Consider Their Worldview

Everyone has a worldview – a set of beliefs and biases about any given subject at any given moment. These worldviews shift and change over time, but as a presenter you must be aware of your audience’s current, relevant worldviews every time you present. Does your prospect, for example, believe technology can change lives and simplify processes? Or does he or she believe technology adds unnecessary complexity, requires constant maintenance, and gets in the way of relationships? If you sell a technology product, you need to know the answer to these questions so you can adjust your presentation accordingly.

 

Marketing guru Seth Godin explores the concept of worldview in his book All Marketers Are Liars (Portfolio, 2005) and it’s worth taking a closer look at this subtle, but important, issue. “Everyone has a worldview that affects the product you want to sell,” explains Godin. “That worldview alters the way they interpret everything you say and do. Frame your story in terms of that worldview and it will be heard.”

 

Framing is the crucial element here. By choosing words and images and interactions that reinforce your prospect’s biases, you will grab their attention and they will hear what you have to say. Imagine two purchasing agents, one who sees her job as avoiding risk and another who sees her job as cutting costs through innovation. Same job title, two completely different worldviews. For one worldview, you’ll need to frame your product through a lens of safety. For the other, you’ll want to frame it through a lens of innovative cost cutting.

 

Or to go back to technology, say that Buyer X experienced nothing but cost overruns and headaches with his last technology purchase while Buyer Y boosted productivity, reduced costs, and got a promotion. You might be presenting to both buyers on the same day but you’ll need two very different presentations. One presentation will need to acknowledge the past experience and understandable concerns that Buyer X would have when considering a technology solution, then go on to address each of the concerns relative to your product using stories about its reliability, how it simplified processes at organizations similar to Buyer X’s company, and so on. Buyer Y, on the other hand, is already a believer in the power of technology and you’ll need to frame your presentation with that in mind.

 

Keep in mind that you can’t change someone’s worldview. Instead, think about how you can acknowledge and reinforce that worldview as you frame each presentation. Or as Godin puts it, “Don’t try to use facts to prove your case and to insist that people change their biases.” They won’t. They’ll go look for someone who shares their worldview. So save them the trouble and boost your sales by shifting your presentation to match their worldview from the outset.

 

For more information, visit www.sethgodin.com.