The Safety Instinct

From an evolutionary perspective, humans are wired to avoid risk when possible. Uncertainty triggers anxiety. In business, making a decision – whether it’s which software to buy or which marketing plan to green-light – inherently carries risk. The risk of wasting money, the risk of failure, the risk of looking foolish. So what do decision-makers do? Often, they lean toward the option that feels most certain to succeed, even if another option has more theoretical upside.

There’s a famous saying in IT procurement from decades past: “No one ever got fired for choosing IBM.”silvervinesoftware.com IBM was the safe, established player. The saying highlights that decision-makers would rather go with a known quantity – even if it wasn’t the absolute best – because it was a predictable choice. Choosing IBM was unlikely to blow up in your face, and if it did, hey, it was IBM, everyone thought it was fine. The alternative, picking a lesser-known competitor, might have offered better tech or price but carried the fear of the unknown.

This “safe choice” bias is prevalent. It’s why big brands often keep winning enterprise contracts (clients trust that they’ll deliver, or at least not catastrophically fail). It’s why an executive might prefer a conservative plan with clear steps over an innovative strategy that has many assumptions. It’s not about which is strategically superior in a vacuum – it’s about which one lets the decision-maker sleep at night.

Certainty as a Product

If you’re selling something – be it a product, a service, or an idea – it helps to realize that part of what you must deliver is certainty. Or at least, the perception of certainty. It’s almost like an invisible feature that accompanies your offering: “with this, you’ll feel secure that you made the right choice.”

Consider two consultants pitching to a business owner. Consultant A presents a detailed 50-page strategy with a lot of sophisticated analysis and multiple scenarios. Consultant B presents a simple, clear plan with a handful of key steps and confidently says, “We will get you results, and here’s exactly how.” The business owner might intellectually respect A’s thorough strategy more, but they buy from B because B made them feel certain. Consultant B cut through the noise, gave a straight path, and exuded confidence and clarity.

This is not to say you should oversimplify complex matters or ignore nuances. It means when communicating, lead with certainty. Emphasize what you know and what you guarantee or strongly stand behind. Frame the strategy in terms of outcomes that matter to the client, and show unwavering confidence (backed by evidence or experience where possible).

Key point: People often choose the option that reduces their sense of risk. Your job is to show that choosing you (or your idea) is the least risky option – even, paradoxically, if it’s innovative. How? By demonstrating mastery, precedent (e.g., case studies, testimonials), or offering assurances.

The Certainty Gap in Startups

Founders face this when pitching to customers, and especially to investors. A startup by nature is new, unproven – i.e., uncertain. So investors often pass not because the idea is bad, but because the founder didn’t do enough to build certainty around execution or market adoption. The ones who raise money are often not those with objectively the best idea, but those who instill confidence that “this team will make it happen.” In investor terms, they’re betting on the jockey, not just the horse. The jockey (founder) needs to give the vibe: “I’ve got this under control; it’s a sure thing (as much as it can be).”

Similarly, early customers buying from a startup need extra certainty. They might think, “Why trust this young company over an established competitor?” If you, as the founder, can transfer your certainty to them – through a strong guarantee, an amazingly responsive service, personal credibility, or a pilot program that minimizes their risk – you remove barriers. They’re no longer just buying the product’s features; they’re buying the assurance that you’ll be there to support them and that if something goes wrong, you’ll make it right. That peace of mind is hugely valuable.

How to Sell Certainty

Regardless of context (product sales, consulting, internal ideas), here are practical ways to increase the certainty you offer:

• Simplify the Complex: Uncertainty often comes from confusion. If your proposal or product is complicated to understand, simplify your messaging. Provide a clear roadmap or use cases so the buyer isn’t uncertain about “how this will work for me.” When people see a straightforward path, they feel more certain moving forward.
  
  

• Provide Social Proof: Testimonials, case studies, or references can do wonders. When potential customers see that others like them have succeeded with your solution, it gives them certainty that it works as advertised. This is why reviews and star ratings are powerful in e-commerce – they reduce uncertainty about a purchase by leveraging others’ experiences.
  
  

• Guarantees and Trials: A guarantee (money-back, success guarantee, etc.) is literally selling certainty: “If this doesn’t do what I promise, you won’t lose out.” It flips the risk. Free trials or pilot programs similarly let the buyer test waters without full commitment, increasing their certainty that they’re making the right choice once they see it in action.

