{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Frame","description":"My business partner and friend Gary Young joined me on the podcast to discuss \u201cframe,\u201d a term we use to describe someone\u2019s point of view on the world. We discuss how entrepreneurs can hone their frame to influence and sell, and why the best salespeople tend to be introverts. Gary: \u201cFrame is part worldview, part identity, and part posture. It tells people, \u2018This is who I am, and this is my posture towards the world.\u2019 We live in a mimetic society, which means most people with weak frames copy the opinions and actions of those with stronger frames. To be successful as an entrepreneur, you want to develop a strong frame and use it as a lever of influence.  Why I hire people with strong frames In last month\u2019s \u201cHiring & Firing\u201d episode,  I shared that I like to hire people with strong points of view because great ideas come from passionate people disagreeing. I\u2019m essentially looking for people with strong frames. Yet, they tend to be in short supply. Gary: \u201cMost people haven\u2019t really thought about the situation that they\u2019re currently in before they\u2019re in it, which makes it hard to have a frame.\u201d Frame in everyday life When you find yourself falling for somebody, or believing everything someone says, or you change your views based on something you hear \u2014 you\u2019re being influenced by people with stronger frames. Gary: \u201cThe standard dating advice is \u2018just be yourself.\u201d Problem is, most people are mimetic creatures and should not be themselves because they\u2019re boring. If you do interesting things that you care about, then you just tell people what those interesting things are, and that\u2019s like 80% of dating. That\u2019s an example of your frame.\u201d You want to be seen The main idea is that you want to be seen. If you want to influence and not be subject to the whims of others, you have to have a strong point of view. You want to eliminate the things that make it hard for people to see you \u2014 it could be simple things like how you dress and introduce yourself \u2014 and get them to focus on your ideas and point of view. Gary: In the simplest form, your frame could be standing in front of a mirror telling yourself affirmations \u2014 remembering your victories, things you survived, things you know \u2014  so that when you confront someone who disagrees, you can respond with confidence: \u201cThat\u2019s interesting, because I had a different lived experience and I\u2019ll tell you about it.\u201d   Confident for a reason Having a strong frame gives you an inner confidence because you know what you stand for. People will notice that confidence and try to mimic it. But that\u2019s missing the point: A strong frame starts with a sound intellectual underpinning that doesn\u2019t rely on others. Gary: \u201cIf you tell yourself before you go into a meeting that everybody there loves you and thinks you\u2019re awesome, you\u2019re going to behave totally differently \u2014 and vastly more effective \u2014 than if you go in thinking, \u2018Let\u2019s figure out who likes me and who doesn\u2019t.\u2019 Mimetic theory Philosopher Rene Gerard\u2019s mimetic theory teaches us that most human conflict can be explained by people wanting the same things and copying one another to get them. Ours is a copycat culture in which people form opinions by looking around to see what others think. This might have evolutionary benefits, but it seems like a fundamental flaw in humans that we look so much to others to form our own point of view. Using frame to influence In every moment someone\u2019s frame is getting stronger and someone else\u2019s frame is getting weaker. It\u2019s like an erosion. Entrepreneurs who understand the concept can use it as a vehicle of influence. When faced with a strong frame, people don\u2019t fight it \u2014 they adopt it. Gary: \u201cIf you don\u2019t have a frame of your own, you will end up adopting someone else\u2019s.\u201d Frame in selling You need to prepare for sales calls like a prosecutor building a case: Do your research and master the facts. Understand the value your product or service delivers and try to understand the worldview of the person you\u2019re selling to. That builds confidence and conviction in what you are saying. Gary: \u201cAlmost all of the really good salespeople I\u2019ve ever met are way more disagreeable than most natural extroverts are.\u201d When the potential customer says, \u201cThis doesn\u2019t sound like it\u2019s for me,\u201d offer a confident response: \u201cYou could be right. This isn\u2019t right for everybody, but it has worked for a lot of people. Do you mind if I ask you a question?\u201d and then ask them something that helps you understand where there might be a misunderstanding. By making it clear to the parties involved that you have the strongest frame, people will naturally move over to your side. Gary: \u201cSomeone who doesn\u2019t really know anything about your product will often tell you, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s just not for me,\u2019 and often the salesperson will accept it. And that\u2019s weird because they don\u2019t know about what you\u2019re selling yet, and you\u2019ve accepted their frame.\u201d Developing your frame In the simplest form, your frame could be standing in front of a mirror telling yourself affirmations \u2014 remembering your victories, things you survived, things you know \u2014  so that when you confront someone who disagrees, you can respond with confidence: \u201cThat\u2019s interesting, because I had a different lived experience and I\u2019ll tell you about it.\u201d Gary: \u201cHalf the battle is figuring out what price you\u2019re willing to pay and paying it. If your position costs you nothing, your position is not particularly strong.\u201d  Hone your map and strategy When someone doesn\u2019t get what they want out of a situation, it\u2019s typically because one of two things is wrong: They\u2019re either operating with the wrong terrain map or they\u2019re following the wrong strategy. If you have high confidence in those two things \u2014 because you have a strong intellectual underpinning \u2014 that\u2019s when you develop an indestructible frame. The world needs to break in order for your frame to break.  Resources \u201c10 Rules To Live by for More Success, Happiness, and Freedom,\u201d by Craig Ballantyne. Mimetic Theory, by Rene Girard. ","author_name":"Smith Sense","author_url":"http:\/\/smithsense.com","html":"