In our last post, we explored why most marketing is broken…
How focusing on the “promised land” of more money, viral posts, and unqualified prospects creates resistance instead of results.
Think about someone with chronic back pain.
They know exactly what would help them…
Physical therapy, better posture, strength training….
Their Facebook feed is full of solutions.
But they don’t take action.
This isn’t a knowledge gap or a solution gap—it’s an identity gap.
You may resonate with this because you’ve seen it in your own marketing. You may have felt the frustration of having an amazing solution that genuinely changes lives, yet you watch your prospects resist even when they admit they need it.
Today, we’re moving from understanding the problem to implementing the solution. No more guessing about what’s wrong. No more wondering why great solutions don’t sell.
No more cut-and-paste marketing. No more pushing only to get pushback. Instead, let’s explore the science of how people change, and how to build your marketing around that reality.
What you’re about to learn will completely shift how you think about marketing. And it’s going to change how your prospects experience your marketing. Because when you get this right, you never have to convince people to buy your product again.
Here’s the reality that most marketers miss entirely:
Your market isn’t one homogeneous group of people waiting to hear about your solution. At any given moment, your market is split into five distinct groups, each requiring a completely different approach.
Understanding these levels of awareness changes everything about how you communicate. More importantly, it explains why most marketing fails. You might be saying the right thing, but you’re saying it at the wrong time.
Let’s break down each level:
These people don’t even know they have the problem.
They’re completely oblivious.
They wake up in the morning and they’re not thinking about the problem. They’re not looking at the problem. They’re not talking about the problem. They don’t even experience the physical, emotional, or literal symptoms of that problem.
These people wake up every morning feeling pain, but they don’t understand why.
They know something’s wrong, they feel it viscerally, but they’re not sure what’s causing it.
They’re like someone who wakes up with back pain day after day— they feel the symptom, but they haven’t connected it to the root cause yet.
At this level, they’ve diagnosed the issue.
They know exactly what’s wrong.
They understand why they’re experiencing those symptoms. But—and this is crucial—they haven’t started seriously looking at solutions. They might even know solutions exist, but they’re not ready to act on them.
These people know about various ways to solve their problems (including yours)…
But they haven’t chosen one yet.
They’re in that comparison phase, looking at different options, but something’s holding them back from making a decision.
This small segment knows about your solution specifically and just needs an offer to buy.
They’re ready, willing, and able…
They just need you to present the right opportunity.
This isn’t theoretical. Your prospects are telling you exactly where they are. But most marketers are too busy trying to sell to listen.
Here’s what to look for:
They don’t even talk about the problem or anything related to it. They might even actively resist acknowledging it:
They talk endlessly about how they feel and what’s happening, but they can’t name the root cause:
They can articulate exactly what’s wrong, but they push back on solutions:
They’re actively comparing options (and prices):
They’re ready to buy and just need the right offer:
Now that you understand the stages of awareness and how to identify where your prospects are, you can stop guessing (and stop pushing solutions on people who aren’t ready for them).
The key to creating marketing that works? Meeting your prospects where they are, speaking to them in a language they understand, and guiding them through these stages of awareness until they’re ready to buy.
This is what transformation looks like—no pushing, no convincing, no resistance.
Remember: Understanding these awareness levels isn’t just about categorizing your prospects. It’s about creating marketing that resonates at the right time, in the right way, with the right message. When you align your marketing with your prospect’s level of awareness, you transform your approach from manipulative to magnetic.
Having a great solution isn’t enough when your prospects resist taking action. The problem isn’t your offer or how you explain it—it’s that your prospects haven’t become ready for change. Learn how to bridge the gap between knowing and doing by leading your audience through the transformation they need.
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