Why are so few organizations selling beneficial products at the base of the pyramid (BoP) successful? This is not simply a story of companies failing, and it is one with a dramatic consequence as low-income people do not benefit from products that can improve their way of life. Instead, they continue to drink unsafe water, cook on stoves that emit fumes that kill over 1 million people per year, light their homes with dangerous kerosene lamps, and fall ill from a mosquito bite. Based on a multiyear field research program conducted in 25 countries, we argue that having a specific mindset about BoP customers is consequential to an organization’s success. Many organizations start with the assumption that BoP customers lack money, knowledge, and jobs. By contrast, successful organizations start from the assumption that customers can and will pay if they are provided with a satisfactory solution to their needs and are reassured about the level of risk involved. We detail the different practices that follow from this mindset change in the areas of value proposition, communication, and distribution and show how these practices can make or break the organization’s financial sustainability.

为什么在金字塔底部 (BoP) 销售有益产品的组织如此之少？这不仅仅是一个公司失败的故事，而是一个具有戏剧性后果的故事，因为低收入人群无法从可以改善他们生活方式的产品中受益。相反，他们继续饮用不安全的水，在每年排放超过 100 万人的烟雾的炉子上做饭，用危险的煤油灯照亮他们的家，并因蚊虫叮咬而生病。根据在 25 个国家/地区进行的多年实地研究计划，我们认为对 BoP 客户具有特定的心态是组织成功的重要因素。许多组织首先假设 BoP 客户缺乏资金、知识和工作。相比之下，成功的组织首先假设客户能够并且愿意为他们的需求提供满意的解决方案并且对所涉及的风险水平感到放心。我们详细介绍了在价值主张、沟通和分配领域因这种心态变化而产生的不同做法，并展示了这些做法如何能够成就或破坏组织的财务可持续性。