April Dunford
Show Alternatives Before Proposing Solution
Inspired by April Dunford episode
April Dunford on building trust: Present the pros and cons of all options, not just yours. Works for buying software and bedtime negotiations.
April Dunford teaches this: when showing Help Scout to customers, explain shared inboxes (easy but limited) and help desk software (powerful but complicated) first. Only then introduce Help Scout as the middle path. Show you understand the tradeoffs.
This is how your kid negotiates bedtime now. They're not asking for 10pm. Too obvious. They're presenting you with a full market landscape analysis. "We could do early bedtime. Pro: I'm not a disaster tomorrow. Con: no Bluey time. Or late bedtime. Pro: more Bluey. Con: I'm feral at breakfast. What if we try medium bedtime?"
You're thinking, when did you learn strategic framing? And why does this feel more reasonable than when you just demanded midnight?
Because showing you've considered the alternatives builds trust. They're not just pushing their agenda. They're acknowledging your concerns exist. It's the same thing April does in sales. Present the landscape. Show the tradeoffs honestly. Then make your recommendation. Suddenly you're not the bad guy with arbitrary rules, you're a collaborator seeking optimal outcomes.
