The Two-Part Change-Maker Model
Create demand by reframing perceptions or entering an existing solution search.
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 95%
The Two-Part Change-Maker Model divides marketing into two strategic jobs. The first is perception change: helping people reinterpret a company, a problem, or the kind of solution the problem requires, then positioning the business within that new frame. The second is conversation entry: reaching people who already recognize the need and are actively considering solutions in the category. These jobs require different messages, channels, time horizons, and evidence. Perception change relies heavily on education and stories because the audience's mental model must move before demand can emerge. Conversation entry emphasizes relevance, differentiation, and availability within an existing search. Marketers choose the dominant job by diagnosing audience awareness rather than blending both approaches indiscriminately.
Origin
Extracted from Marketing Against The Grain during a discussion of marketers as organizational and market change agents.
Core principles
- 01Marketing creates change rather than merely describing products.
- 02Some buyers already recognize the problem and seek a solution.
- 03Other buyers must first reinterpret the problem or the business.
- 04Perception change requires stories and market education.
- 05Marketers must learn continuously to lead changing markets.
How to run it
- 1
Diagnose audience awareness
Determine whether target customers already recognize the problem and seek a solution like yours. Use search behavior, interviews, sales conversations, and category language as evidence.
Pro tip Segment audiences when awareness differs materially.
Watch out Product awareness is not the same as problem awareness.
- 2
Choose the change job
Select perception change when the audience's existing frame blocks demand. Select conversation entry when buyers already understand the problem and category.
Pro tip Assign one primary job to each campaign.
Watch out Trying to educate and close every audience in one message weakens both jobs.
- 3
Build the appropriate narrative
For perception change, contrast the old model with a more useful new one and explain why change matters. For conversation entry, connect the buyer's recognized need to a differentiated solution.
Pro tip Use customer language to describe the old frame and buying conversation.
Watch out Do not invent a category distinction customers cannot understand or value.
- 4
Deliver supporting proof
Provide evidence that the new frame is credible or that the solution performs within the existing category. Align stories, demonstrations, and customer examples with the selected job.
Pro tip Measure belief movement separately from immediate conversion when reframing a market.
Watch out Long-term perception work will look weak if judged only by short-term lead volume.
- 5
Learn and update
Monitor changes in technology, customer expectations, and market language. Revise the frame or conversation as the environment evolves.
Pro tip Give the team dedicated time to study emerging behavior.
Watch out A once-successful narrative can become obsolete as the market learns.
In the wild
A software company finds that buyers view its problem as a minor productivity inconvenience rather than a strategic automation opportunity. It first teaches a new model of the problem through stories and examples, then positions its platform as the practical route to that future.
→ The campaign creates understanding before attempting to capture solution demand.
A buyer already searching for payroll software does not need the category explained. The marketer enters that conversation with evidence about implementation speed, compliance coverage, and fit for the buyer's company size.
→ Marketing concentrates on relevance and differentiation instead of unnecessary category education.
Common mistakes
Assuming demand already exists
Solution-focused promotion fails when customers have not yet adopted the problem frame that makes the solution relevant.
Overeducating active buyers
Buyers already seeking the category may need differentiation and proof rather than a broad market manifesto.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for go-to-market teams choosing positioning, category education, and demand-generation strategies.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal when used to force a false problem frame or conceal poor solution fit.
From the transcript
“part of a marketer's job can be broken into two parts to change perception that people have about your business, like be able to like…”
“Or it's to be able to insert themselves into the conversation for people who already know they need a solution like yours.”
“That change usually comes through stories.”
From the episode
Timeless Marketing Advice from Seth Godin