Lifting the knowledge curse

As a subject matter expert, you are cursed. Cursed with knowledge.

Wait. What? Isn’t knowledge a good thing?

Well, yes. And no. A friend of mine recently said: “If you know very little about a problem, the solution is always simple.” And he’s right.

Now, consider talking to a potential client about your services.

Potential clients will only acknowledge a problem when it’s causing them so much pain, they can no longer afford to ignore it.

You on the other hand, are cursed with knowledge. About the problem. And the solution.

You know what caused a similar problem at a competitor. You know about its impact. And you know all there is to know about your solutions.

This is great, except… it causes knowledge gaps.

When you speak to a client about your services…

• Your mind is full of knowledge.
• Only so much of that knowledge you can put into words.
• Time to actually say what you want to say is limited.
• And then, the client only understands half of what you said. Leaving them confused.

Marketing consultant Robert van Ossenbruggen turned this into a clear visual which he posted on LinkedIn.

Based on his post, let me give you few tips to bridge the knowledge gap and prevent confusion in a client meeting.

1. Before your meeting, think about the story you’d like to tell.
   
   Consider your client’s current perception of their challenge and your solution. What do they know? What do they feel? And what do they do?
   
   Now, think of the preferred outcome of your meeting. What would you like your client to know / feel / do, after they’ve heard your story?
   
2. Once you know, you can develop a clear and compelling story. One you can support with data, if need be.
   
   Make your client (or a person like them) the protagonist of the story. So they can relate. Describe the challenge in front of them and position your service as a solution.
   
   For this the Content Structure Canvas could be helpful.
   
3. Van Ossenbruggen also recommends to always ‘explain a bit more than you think is necessary’.
   
   Solid advice that helps prevent confusion. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with checking if your client understood what you just told them. Ask questions. Make it a conversation.
   
4. And finally, use simple language without being simplistic.
   
   Jargon is great as it allows you to transfer complex ideas in a few simple words. However, this only works if you and your client assign the same meaning to these words.
   
   In general, it’s smart to keep it simple. Which is something other than simplistic.
   
   After all, you and your client both know there’s nothing simplistic about their challenges, nor your solutions.

Keep in mind that if you know very little about a problem, the solution is always simple. Use this idea as a starting point for a fruitful client meeting.

Hope this helps!

Thank you for reading Nudge #038, sent to busy subject matter experts on December 10, 2024.