The Three-Layer Problem
When You Know All Three Layers, You Don’t Compete—You Connect
In his 1989 book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People," the phrase “Begin with the end in mind” was Habit #2 in Stephen Covey’s framework for personal and professional effectiveness. His idea was to clarify your long-term goals and values before taking action, ensuring your efforts align with your desired outcomes.
You know the end you want. Click here. Schedule a meeting. Watch a demo. Buy now. But remember, Covey said to START with the end in mind. Getting there requires more than just some clever slogans, advertising copy, and a catchy graphic or thumbnail.
When discussing the importance of storytelling in marketing, we focus on the main character (the prospect or client) and their problem. However, to craft a message that resonates, we must analyze how they perceive and express their problem through three distinct psychological thought processes.
Three steps to emotional understanding
We begin with their externalization. What do they tell their friends or closest coworkers about the problem they are trying to solve? This provides a look at the surface level, where they handle the issue daily. We need to clearly understand level one before moving on to level two – what they feel internally.
The internal debate, as you might expect, is more intense. It’s where thinking, worrying, and anxiety take place. This is where worry truly begins. What are the real-world consequences of the challenge, and how will it affect the business, employees, shareholders, and other groups? Internal thinking is usually centered on operations and mechanics. To your client, it can be overwhelming.
Here's an example. Customer complaints are rising about the slow service at a local coffee shop. The internal dialogue centers around how to improve the process. Should we retrain the baristas to be faster? Can we reorganize the workflow behind the counter? Do we need to upgrade the espresso machines? Should we add another register to reduce the line? The focus is on efficiency, systems, and logistics. It is tactical and short-term. It is also the key to opening the first door to crafting a message that will grab their attention.
Finally, we examine how they perceive the problem philosophically. These thoughts often focus on larger themes and are crucial for developing messaging that your client will respond to. Using our coffee shop example, the question might be, “what do we want customers to feel, and why does this place exist? Are we a fast coffee spot or a neighborhood gathering place? Is speed more important than connection and quality? Do our customers value warmth and community over quick service? Are we addressing the right problem, or just chasing symptoms?"
As you can see, it differs greatly from the internal self-dialog. This approach broadens the perspective to include values, identity, and long-term purpose. It addresses different actions, such as creating a communal waiting area, adding live music, or even (shudder) rebranding. Shakespeare wrote, “Heavy is the head that wears the crown (Henry IV, Part 2). This is the source of their burden. It is what keeps them awake at night.
These steps are crucial to crafting a message that emotionally triggers the desired action from the prospect or client.
As we discussed in an earlier post, logic has never bought a sports car. Human decisions are driven by emotions, and it's impossible to craft a message without understanding those feelings.
Twenty-eight years ago (1997 – no need to do the math, we’re here for you), the ASPCA raised $30 million in a single year with images of abused animals set to Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel.” You probably still remember that campaign, right? Even McLachlan said, “. . . but the music and the visuals. It’s painful. I couldn’t watch it. It was just like, ‘Oh God, it’s awful’.” Emotion!
Emotion is so powerful that sometimes it doesn’t even need words. In 1993, Coca-Cola ran a campaign called “Northern Lights,” featuring a family of polar bears watching the aurora borealis and sharing a Coca-Cola. No dialogue—just emotion. It aired during Christmastime, evoking nostalgia, family comfort, and wonder. Besides being the first CGI spot, it established the bears as holiday icons who magically reappear every year during the holidays. Coca-Cola: good for the polar bears, and right for your family too.
An integral part of an effective message
Understanding your prospect's emotional view of their problem isn’t just a bonus—it’s the core of a message that truly resonates. If we start with the end goal in mind, that goal is action. Action from a potential client. A change in behavior. A decision. But no action happens in isolation. People act when they feel something.
That’s why the message is so important.
When we only focus on surface-level issues—such as external complaints or operational problems—we end up creating generic messages that sound like everyone else's. “Faster service.” “More efficient solutions.” “Save time and money.” These phrases might be accurate, but they fail to connect. They don’t evoke action or emotion because they overlook the emotional pull on your client.
Only when you understand how your prospect feels about the problem—when you can articulate their worry before they do—can you craft a message that makes them say, “Finally. Someone gets it.”
This understanding also creates empathy and loyalty
And if you go even further—if you explore the philosophical perspective, where identity and meaning reside—you don’t just attract attention. You earn loyalty.
Think of it this way: Every successful marketing campaign has one goal. Not to explain. Not even to persuade. But to resonate. Resonance comes from emotion, and emotion comes from understanding.
In our coffee shop example, sure, speed might be the problem. But maybe what’s truly at stake is a lost sense of community. Perhaps the owner is mourning the warmth that used to define their space. If your message only talks about optimizing line flow, you miss the chance to say: “Let’s bring the heart back into your café.”
That’s when a message truly attracts. That’s when marketing succeeds.
Start with their end in mind, not just the outcome you desire. Consider what they long for, what they fear, and what they value.
Understand that, and your message won’t just sell; it will speak. When your message connects with the right emotions, the right people will take action.
That's more than just good marketing. That’s transformation. More importantly, in our journey to create the perfect message, this is the step that makes the next steps work. More on that next time.
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