Why Thinking Everyone’s Like You Can Kill Growth

One of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen - over and over again - is this:

We assume everyone thinks the same way we do.

Maybe you found a feature intuitive. A message crystal clear. A process simple.
So you assume your customers - or your team, or your audience - will feel the same.

But they don’t.
And when we operate from that assumption, things break. Engagement lags. Adoption stalls. Growth doesn’t come.

The clarity curse

It’s especially easy to fall into this trap when you’re inside a business, when you’ve been living and breathing a product or idea for weeks or months.

Your proximity gives you clarity. But it also gives you tunnel vision.

You know how it’s supposed to work.
You understand the acronyms.
You already see the value.

But your customer? Your partner team? Your new hire? They’re starting from a completely different place.

And here’s the kicker…

It’s not always the marketer making this mistake.
In fact, it’s often the marketer trying to push back against it.

More often than not, it's:

• A product team convinced the UX is obvious

• An engineering team proud of how “elegantly” something works

• A senior leader who thinks the messaging is crystal clear (because they wrote it)

• A salesperson who insists that “this is what everyone wants” (based on two conversations)

And the marketer?
They're the one in the middle - trying to advocate for the customer, flag the confusion, or suggest testing.
And too often, they're dismissed.

Why test when we get it?
Why slow down when this should work?

It can be frustrating. Even demoralising. You’re bringing insight, not opinion, but it can feel like you’re the only one in the room raising a hand to say:
“Hang on… I don’t think this is as clear as we think it is.”

When customer empathy becomes your superpower - and your burden

Being the voice of the customer is one of the most important (and undervalued) roles a marketer plays.
But without external validation - customer feedback, user testing, real-world input - your argument can feel like just another opinion.

Which is why stakeholder resistance is so tough.
They think their logic holds.
Their experience is the norm.
Their perspective is reality.

That’s when things get dangerous.

What do you do?

Here are a few strategies I share with marketing teams and leaders I work with:

1. Build empathy into the process, not just the people
Create a culture (or at least a workflow) that bakes in customer feedback. Usability sessions. Message testing. Interview snippets. Data from support tickets. It’s harder to argue with voices outside the building.

2. Use storytelling and examples
Sometimes the best way to challenge assumptions is with a real story:
“Here’s what happened when a customer tried to use it.”
“Here’s how someone described it back to us.”
“Here’s the gap between what we’re saying and what they’re hearing.”

3. Don’t go it alone
Find allies in CX, product, or sales who’ve seen the same friction. Partner up. When the voice of the customer comes from multiple corners of the business, it’s harder to ignore.

4. Frame your feedback in outcomes
It’s not about being right. It’s about what works. Position your challenge as:
“I think we’re risking low adoption here.”
“I’m worried this won’t land with X audience.”
“We’ve seen before that without XYZ, things stall.”

5. Give people the benefit of distance
Sometimes you don’t need to win the argument. Just show them. Run a quick test. Get feedback from someone who isn’t inside the business. That outside lens cuts through bias fast.

Just because it makes sense to you - or your product team, or your CEO - doesn’t mean it makes sense to your customer.

And just because you see the gap, doesn’t mean others will… yet.

Keep being the voice of the customer.
Keep asking the questions.
Keep challenging the assumptions.

It might feel thankless in the moment.
But that’s the kind of thinking that leads to clarity, connection, and ultimately - growth.

Need support navigating this?

If you're a marketer stuck in the middle - trying to do great work, push for customer insight, and influence stakeholders who think they already know best - you're not alone.

I work with marketers just like you.
Through coaching and mentoring, I help you:

• Build confidence to challenge assumptions

• Communicate your ideas more effectively across teams

• Develop strategies for stakeholder buy-in

• Get clear on your next steps and how to lead from where you are

Whether you're leading a big launch or trying to shift the culture around customer understanding, I’m here to help you feel more grounded, supported, and impactful in your role.

👉 Find out more about coaching for marketers or send me a message if you want to chat.