By Woosh Marketing Consultants
Perception Management is a term that was originated by the U.S. military of all organizations. The Department of Defense gives the following definition:
“Actions to convey and/or deny selected information and indicators to foreign audiences to influence their emotions, motives, and objective reasoning as well as to intelligence systems and leaders at all to influence official estimates, ultimately resulting in foreign behaviors and official actions favorable to the originator’s objectives.”
Ummmmm what??? Well, in today’s society, for business and marketing strategy, Perception Management is a bit different. It certainly is not some clandestine, manipulative way to communicate. However, not unlike the military’s definition, it does combine what is known as “truth projection” and “psychological intent.” But we define this as “how you want to be perceived” = truth projection… “why you want to be perceived a certain way” = psychological intent. So, this sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo gumbo, right?
Let me clear the air. For years, business strategy and marketing firms have focused on “positioning” products and services and hooking their clients by using a bunch of industry buzz words such as “value propositions, buyer personas, value chains,
For those of you digitally savvy, second pages, oh and don’t forget these over-used fun words; ROI, SEO and SEM” and so on and so forth. The reality of this is that none of those “how you position” tactical approaches will matter if you don’t capture the “what” you are positioning and “why” incredibly well. And no, this isn’t “branding or brand essence or value messaging, etc.”
Perception management doesn’t subscribe to the buzz words to “hook” you as a customer, rather we coach, train and develop you and your team to be able to focus on sustainable market perceptions so that you can consistently grow your business doing the right things at the right time, over and over — it is fun and repeatable!
What I am talking about begins with getting super clear on who you are (both internally and externally). Interestingly enough, I was working on a recent engagement and my team quickly learned that many employees didn’t really understand what their company actually stood for and why they developed and sold what they did. Oh, they had seen the corporate speak from the CEO about their “mission” and “vision” and 5-year plan…but it really was about as clear as a puddle of mud to them.
If your employees have that level of ambiguity about what the company actually exists for (other than to make money), imagine what your market perceives you as. This can be very eye opening and a great learning exercise!
Folks, you have to be super clear on why you are going after a particular market area. Further, you can’t just focus on the value your product or service may bring, but rather, what influence will you have on the market as a result of a perceived value?
How exactly you want a given market to perceive you as a company is the key to everything. It all starts there!
This is where a Perception Management comes into play. By helping you get laser focused on who you are and what you have to offer, why you want to offer it in the first place and on and on, we help mold the “how you want to be perceived” in the marketplace and then help you not only achieve your desire perception, but also maintain it. This is what gains you new customers, keeps your existing ones and grows your overall profitability.
Marketing in its’ purest form is actually interrupting the way someone thinks or feels about your product or service. Directly after this interruption is your greatest opportunity to position your solutions and thus, build the foundation of how you will be perceived in your market. Getting to this result should be an eye-opening journey that is unique, fun and sustainable!
Contact me at: [email protected]
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/davidwooshconsultants