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• Overcommunication & Clarity: If you’re in a service business or a project, lay out exactly what will happen and when. Uncertainty often creeps in during the delivery phase if clients are left wondering about progress or next steps. By being proactively transparent and communicative, you keep their confidence high. They feel “it’s all going according to plan.”
  
  

• Confidence (without Arrogance): How you carry yourself matters immensely. People can feel whether you believe in your own product or plan. If you project confidence – through your voice, body language, and decisiveness in answering questions – it reassures others. Arrogance is taking confidence too far, ignoring valid concerns. But healthy confidence means you address concerns calmly and firmly, not getting flustered. Essentially, be the rock in the room. People will anchor to the most certain voice when they are uncertain themselves.
  
  

• Data and Evidence: When possible, back up your claims with data. Facts can counteract vague fears. If a client is unsure your marketing plan will work, show them statistics or past results from a similar scenario. If a customer is wary of your software’s reliability, share uptime numbers or a technical whitepaper. Evidence creates a feeling of solidity – “this isn’t just a guess; it’s grounded in reality.”
  
  

• Empathize with Their Fears: Instead of bulldozing over a client’s hesitations, articulate them for the client. For example, “You might be wondering what happens if X doesn’t pan out. That’s a fair concern. Here’s how we’ve mitigated that…” By voicing their unspoken worries, you show you get it and have thought it through, which builds trust. It turns you from a salesperson to a partner in their risk management.

Beware “Safe” Mediocrity

Now, an important caveat: while people naturally buy certainty, constantly choosing the safest option can also lead to mediocrity. There’s a balance to strike, especially as a strategist or innovator. If you just give people what makes them 100% comfortable, you might be serving up stale, ineffective solutions. The art is in making the new or bold idea feel certain enough to try.

This often means de-risking the bold idea. Break it into a pilot program (certainty: we’re not betting everything at once), or pair it with a familiar element (certainty: part of it we know well). For instance, if a marketing team is nervous about a totally new campaign strategy, you could propose A/B testing it against their current approach (so they have the safety of the old while exploring the new in a controlled way).

As a leader or consultant, sometimes you have to help clients take smart risks. You become their certainty anchor through uncertainty. Think of a great mountain guide: the climb is risky, but the guide’s expertise and calm make the climbers feel secure enough to proceed. They buy into the journey because they trust the guide. Similarly, your stakeholders might venture out of their comfort zone if they trust you to lead them safely.

So, selling certainty doesn’t mean always advocating for the conservative path. It means packaging the journey – even a daring one – in a way that those taking it feel equipped and assured.

The Cost of Uncertainty

It’s worth noting what happens when you don’t provide certainty. If a client or customer is left with unanswered questions, vague assurances, or too many options to pick from (analysis paralysis), they often default to no decision. No decision is the ultimate “safe” route – stick with the status quo or delay action. That can be deadly for a startup trying to close deals or a change-agent trying to implement a new strategy. Indecision is the enemy of progress.

To combat that, your engagement with the customer should actively remove reasons for them to hesitate. Always ask yourself: What would stop me from saying yes here? Then address those proactively.

• Are they worried about cost? Perhaps illustrate ROI or offer financing options.

• Worried about complexity? Show a clear implementation plan or training.

• Unsure about your credibility? Share success stories or credentials.

• Afraid of change? Share data on the cost of doing nothing, or how market trends demand a response.

By addressing these, you fill in the holes of uncertainty before the customer even fully voices them.

Internalising the Lesson

For founders and brand builders, “People buy certainty” is a mantra that can reshape your approach to sales, marketing, and leadership:

• When designing your product or service, think about how to make it feel reliable and supported, not just how powerful it is.
  
  

• When pitching, focus not just on the vision, but on the concrete steps and proof points that make that vision credible.
  
  

• When managing a team, recognize that your team members also crave certainty. During times of change, they look to leadership for clear direction (even if the honest answer is “we have uncertainties, but here’s how we’ll tackle them”).

In sum, remember that behind every business decision is a human being managing their fear of the unknown. If you can show them a path that feels sturdy under their feet, they’ll walk with you – even if it’s a path they initially hesitated to take.

Sell the certainty, deliver on the strategy. By doing so, you pave the road for bolder moves and innovative ideas to actually see the light of day. People want to be led to good outcomes, and they’ll choose the leader or solution that gives them the most confidence in that journey. Make that leader you and that solution yours.