Let me tell you about something I’ve been reflecting lately:
I listened to a fascinating presentation by Sven Gábor Jánszky about “The Reality Gap.” And no, this isn’t another “AI is coming for your job” or “AI Agents will rule the world” post.
Reality Split
Here’s the thing about reality: it’s no longer a consensus. It’s splitting in two.
In one corner, we have the poets and philosophers who debate what should be.
In the other corner, the technology decision-makers who determine what will be.
And the gap between them? It’s growing really fast.
Twenty years ago, these worlds overlapped considerably. In 2025? They’re diverging planets with different gravitational pulls. One is busy discussing ethics and implications. The other is busy building, deploying, and transforming markets.
Where Money Grows in the Reality Gap
The most profitable opportunities aren’t where everyone agrees. They’re where mindsets and investments diverge.
Think about it:
- Netflix didn’t appear when everyone believed streaming was the future
- It emerged when most studios still thought physical media was king
- That gap between belief systems created the opportunity
The real profit lives in the tension between what most believe and what a few are building.
The Next Century’s Sales Outlook
So what does this mean for us, hustling in the trenches every day?
The Technology Explosion Is Just Starting
Fusion energy isn’t science fiction anymore – it’s receiving billions in funding. Genetics is moving from diagnostic to designer. Quantum computing isn’t just breaking encryption – it’s redefining what can be calculated.
These aren’t “someday” technologies. They’re “next month” realities that many of your prospects are already factoring into their five-year plans.
Are you?
The Customer Pyramid Is Inverting
Remember the good old days when you could target the fat middle market and make quota?
That middle is evaporating like a puddle in the desert.
Tomorrow’s customers cluster at two extremes:
- Price-driven economy buyers (think Amazon-style efficiency)
- Identity-driven premium buyers (think Apple-style tribalism)
The middle ground? It’s shrinking really fast.
If your value proposition still targets that vanishing middle, you’re selling to ghosts.
Products Won’t Stay Products
Static products are dead. Dead, dead, dead.
Future offerings are adaptive organisms that evolve with usage. They’ll personalize in real-time based on data, context, and individual behavior patterns.
Sold a solution last week? It’s already different today. Your customer is using something that’s continuously morphing – which means your relationship and value delivery must do the same.
No more “set it and forget it” sales. Just perpetual evolution.
Breaking Out of Your Mental Prison
Your biggest obstacle isn’t your competitors or your product roadmap. It’s your established thinking patterns.
We’re all cognitive creatures of habit. We build neural superhighways that make our thinking efficient but predictable. In stable times, that’s fine. These ain’t stable times.
The salesperson who can toggle between multiple reality frames – understanding both the poets’ visions and the technologists’ implementations – will own the future. The revenue of tomorrow flows to those who can navigate the reality gap.
The One Thing You Must Do Today
Start cultivating a split vision.
When you walk into any meeting, ask yourself:
- What reality is this person operating from?
- Where are the gaps between their perception and emerging technological reality?
- How can I create value by bridging those perspectives?
The greatest sales opportunities will emerge from your ability to help customers see and navigate a world that’s fracturing along perception lines.
In my next post, I’ll break down the skills and approaches you’ll need to thrive in this bifurcated future.
For now, just remember: The reality gap isn’t coming. It’s already here. And it’s where your focus should be.