Tuesday Tales: Likert or not, or How Well Do You Know Marketing?

My first semester as a full-time marketing professor, a friend (an attorney) invited me to a business talk in his world—architects, builders, contractors. The topic? Marketing.

Ten minutes in, I was restless.

This is Marketing 101. Everyone knows this. Why are we still here?

So I scribbled on a scrap of paper a little Likert scale:

“For this audience, is this information old or new?”

I drew a line. Old on one end. New on the other.

My friend didn’t hesitate.

He put a big X way beyond “new.”

Message received. Loud and clear.

Just because you live inside your expertise doesn’t mean everyone else does.

What’s obvious to you may be brand new to someone else.

Someone else who is still trying to figure out their own Origin Story.

Your knowledge, your experience, the lessons you’ve lived… if you’re still trying to make sense of it all, imagine someone who is even earlier in their journey.

Now, at the start of every semester, I tell my students:

“This might be the first, last, or only marketing class you ever take.

So I have a great responsibility: I owe it to you to teach what matters.

In a way you’ll remember.”

What do you think?

—-

Every challenge and crossroads holds the beginning of your origin story.

If you want help turning yours into something you can use, clearly and confidently, in interviews, bios, or pitches, I’m happy to help.

That’s the heart of You Own Your Origin Story (YOYOS): recognizing the power already present in your experience.

You own your origin story. Message me if I can help you claim it and build your superpower portfolio.

#Marketing #Students #Teaching #YouOwnYourOriginStory #TuesdayTales #LeadershipLessons