Too Much to Process

Think of this sponge as your prospect's brain.

Now think of the water in this bucket as the amount of information your prospect is asked to absorb in one day.

For the same reason the sponge can't hold all the water in the bucket, your prospect's brain cannot hold all the information she comes across in a day. Too much to process. "Information Overload" is another name for this problem.

Scientist define Information Overload in different ways

• "...occurs when too much information is presented for an individual to proceed meaningfully.”

Charles Kreitzberg -

• "...occurs when a person’s capacity for processing information is exceeded; the strain of handling too much data interferes with the individual’s decision-making process."

L. Baker-Ward -

• "...occurs when the amount of input to a system exceeds its processing capacity. Decision makers have fairly limited cognitive processing capacity. Consequently, when information overload occurs, it is likely that a reduction in decision quality will occur."

Bertram Gross -

No matter what you call it or how you precisely define it, information overload is a problem you cannot ignore. The questions is, can you keep delivering your selling message the same way and expect results? Your prospect's condition has changed and so must your approach.

There are now levels you must complete for success:

• LEVEL ONE: You have to get your information into the bucket.

• LEVEL TWO: You have to get your information out of the bucket and into the sponge

• LEVEL THREE: You have to keep your information in the sponge long enough for your prospect to take action.

What happens just before you put a sponge to work? That's right, you wring out the excess water. Your information must remain in your prospect's brain long enough to take action.

You face new challenges today while conditions are expected to worsen. There is no evidence that the brain's capacity will grow large enough to absorb all the information. All indications point to information increasing at unthinkable rates.

Your sales message has to complete an obstacle course to reach your prospect. You then have to make sure your message is remembered long enough for a decision.

All those responsible for selling should dig deeper into the working techniques that overcome information overload. You are getting squeezed at both ends and no one can maintain the status quo.

On one end, information continues to outpace capacity. You must find ways to get your message delivered and retained. On the other end, your competition is not standing still. They are also looking for ways to beat you and win. Second place no longer exist.