One of my favorite marketing books of all time is Seth Godin’s “All Marketers are Liars.” If you only read one marketing book in your life, read this one.

In it, he talks about world view: You have to know your prospect’s world view to market to them, because you have to frame your marketing message in a way that speaks to that world view, or you’ll be ignored. It’s a matter of perception: You have to frame the problem as the customer perceives it.

I don’t think this can be repeated enough, because it’s so difficult for companies to stop thinking about what they want to say to focus instead on what customers want to hear. So here’s a real-life example that might help you remember what you’re dealing with next time you or your copywriter is crafting a marketing message…

My daughter hates vegetables, no matter how you cook them. Her world view is “vegetables are yucky” and you have to get past that to get her to eat them. But it’s a challenge because her perception is her reality! The other night we had sweet potato fries that were delicious. They were sweet and crunchy and salty and a real treat. Emma eyed those sweet potato fries warily as soon as they hit her plate. When told she had to take a “no thank you” bite, she scrunched up her face and grimaced before even picking up a fry. She decided she wouldn’t like them before she even tasted one. And when she did taste it? Her suspicions were confirmed: Sweet potatoes are as icky as fries as they are cooked in other way. Her perception became her reality.

Next time you’re copywriting a new marketing message, writing your email newsletter or updating your Web content, picture nine-year-old Emma’s grimace. Remember, that’s a perception you are dealing with. As fabulous as your product or service might be, the reality is your potential customers could very well see it differently, and you might have to smother it with ketchup just to get them to try it.