March 19, 2008

The Curse of Knowledge

Authors Chip Heath and Dan Heath of “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” write that a side effect of being an expert is that we become increasingly fascinated with nuances and complexities of our work and that’s when we forget what it’s like for our clients who do not know what we know.

Here are a few ways the Curse of Knowledge can show up in your wellness business:

You study more and more about our modality instead of studying about how to communicate your expertise to your potential clients (lay people).

Your websites and marketing materials focus on your credentials, training and other “logical” stuff that is pretty boring and traps your readers in “thinking mode” versus taking action mode.

You find yourself trying to win clients over through logic. Things like your credentials, prophet and doom statistics and other factoids that your reader may already know, but doesn’t find compelling or feels overwhelming. Remember that logic makes people think, emotions make people act. Logic is surely necessary, but only as a way to back up the heart in your message.

You feel that the public “doesn’t get” what you do and therefore doesn’t want what you offer.

You freeze up when you sit down to write your website or newsletter because it feels like you have to “dumb down” your expertise for your clients and that feels uninspiring.

Here’s the greater truth about the wellness market.

Your potential clients are not inherently interested in wellness. They don’t get excited about the latest self-help book, nutrition study or how important leafy greens are like you and I do.

They become wellness groupies AFTER they finish your programs and workshops and have their first profound wellness experience.

But before they hire you, what they ARE interested in is in the IMPACT of your work.

For example eating kale doesn’t turn people on, but they would be willing to give it a try if you communicated how eating kale results in instant mental clarity. Now you’ve got their attention.

Communicate from the beginner’s mind.

Your potential clients need help with the following things, and this is where many wellness practitioners drop the ball.

1. They need support with the everyday ways they can become healthier

Make it simple and easy for them to incorporate your ideas. Anything complicated gets ignored. How do I get more vegetables in my diet without turning my life upside down? What do I eat when I’m hungry and its 2pm? What kind of soy milk actually tastes good? So lose the theories, keep it simple and share real, everyday solutions in your newsletter, workshops and blog to get noticed.

2. They need ongoing support and direction

Be willing to step up and give direction. Tell them which of your programs they need to take in order to get the results they want. Your potential clients do not have the support systems set up in their life to navigate the ups-n-downs of getting healthier. Without ongoing support and direction, your advice and a few sessions will be fruitless. So create programs, packages and be the environment they need to get results and be willing to strongly recommend a course of action.

3. They need your confidence and vision

Most people have tried one or more diets and failed. Most have tried to make changes in their personal life only to find themselves repeating the behaviors they want to be rid of. Understand that part of what they “buy” when they hire you and your services is your confidence and what you see is possible for them. They will need you to paint the picture of what’s possible over and over again. Sometimes people just need someone to believe in them. You can also do this with potential clients by sharing powerful success stories in your newsletter and workshops.

The Curse of Knowledge is a natural part of becoming an expert. However, sharing the impact of your work with a beginner’s mind will help you safely navigate the pitfalls of knowing too much.