Reilly Newman | Morgan Housel is a brilliant financial manager and author who writes about some really solid life principles and mental frameworks. I personally love his style, outlook, and align with many of his perspectives. He once spoke to the fact that our personal experiences make up maybe 0.000000001% of what’s happened in the world yet it directs nearly 100% of how we think the world works.
This is not only a great lesson for us to take into account in our lives to change our perspective, but I believe this applies to business as well. Just as this perspective may be difficult to swallow on a personal level, it can be just as bitter for a business.
If you have read our book Brandy, or listened to our companion podcast, then you’ll know that we are firm believers and advocates for the brand experience. It is paramount in creating an effective brand that your customer journeys through. To neglect this experience will be to forfeit your brand and allow the audience to create whatever perception that they see fit for your business. Just as nearly 100% of our perspective on how the world works is derived from our tiny 0.000000001% of personal experience, your brand is mainly constituted by the tiny experiences that your audience has with your business.
As a business owner, you live and breathe your business. This makes your perception of your business very different because it is derived from much more experience with the business. It also is warped and contorted because you are experiencing it from a totally different perspective than a buyer would. Considering this, we can safely assume that your perception of your business (your brand) is very different than your audience. Sorry, this is probably not what you would want to hear.
Their Experience, Your Brand
Your audience will engage with your business a fraction of the time that you spend with it. It is very likely that your perspective of your business and your thought of how your brand “should be” is inaccurate.
—> Listen to Full Brandy Podcast Episode “Think Like Your Audience”
We create our perception of things based on experience, so right off the bat the owner of a business has a different experience than a shopper. Even an employee is different than an owner. This is very important to realize because it can help us refine our feedback loop and bring clarity to our perspective.
Previously, we have discussed how a business is a jar and you’re on the inside and unable to read the exterior label. It’s a very different perspective that then changes the experience and perception. This is why thinking about your audience and their situations will help you create impactful moments in their experience that can benefit their perception of your business.
The note from Housel should remind us that the small, limited moments our business has with our customers matter. These small moments will be the foundation of the perception they create as your brand. You might say it is unfair that they will take these minimal experiences and start crafting your brand with a mix of assumptions, judgements, and preconceived notions… but that is how we as humans are wired.
Personal Perceptions
Personal is the name of the game. Just as we have personal experiences, we have personal perceptions. As a business, we recognize and respect this fact in order to help manage the brand we wish to have in their minds.
Do an exercise for your brand and mindset, imagine the ways your audience may see your business personally. Think of how they might approach your business or engage with it during the limited moments you have with them personally. How can your business make these moments more personal? How can you make them count? These small experiences matter and your brand depends on it.
