The Power of Swift Decision-Making in Business and Marketing
In business, the ability to make quick, high-accuracy decisions is one of the most valuable skills a leader can develop. Whether you’re a business owner, marketer, or executive, people look to you for direction—expecting you to have the answers, even in uncertain moments.
The reality is, waiting too long to decide is often worse than making the wrong decision. When faced with uncertainty, the best approach is to act swiftly, course correct if needed, and refine in real-time. This is how businesses stay competitive, how leaders inspire confidence, and how marketing campaigns remain effective in fast-moving environments.
Decisiveness and Adaptability: The Amazon Model
A company that embodies speed and adaptability better than almost any other is Amazon. From same-day shipping to instant customer service resolutions, everything Amazon does is built around immediacy and action. But their commitment to speed isn’t just external—it’s deeply embedded in their decision-making culture.
Jeff Bezos has famously advocated for a “disagree and commit” philosophy—where decisions are made quickly, even when not everyone is fully aligned, because delaying action costs more than the occasional wrong choice. Bezos believes that most decisions should be made with 70% of the information you wish you had. If you wait for 100%, you’re already too late.
This approach mirrors what Amazon does for customers:
• Need something fast? Amazon ships it overnight.
• Ordered the wrong item? Keep it—we’ll send you a new one.
• Want to cancel? Done instantly.
Amazon doesn’t waste time deliberating over whether the customer experience should be fast—it simply acts fast and fixes issues later.
In the same way, business leaders should make decisions swiftly and refine in real-time. Marketing strategies, sales outreach, and internal business moves should prioritize execution first and optimization second.
Speed in Marketing: Keeping Prospects Warm
Decisiveness isn’t just a broad business strategy—it’s also a powerful marketing principle. Consider the common scenario of a prospect asking for more information about your service during a meeting.
-
The prospect asks for details about your service.
You send the information immediately during the meeting or within minutes after.
The prospect feels valued, prioritized, and confident in your ability to execute.
They remain engaged and move quickly toward becoming a client.
-
The prospect asks for details about your service.
You wait a few days (or worse, weeks) to respond.
In that time, they lose interest, forget the urgency, or find another provider.
The prospect goes cold, making conversion much harder.
A hot prospect today can turn into a lost opportunity tomorrow—simply because the response was too slow. Your ability to execute in real-time is a direct reflection of your commitment to serving your customers. Speed builds trust, momentum, and conversions.
The Balance Between Speed and Precision
Making quick decisions does not mean reckless decision-making. Instead, it means:
Gathering enough information (not all information) before acting.
Trusting your experience and intuition while being open to adjustments.
Empowering your team to make decisions quickly and take ownership of execution.
Actionable Takeaways for Leaders
Make decisions with 70% of the information you’d like to have. Perfect information is a luxury—act before you have it all.
Prioritize action over perfection. Small mistakes can be corrected; lost time cannot.
Respond to prospects and customers instantly whenever possible. Speed builds trust.
Course correct in real-time. Be ready to adapt based on feedback and new data.
In the world of business and marketing, speed is a competitive advantage. If you can make decisions quickly, act on them confidently, and adjust as needed, you will always stay ahead of those who hesitate.
At the end of the day, a good decision made today is better than a perfect decision made too late.
