Perception vs. Perspective: How to Cut Through the Noise

Over the years, I have seen vendors talk about their products and services from their own perspective, especially through marketing outreach. They focus on features and benefits—how their offerings streamline processes, integrate with systems, enhance user experience, strengthen security, and reduce costs—all whilst expanding the organization's resilience.

But what these messages say and how they are received are often two very different things.

Every person has a bias in the way they perceive information. As a result, you may be broadcasting messages that your audience simply isn’t listening to—or worse, doesn’t care about.

Cutting Through the Noise

I recently read a great book by Donald Miller called StoryBrand, where he discusses the concept of marketing “noise” against the primal needs that drive human behavior.

In a nutshell, he explains that we, as humans, are designed first and foremost to survive and thrive. This function is controlled by the ancient ‘crocodilian’ brain, which constantly scans the environment for threats and opportunities without conscious thought.

Second, we are wired to conserve energy—thinking requires significant effort, and if your marketing messages force potential customers to engage their frontal cortex too much, they will likely tune out.

As Miller aptly states: “Confusing our customers is costing us money”

Answer? Keep it simple & make the Customer the Hero of the story you are telling

To make your message resonate, the key is to address these primal needs first and always position your customer as the hero of his or her story—not your brand. Your role is to be the guide who understands their real problem, not just your perception of it, and presents a clear plan that calls them to action, helps them avoid failure, and leads them to success.

Why Showing Up Matters

This brings me back to Woody Allen’s famous quote: “Eighty percent of success is showing up.”

No matter how refined your message is, face-to-face interaction remains one of the most powerful ways to cut through the noise. Real engagement happens in conversations, events, and business communities—where trust is built, perspectives are exchanged, and problems are solved collaboratively.

This is something I’ll be revisiting myself as I continue to explore this fascinating subject.

#CIONET #Events #BusinessCommunity