Abraham Maslow, an American Psychologist, developed a landmark theory on human motivation.  Dubbed Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the theory describes the paradigm that controls human motivations.

In summary, people are motivated according to a hierarchy, which stretches from the most basic (psysiological needs/eating, breathing, etc.) to the most complex (self-actualization/morality, creativity, etc.).  Prior to focusing attention on future levels, one must first satisfy the needs at the lower levels.

Simply put, if you don’t have food, nothing else matters.

It’s interesting to apply the framework of the hierarchy of needs to business organizations.  Answering the basic question “what is most important to them?” is imperative to understand the needs and motivations of customers, as well as competitors and vendors.  This understanding will allow you to anticipate requests, and resist objections.

Depending on your age, you may remember the period of time after the introduction of the cellular phone.  While there were early adoptors, business operators did not immediately provide all of their salepeople with a mobile phone.  It was viewed as a luxury, not something vital to survival.

Obviously this has changed over time.

Where is managed video on the hierarchy of needs for business owners in the restaurant space?  Or the retail owner?  Hotel operator?  If it is seen by some as a luxury, this view is changing, based on impressive returns being generated by leading edge operators. 

Full industry adoption will occur when the absence of managed video is viewed as a distinct competitive disadvantage.  And this is starting to occur.