Almost everyone exhibits some degree of “optimism bias.” This means we tend to underestimate the time, cost and effort needed to complete a certain task and we overestimate our chances of success.
Optimism is great, it helps us move forward. But optimism doesn’t wait for all the facts to come in. So sometimes you need to be aware of possible optimism bias.
When planning for some corporate photography, a business is guilty of optimism bias when it says something like:
• Ask one of our employees to shoot the pictures.
• Choose the cheapest photographer. The pictures will be just as good.
• It’s a quick group picture of our sales department. So maybe five minutes.
• We don’t need any editing. We have a guy who’s good with computers.
The company is optimistic that things will go as hoped for but, without being aware of its bias, that company is in for a surprise. It’s difficult to be optimistic that cutting corners will lead to success.
On the other hand, a photographer’s marketing can take advantage of a company’s optimism bias. A photographer should appeal to the company’s rosy view of the future. Emphasize how the photography will benefit the company, how the pictures will help the company achieve its goals. Build upon the company’s existing optimism.
