What Sun Tzu means is that we need to adjust the enemy's perception so that 'when able to attack we must seem weak, and when weak must appear to be strong'.
The reason is that people simply assume that the way we see things is the way they really are, or the way they should be. Also, our attitudes and behaviours grow out of these assumptions. In other words, we are not really seeing, but perceiving.
Pick up the phone now and call your own company pretending to be a customer. How are you treated? If you are going to adequately manage other people's perception of your company you need to know what that perception is. This is not an exercise to catch people out but to find areas of improvement. Like my seminar clients, you'll be surprised that the way your people answer the phone is not every business friendly!
In business it is imperative that your customers believe in you. Everything that you do and say, from the way you answer the phone, to the quality of your blog, facebook and webpage, builds a picture of your ability.
That picture needs to be manoeuvred wherever necessary so as to give people the impression that your company is good. Of course your company needs to be good or you'll really be cheating people!
In short, you need to put on a good show. This is what Sun Tzu means to deceive people without cheating people.
By Andy Ng, whose courses on Sun Tzu Art of War have now travelled all the way to Philippines. For details, click here or text to me at 8201-4347.
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