. . . if you’re a base jumper to everyone else it’s suicide.

John Madden won’t fly, he thinks it’s too risky He’s afraid. But, most of us don’t think twice about flying. My grandmother never got her drivers license. She was too nervous driving. 99% of us drive tens of thousands of miles a year and never even notice. Some people think skiing is crazy, yet millions of people swish down the slope every winter. Risk is an interesting thing. Everyone has their own definition. They have a risk lens that shapes their perception. Understanding the risk lens is how the best sales people are successful.

Every purchase has percieved risk and it is never the same for any person.

Jill Konrath asked a great question about how to reduce risk in this post, this was my response:

Jill, the most overlooked component to risk is that it’s personal. What one calls risk, another doesn’t. That is why some sky dive and others won’t even fly. Risk is a lens. It’s a lens that shapes how people look at things in terms of gain or loss.

To assess risk, you have to understand the lens each person in the decision process is looking through.

Risk is also rarely logical. Example, the risk to approaching an attractive stranger and introducing yourself is low (a simple no), yet the potential gain is high (a future partner or even spouse). Yet for many the risk feels huge and can be crippling, regardless of the gain. We all see/assess risk differently

Getting to understand the personal lens is critical to understanding your prospects perception of risk. I can tell you one prospects risk, is another persons sure thing.

Everyone has their own risk lens. Through it we make decisions; to move, to stay, to invest, to refrain, to jump, or not to jump, to buy, to not buy.

Understand their lens, then you’ll know how to reduce risk, if you even can.

Every lens is different and you can never look through anyone else’s, they can only share it with you and that is the key.