one of, if not the most saturated coffee markets in the world. The secret?

Why not just provide a good product and/or service for a reasonable price and be done with it?