How I Earned His Trust Without Saying a Word…

Hey there!

A couple of months ago, I had an interesting encounter that got me thinking about a powerful concept—pre-framing. But before we talk about pre-framing, let me take you back to how it all began.

I had a Zoom call with someone I’d never met before. A mutual friend had connected us through LinkedIn, sent a message introducing us, and we scheduled the meeting. I didn’t think much of it—I trusted my friend’s judgment and figured it would be a standard introductory chat.

As the Zoom session began, I was focused on my notes, not expecting anything out of the ordinary. Then, as the person entered the meeting, he suddenly shouted, "Atibaaaa!" with such excitement that I looked up, completely startled.

Before I could even respond, he went on, "I feel like we’re friends already! I've been binging all your content, and man, I love everything you stand for!" His enthusiasm was real. It was one of those moments where you realize the impact your content can have, even when you’re not fully aware of who's watching or listening.

This got me thinking about how much impact pre-framing has on our business interactions. The way he consumed my content before we ever spoke, built a level of trust and familiarity that I wasn’t even aware of.

Will Smith’s ‘Focus’ Movie and Pre-Framing

This idea isn’t new. It’s something I like to call the "Will Smith Effect." Stay with me here—no, I’m not talking about the famous slap, but rather a lesson from his 2015 film Focus, one of the best movies on marketing (in my opinion). Here’s why:

In the film, Will Smith’s character runs a team of hustlers who swindle people out of money, but it’s one scene that demonstrates the power of pre-framing perfectly. Will loses a big bet but then convinces the person who just won all his money to make one last insane gamble. He bets that Margot Robbie’s character will guess a random football player’s number, out of 110 players on the field. 

Sounds impossible, right? 

But here’s the twist—Will had been "pre-framing" the guy the entire time. Everywhere this person went—on the bus, at the hotel, in the lobby—he kept seeing the number 55. Subconsciously, the number was planted in his mind. So when the bet came, the man thought he was making an intuitive decision, but in reality, Will had engineered it the entire time.

This is exactly what pre-framing is—setting up the scenario so well that the outcome feels inevitable. 

In business, we can do the same thing. Pre-framing is all about setting expectations before someone even enters your world. When someone consumes your content, engages with your brand, or follows your social media posts, they’re already being pre-framed for that eventual sale. They know your values, your story, and how you can help them—all before you even get on the phone.

Real-Life Examples of Pre-Framing in Action

One of my cash-based medical clients once told me about how someone walked into his practice, after watching one of his YouTube videos,  with thousands in cash ready to pay. His content had done the work before they ever met in person.

Another client of mine had a patient drive hours (past other providers) and come in to see him specifically because he watched videos of the doctor. The funny part of that story is that the doctor does not think he produces great videos. But it goes to show that your ideal customer, wants to connect with you and when they do they will move heaven and earth to work with you. 

These are real results from using the principles of pre-framing, and they’re achievable. The best part? It’s not about trickery or manipulation. It’s about knowing your audience so well that you create an environment where the sale happens naturally—because you’ve set the right expectations from the start.

How Can You Implement Pre-Framing in Your Business?

1. Know Your Audience: Just like Will knew that the man couldn’t resist another bet, you need to know what motivates your clients. What are their pain points? What keeps them up at night? Create content that speaks to those concerns.

2. Create Consistent Messaging: From your website to your social media to your email campaigns, make sure your messaging is consistent. You want people to see the same values and solutions over and over again, just like how that guy kept seeing the number 55.

3. Engage Before the Sale: Give your audience a chance to connect with you before they’re ready to buy. Use free content, social proof, and testimonials to build trust early. By the time they’re ready to walk through your door, they already know you’re the right fit.

If you’re finding that your sales interactions aren’t flowing as smoothly as you'd like, it might be helpful to reconsider how you set the stage for those conversations.

Until next time,

Atiba

“It is literally true, Burke’s groundbreaking arguments suggests, that if people change their words (or, more accurately, their words and their words’ relationships to one another), they change their perception of reality. As they change their reality their behavior changes automatically. Instead of people using their words, they are used by their words, and this fact is unrecognized.”
― Dave Logan, John King, Halee Fischer-Wright

I’m thrilled to be hosting another dinner in October, this time in VEGAS! I always look forward to these evenings because they bring together such incredible people. It’s a chance to connect, share stories, and maybe even find solutions to those tough challenges we all face. I’d love to see you there!

Paul is a man who can instantly make you feel at ease. From the moment you meet him, you realize there are no hidden agendas with Paul—only genuine authenticity and care for people. It's no wonder he can connect with others wherever he goes, even in the most unexpected places. Take Paris, for instance: he didn’t want to do what most tourists do, so he wandered off and found himself in a local pub that wasn’t known for welcoming outsiders. Yet, Paul being Paul, left with new friends and great stories.

Once the owner of a trivia shop inspired by his love for solving puzzles and with a strong operational background, Paul embodies the “get it done” attitude. He just sees the world differently. More than just a problem solver, he can adapt to any situation and make it work. With a wealth of experience, you can talk to him about almost anything, knowing he’ll bring fresh perspectives.

The best part? Paul is incredibly dependable. If he says he’ll do something, he’s in 100%. It's that dependability, mixed with his genuine curiosity and warmth, that makes Paul not just someone great to know but an incredible friend.

Visioneering👓