We all see the world through our own eyes.  We each have our own perception of the world and how it works.  But not only do we see everything through a separate pair of eyes, we also think about the world with our brain.  What we think and focus and concentrate on, then, is unique to us because we have our own unique memories and experiences.

We forget that not everyone shares the same background information, and not everyone thinks about the same things as we do, to the same degree that we do.  This leads to communication problems because it causes us to make assumptions about what other people think and know.  Put simply, not everyone thinks about what you think about.  And when they do think about the same things, they don’t think about it in the same way (did you get that?).

This has important ramifications when you are trying to sell and market.  From products and services, to brand identities and corporate cultures, this can be a big challenge for sales people and small business owners, because they forget that not everyone thinks about their product or service as much as they do.  I know that I often catch myself glossing over services that my company offers because I think it’s really basic, when in fact, sometimes people don’t really even understand what a coach is.  They aren’t thinking about business coaching as much as I am, and they haven’t been there with each of my clients and training groups like I have; so they don’t have the same background information that I do.  This leads to me missing opportunities to sell the solutions that I offer

An easy way to solve this challenge for salespeople and business owners then is to slow down and simplify.  The basic information that seems boring and unimportant is usually the stumbling block for someone trying to understand what you provide.  Ask yourself what assumptions you make when you explain what you do – then cut those assumptions out of the equation.  The more you can remember that nobody else lives in your skull, the more you can communicate clearly and effectively.