Seeing Is Perceiving

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We have all heard this before - "seeing is believing" - but we typically think of it and use it in the context of people needing to see something in order to believe that it is true.  After all, Missouri is the "show me" state.  But this phrase is often about a lack of faith in things unseen, and I want to suggest to you a different concept . . . "seeing is perceiving" . . . a concept that can dramatically alter not only how you think about your business, but the results in and for your business. 

Here's a fact:  65% to 70% of people are primarily visual learners.  That means that at least over 65% of people in the United States learn best from what they see.  If this is true then why do we spend so much time trying to figure out the right words to use in marketing, branding or selling our products and services?  The people perceiving those messages are most likely to be visual perceivers and learners, yet we push words at them.

Here's a second fact:  perception is reality.  What people perceive you (or your business) to be is what you are to them, and no amount of words or arguments will change that perception.  You can't change people's minds, but you can change their perceptions.  I'm suggesting that we need to focus our energy on managing and creating the perceptions that we want people to have of us, our business, or our products and services, which is often best accomplished through visuals.

In recognizing the power of visuals, we also have to be aware that the perceptions can be positive or negative and that negative perceptions sometimes include perceptions that are not what you intend.  If you are attempting to communicate one message, but your visuals communicate another message, that message may be one that that you don't want your customers to have.  Or perhaps it's a message that is inconsistent with your actual message, which causes confusion - and in business, confusion in the minds of your prospective customers is rarely a good result.

I recently read about this example involving a bank that intended to communicate a message that its "difference" was the time, planning and research that it put into its decisions.  The visual that the bank used in a video was a mountain climber investing lots of time in planning, research and preparation for the climb, and the video mentioned numerous times the importance of planning and preparation.  However, most of the people that saw the video came away with a single message of strength, which was based upon a two second visual of a mountain climber actually climbing the mountain.  This message was not intended and was actually not desired, but that's the message that the video created in the minds of the viewers.

It's a certainty that your customers or prospective customers will have perceptions of you and your business based upon visual stimuli, whether positive or negative, and it's important for you to be intentional in order for you to make sure that the message is perceived is the message that you intend.

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words, but the reality is that a picture may very well be worth everything.  People will form perceptions and make judgments (quick judgments) based upon their gut reaction (which is often subconscious) to the visuals you either present to them or create for them.  If you want to supercharge your business message and create your desired perception in the minds of your target market, then explore ways you can "paint a picture" for your prospects.  Remember, seeing is perceiving and what is perceived is reality!