Resolve Stakeholder Disagreement Through Better Briefing using Get Who To By
Congratulations, you’re in stakeholder hell. One person wants a Super Bowl ad on a shoestring budget, another wants a 50-page whitepaper for a TikTok audience, and you’re just trying to keep your sanity. The Get Who To By framework is the slap in the face your briefing process needs. It forces everyone to stop arguing over brand colors and start agreeing on how we’re actually going to move the needle without making a mess of things. It’s the only way to kill a bad idea before it becomes a 'collaborative' disaster.
The TL;DR
Stop the endless 'alignment' meetings that result in nothing. Use Get Who To By to pin down your target (GET), find the actual reason they aren't buying yet (WHO), give them a brain-dead simple message (TO), and build the bridge to get them there (BY). It’s strategy for people who actually want to ship something that works.
Why Get Who To By is Your Strategy's Reality Check
Stakeholders love to complicate things because it makes them feel important. This framework stops that nonsense in its tracks.
The Four Steps
GET
Who are we actually talking to?
Pick the smallest, most winnable group of people who can actually solve your problem. If your stakeholder says 'everyone,' tell them to come back when they've finished their coffee. Be specific - demographics are boring, mindset is everything.
WHO
What’s the actual friction or habit holding them back?
Find the behavior insight. What are they doing instead of buying your stuff? Why are they frustrated? If you don't know what's stopping them, you're just guessing.
TO
What is the one stupidly obvious thing we want them to do?
This is your message. It shouldn't be a paragraph. It should be a single, sharp thought that makes the next step unavoidable. If it needs a translator, it’s trash.
BY
How are we physically making them act?
This is the mechanism. Is it a tool? A discount? A specific piece of content? Don't say 'awareness.' Awareness doesn't pay the bills. Give them a bridge to cross.
Stakeholder Briefing Blunders
(The stuff that makes me want to quit)
- ×Defining the target as 'anyone with a pulse'
- ×Confusing a 'WHO' insight with a generic statistic
- ×Trying to squeeze three 'TO' messages into one ad
- ×Using 'BY: A 360-degree integrated campaign' as a mechanism (that's not a mechanism, that's a budget leak)
- ×Ignoring the audience's actual skepticism
- ×Writing a 'TO' message that sounds like a corporate mission statement
- ×Letting the loudest person in the room dictate the 'GET'
- ×Forgetting that people are busy and don't care about your brand
Avoid these, and you might actually get a campaign out the door without a nervous breakdown.
Real Examples
B2B SaaS Conflict
Product wants to list 50 features; Sales just wants leads. Use this to focus on the one feature that actually solves a pain point.
GET
Overworked HR managers at mid-sized firms.
WHO
They spend 4 hours a day manually entering payroll data and they're terrified of making a mistake that gets them sued.
TO
Automate your payroll in three clicks so you can finally go home at 5 PM.
BY
A 10-minute interactive demo that calculates their current 'error risk score.'
DTC Brand Pivot
The Founder wants to be 'lifestyle,' but the data shows people only buy during sales. This fixes the value prop.
GET
Budget-conscious fitness enthusiasts who buy generic supplements.
WHO
They suspect generic brands are sawdust but don't think 'premium' brands are worth the 3x price hike.
TO
Get lab-grade purity for the price of your morning coffee.
BY
A comparison chart showing our ingredients vs. the leading cheap brand, plus a first-order discount.
Internal Change Management
HR wants employees to use a new portal; employees think it's a waste of time.
GET
Skeptical middle managers.
WHO
They view every new internal tool as 'just one more thing' that adds 20 minutes to their Friday reporting.
TO
This tool replaces your three most hated spreadsheets.
BY
A 'one-click migration' service that moves their old data for them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my stakeholder insists on targeting 'everyone'?
Ask them if they have an infinite budget. When they say no, explain that targeting everyone is the fastest way to spend everything and reach no one.
Can I have two 'TO' messages if they're both important?
No. Pick one. If you have two messages, you have two different briefs. Go back to the start.
How do I find a 'WHO' insight if we have no data?
Talk to a customer. Or a salesperson. Stop looking at spreadsheets and start looking at the actual complaints in your support inbox.
Is 'social media' a valid 'BY'?
Only if you explain *what* is happening on social media to drive the action. 'Posting on Instagram' is a chore, not a mechanism.
What do I do if the stakeholders still can't agree?
Show them the GWTB framework. It’s hard to argue with logic when it’s laid out this simply. If they still fight, maybe it’s time to update your LinkedIn.
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