Have you ever witnessed, or been part of this kind of conversation? You and your friend/partner/business associate are discussing an occasion you shared in common. The conversation is getting down to the nitty gritty.
Considerate Caroline says, “That person was so aggressive and overbearing, they really annoyed me”. Dynamite Joe says ‘I didn’t find that to be the case at all”. “I thought that person was just being firm and authoritative.”
That’s a simplification of a discussion. But what I’m demonstrating is that we all see things differently and therefore perception of reality differs from person to person.
Our brains process information in different ways. No two brains have the same microprocessor. We don’t buy our brains from an IT store. Our wiring is unique and this difference in wiring is what makes each one of us unusual in our own way.
Read this scenario. This is what happens when people go on job interviews and are interviewed by several people. The applicants are narrowed down, the selectors get together and discuss their perception of each person.
Perceptions differ from selector to selector. It’s the common elements that determine who gets the job. And the job goes to the person who ‘fits in’. The person who’s perceived to be the most suitable.
And have you noticed how much alike people in each company are? They’re hired because they’re compatible.
If you’re trying to score a major client, do you know how that prospective client perceives you? Many a deal’s been made and lost based purely on perception.
How many times have you heard this? “I contracted them because they just felt right.”
Perception is a package. It has an outer layer, the wrapping, and the inner core, the contents.
Both are important.
When trying to open doors, your prospect is looking at the wrapping first. If they like it, they’ll open the package to inspect the contents.
Let’s say you’re a small home based business. You have a set of skills that are valuable to large companies. Let’s say these companies are in the BRW top 100.
When these companies secure products and services at a high level, their perception of you is crucial to getting the door opened. You must be perceived to be totally professional and able to perform.
And!
To make it simple. They want to see men and women who look and act just like them.
When you’re in front of them, what’s going through their minds? What are they thinking of you? Do they perceive you as being on the same level as them?
If they don’t, you’re out of the picture.
You can have the best skills in the world, be the smartest in your field, but if you’re not presenting yourself in the same ‘picture frame’ as the client you want to secure, you’re not going to have your picture taken together.
Perception is reality.
You’re walking down the street and you see a man who’s dressed like a thug. So you assume he’s a thug. And feel threatened.
You walk down the street and you see the same man dressed in a suit. So you assume he’s a business man and you feel safe.
Neither image guarantees violence or safety, but your perception dictates how you respond to this person.
The same with potential clients. How you’re dressed, what you wear, how you speak, your presentation skills, the car you drive, your connections, all add to the perception your prospective client has of you. This is your outer wrapping.
Even though individuals differ in their wiring, there are elements in common that you can polish to suit the types of companies you want to attract. And add individual elements later, to suit individual prospects within those companies.
Why? Because you can manipulate every perception someone has of you. That’s what’s so good about perceptions. They’re all surface mounted and you can change them.
Don’t believe me? Britney Spears has lurched from virginal girl next door to the pop princess from hell.
Many years ago, a business woman left a corporate giant to start her own consulting business. In the 1980’s, before home based businesses were the norm.
She was a cracker jack at conflict resolution and could solve difficult human resources conflicts within companies.
She started with just her ambition to make it big in her field.
To attract the companies she wanted, she had to be perceived as already being successful.
So she developed her own ‘media kit’.
She already had an impressive track record in conflict resolution, so she wrote to everyone she had ever been associated with and asked them to write letters of testimonials regarding her skills. And she received enough to make a good ‘skills book’.
She had an ordinary car that she knew wouldn’t impress her prospective clients. So she arranged several appointments on the same day of the week. And she rented a BMW for the day. Why? So she’d have the right car in the allotted parking space at the company she was visiting. Do people look? Yes they do!
Her grooming was impeccable because she paid attention to details.
She dressed for the occasion. She knew her way around the garment district in Surry Hills and all her clothes were designer defects purchased at a fraction of their real cost.
Her make up, hair and nails were done by her, with techniques learned from a professional.
Her business accessories were always the best. She stumbled upon a Gucci briefcase in an op shop, and assembled the rest by buying well.
This was the outer package that formed the perception that she was equal to the class of customer she wanted to work with. And because the wrapping was what they expected to see, they opened the package, examined the contents and knew she was more than capable of helping them.
25 years later she’s based in London, the proprietor of a substantial consulting business employing 25 men and women, with clients throughout Europe.
She was my neighbour when I lived in Balmain.
Her drive and ambition were palpable and she knew the importance of perception.
How many times have you tried to attract a client, only to realise they didn’t perceive you to be ‘one of them’?
Get into the heads of the people you want to do business with . If you have the skills they need/want, find out what you need to do to change their perception of you. It is within your control to change how people perceive you.
One of the best ways to be embraced is to emulate your prospect’s mood. If they’re serious and stuffy, so are you. If they’re smiling and happy, so are you. If they’re frowning and worried, so are you. Adapt your body language to theirs.
They don’t want to see ‘different’. They want to see ‘compatible’. That’s how to start to be perceived as being ‘one of them.’
You can’t be all things to all people, but you can be significant to some people of your choice.
Who do you want to attract? Study their professional image. Look at the type of people they choose to work with. And work out how you can ‘fit in’ and be ‘compatible’ with the perception they have of who they want to work with.
Always remember that people do business with people they know, like, trust and have confidence in. Perception is everything.
As a Guerrilla From The Bush, I’ve learned that anything is possible.
How have you adapted yourself to get your foot in the door of clients you want to attract?
I’d love you to post your comments and let’s see if we can help each other. Better yet, let’s have as many people as possible pitch in and share their experiences.
Take care,
CAROL
The Fitz Like A Glove™ Ironing Board Cover, Roadworks Apron, Log Lugger, Travel Bug Shoe Bag, Mr Chin’s Laundry Bag and Sweet Shoo are all simple solutions for difficult problems. And every one is a joy to use.
We’ve developed markets for these 6 products without national or international retail distribution. To see what we’ve achieved, click on our website at www.interfaceaustralia.com.
Read the story of how our business began on The Ironing Board Cover Lady. No sales hype. Just a down home story about how we started our business on the dining room table of our rural property, driving on ‘L’ Plates, without an instructor.
A comment about LinkedIn. If you’re not a member of LinkedIn, when you click View Full Profile, you’ll be asked to join. It’s free and the option is yours. There are benefits to joining. Once you’re a member, you can key in the name of any person you do business with. If they’ve taken the trouble to complete a Profile, you’ll be able to assess their background, their capabilities and the calibre of person they are. You might be, as I am, often pleasantly surprised. So go have a look.
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