This addresses the second issue -thinking that the problem is a lack of understanding. It drives me crazy every time I hear someone say that their new product or service isn’t doing well because they have to ‘educate the customer’. To me, this idea reflects the same problem that DFW is talking about – blaming your customer. I’m not saying that everything you do has to be dumbed down. But if people don’t understand the benefits of your new idea, then you haven’t presented it well. Even if the idea is just a concept, you have to be able to explain it in clear English. And if the idea is a product or service, you have to make it reasonably easy for people to see how it’s good for them.