Most of us who train never believed it possible to do the things we now do. But we trusted the teacher who told us we could do it if we would just try. And the teacher was right.

jennifer lawler

In July of 2011 Seth Godin wrote a piece called the arrogance of willful ignorance. He suggested that “If you’re doing important work (and I’m hoping you are), then you owe it to your audience or your customers or your co-workers to learn everything you can.”

I would add that it is our responsibility to teach what we learn but to appreciate that our audience may not initially be receptive when we first start delivering our “curriculum”.

Lester Wunderman believed that the curriculum theory of data-based target marketing had a far greater potential than any other form of advertising.

Advertising is a form of teaching that leads to selling, and the best way to teach is with programmed strategy. Curriculum marketing converts “suspects” to “prospects,” prospects to customers, and customers to repeat buyers.”

Lester Wunderman

In 1980 Mr. Wunderman approached his friend, Dr. Hans Guggenheim, an anthropologist at MIT who was also an expert on learning theory and asked for his help in learning about learning.

Dr. Guggenheim explained that the teaching of any subject was based on a planned “curriculum”. The curriculum was designed y educators to teach an entire subject one fact at a time. It was divided into what educators called “chunks”, the amount of learning a person could absorb at one time. A curriculum was a planned learning program broken into “chunks” that were communicated, taught and reinforced one at a time, like putting together a string of beads. Each bead was different, but when strung together they made a necklace.

Wunderman then asked Guggenheim if he thought it possible to create a curriculum that could teach people to buy Ford cars.

This entire experience created what we now call education-based marketing.

As service professionals we need to remember that you will not be trusted immediately after your first ad, or first post, first blog or initial face to face visit with a potential customer.

We also need to keep in mind that even if someone wants to work with us they may not want to go ‘all in’…they may first want to test the waters.

Divide your service offerings into chunks and offer a fraction of your fully loaded menu. Once you gain trust on the small project, then your clients will e willing to take a greater risk is true.

Jennifer Lawler tells us that If you’re looking for a teacher or coach, begin with small things and if the teacher proves trustworthy in those small things, be willing to take greater risks and trust the teacher with more important and larger things.

About Giselle

Most costly decisions begin with a wrong read of the situation.

I’m Giselle Hudson — The Pre-Fixer. I help leaders see the real problem before they act, in my writing and in my work. I don’t fix; I pre-fix. Most advisers jump to solutions before they’ve found the real problem. I find it first — the part that isn’t fully visible yet. Once we see that clearly, everything else falls into place, and confident, right action can follow.

Through my daily Strategic Alignment Journal, I explore leadership, decision-making, and the patterns that shape organizations — helping leaders make sense of complexity before they commit significant time and money to the wrong thing.

What’s the one thing about your business that frustrates you most — the thing that, despite your best efforts, you can’t seem to resolve?