Most marketing assumes people are just Pavlov’s Dogs with credit cards. Here’s a parable that I hope will change that. I call it The Genius Dog Parable.
Imagine two dogs. Both expect food when the bell rings, but why they expect food reveals how trust works.
Dog #1 is Pavlov’s Dog. He hears the bell and his mouth waters. He’s been trained to react because a stimulus created the belief that food is coming.
He doesn’t understand the why, so when the bell stops—trust breaks.
Dog #2 is the Genius Dog. He hears the bell and thinks, “Ah, the bell. I’ve observed that when it rings, my owner brings food. It’s a reliable pattern.”
His belief is grounded in reason and evidence. If the system changes, he adapts because he understands the principles at play. He is a partner in the process.
This parable reveals a profound distinction that is the key to building lasting trust with our customers: caused beliefs vs. grounded beliefs.
A “caused” belief is based on reflex, triggers, and emotion. It’s the result of being pushed. It is fragile and easily broken. This is the world of hype, hacks, and short-term thinking.
A “grounded” belief is based on reason, understanding, and logic. It’s the result of grasping a pattern. It’s durable and creates true partnership.
I didn’t invent this distinction. I adapted it from C.S. Lewis’s Miracles, Chapter 3, one of the densest philosophical arguments I’ve ever read.
It took about the whole flight for me to wrap my head around the chapter, but when I finally did, it was a major “aha” moment: Lewis shared the secret to building trust in the modern world.
I created the Genius Dog parable because that’s what I do—make the complex simple.
But more importantly, because I see so many brilliant professionals using “Pavlov’s Dog” tactics. Not because they want to, but because it’s what they’ve been taught.
They build their websites and write their emails trying to “cause” a sale, when their real strength lies in making a grounded argument.
Most marketing and leadership today is still trying to train Pavlov’s Dogs.
In our community, we take the grounded approach. We treat prospects as thinking partners rather than conditioned responders.
If that resonates with you, you’re in the right place.
