Where Practitioners Go Wrong
Three anti-patterns that damage relationships and undermine the Value Path. Recognizing them in yourself is the first step.
Anti-Pattern 1: Forcing Progression
The most common temptation: seeing someone at Stage 2 and wanting them at Stage 3. Seeing a Value Creator and wanting them to be an Advocate. The instinct to accelerate is natural. It is also destructive.
People move through the Value Path when they are ready. Pressure does not accelerate readiness. It delays it by introducing friction where trust was building.
FORCING LOOKS LIKE
- • "Just checking in" emails to Researchers
- • Asking for referrals before adoption is visible
- • Sending pricing before the Value Conversation
- • Setting up case study calls before results are evident
- • Scheduling "next steps" meetings when the client needs time to process
SUPPORTING LOOKS LIKE
- • Continuing to publish valuable content for Researchers
- • Celebrating client wins without asking for anything in return
- • Conducting the Four Conversations in sequence
- • Offering case study opportunities when the client volunteers enthusiasm
- • Asking "what would be most helpful right now?"
Anti-Pattern 2: Skipping Stages
Skipping stages is rare and usually unstable. When it appears to work, it is often because the person already did the earlier stages internally or with different information sources.
The most damaging skip is Hand-Raiser to Buyer. Someone signals curiosity, and they receive a proposal. The Qualifying and Value Conversations never happened. The result: decisions made without context, sticker shock, and relationships that start with misaligned expectations.
Anti-Pattern 3: Stage Assumptions
No stage is better than another. Audience is as valid as Champion. A client can stay at Value Creator for years and that is perfectly appropriate if the work is ongoing and the capability is still building.
The dangerous assumptions:
"They have been a client for two years, they must be an Adopter."
Time does not determine stage. Observable behavior determines stage. A client who has been engaged for two years but still relies on you for every decision is at Value Creator, not Adopter.
"They said nice things about us, they must be an Advocate."
Compliments are not advocacy. Advocacy means actively telling others. A satisfied client who has never mentioned you to anyone else is an Adopter, not an Advocate.
"They attend Office Hours regularly, they must be past Audience stage."
Regular attendance is an engagement signal, but it is still passive consumption. Until they explicitly signal a need for help (Hand-Raiser), they are still in the learning stages.
The Stage Judgment Trap
A subtle anti-pattern: treating later stages as more valuable than earlier ones. This creates pressure (explicit or implicit) for clients to progress, and it devalues the people who are in earlier stages.
Every person at every stage deserves the same quality of attention and the same respect for their timeline. An Audience member consuming content is as important as a Champion leading initiatives. Different stages require different support, not different levels of care.