How Do People See You?

When I was young, footloose and fancy-free, I once went on a blind date. In my opinion, the evening was going well. My dad jokes were on point and I had yet to spill anything on my shirt. Things were going so well that my date said, “You remind me of a movie star.”

Here we go, I thought. I sat back and waited for the ego boost to roll in.

Brad Pitt? Leo DiCaprio? A young George Clooney?

“Mr. Bean,” she said.

My ego was shattered. If I had been smart I would have asked her why. But instead I just grunted and sped through dessert.

At the time I wasn’t aware of the importance of this information. You need to understand how you are perceived. This is at the heart of why a market-in approach is so crucial.

The truth will set you free. Are you truly Mr. Bean or, for another audience, are you actually Brad Pitt? Hopefully to my wife, I am the latter. But if not, then I will be the best damn Mr. Bean I can be — and at least I will know!

In the product extension of this analogy, doing this discovery means you won’t spend time selling to someone who sees you as something you are not. Figuring this out as quickly as possible will save you a lot of time and emotional investment.