Hello. It’s me, the guy in the top hat, yeah, the one you’re looking at right now.

 

Sorry I can’t face you as we speak, but they told me to face forward. “Whose they?” you ask, well, the same guys who created Banquest. What they didn’t realize, unless they did, is that when you tell the guy in the ad to face forward, you have just removed any hope of him ever having a face in the first place. So, technically, it’s impossible for me to really face forward.

 

Whatever.

 

So I was introducing myself.

 

When they placed me on this land of gray rocks and grayer clouds, they instructed me to, and I quote, “look into the future, beyond the horizon, past what your eyes (eyes!?) can see”. When I heard that, I was sure I would be advertising some sort of spiritual/metaphysical seminar, or something close. I mean, the last time I was told to “see beyond yourself” I was advertising a women’s-only-drug-rehab-through-nature-and-ballet program. I think.

 

But no, they tell me I’m working for a credit card processing company. What that has to do with horizons and eyes is anyone’s guess, and it’s definitely too big of a challenge for someone who just has a sheet of hair to claim as his head (me). So, I tried my hardest to look into the horizon and beyond the future, but I hear them tsk-tsk-ing behind me, “you need to look pensive, contemplative, and pondering”.

 

At that point, it was getting a little too much for someone even so ad-seasoned like myself, and I was just about ready to tell them to go find some other 2D figure to drive up a wall.

 

But then they handed me a red suitcase and a stick, and that changed everything! Never, in all my years of advertising, was I ever given such wonderful accessories. I felt like I was finally going places (like to the next rock, or the one after that).

 

Then and there, I made up my mind to stick with Banquest, full face or half.

 

Because honestly, a company that treats its clients like family, is committed to their best interests (and saves them money as well), is the company I keep.

 

And so should you.

Who Is The Guy With The Black Top Hat?

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Study #3 – Admitting Shortcomings

 

Is it ever a good idea to admit to your faults? After all, people want to see the perfect you, the perfect company, product, service, etc…

 

The Study

 

Consumer behavior research from social psychologist Fiona Lee states that admitting shortcomings is a great way to simultaneously highlight your strengths.

 

Lee’s study aimed to measure the effects of admitting to missteps and faults, and how these actions would affect stock prices. Experimenters read one of two fictitious company reports. (Both reports listed reasons why the company had performed poorly last year.)

 

The first report placed emphasis on strategic decisions that turned out to be wrong.
The second placed emphasis on external events. (e.g, the economy, the competition, etc.)

 

psych 3.1

psych 3.2

The test subjects viewed the first company far more favorably than the second. Admitting to shortcomings in areas like strategic thinking showcased that the company was still in control, despite their faults.

 

After examining hundreds of these types of statements, Lee found that the companies who admitted to their strategic faults also had higher stock prices the following year.

 

When blaming external forces (even if they happened to be true), companies gave skeptics a reason to view them as not having the ability to fix the problem, in addition to the consideration that they might just be making excuses.

 

Hope this helps make your week even more successful.

 

Happy Tuesday & Happy Selling!
Kevin

Psychology in Sales – Study #3

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LESSON 2 – The Power of Labels

 

 

The study examined the voting patterns of 133 adults to see if labeling them as a “politically active person” had any affect on their turnout at the polls.

 

After being casually questioned about their regular voting patterns, half of the participants were told that they were much more likely to vote since they had been deemed by the researchers to be more politically active.

 

(This wasn’t actually true; these people were selected at random.)

psyc 2.1

psych 2.2

 

Our brain seeks to maintain a sense of consistency (even if it’s artificial), and this is why the foot-in-the-door technique works so well even on prepared minds.

 

We enjoy being consistent so much that even being told we are a part of a group makes us more receptive to it’s message, as long as it’s something we approve of (like being a responsible voter). This is why “gold” or “platinum” status works effectively for a customer loyalty program.

 

People who are labeled as “superior” consumers tend to spend more, and those in the “regular” class aren’t affected.

 

Don’t be afraid to label your customers. People like being part of groups that imply some superior quality or level of status that has their approval. Even when given an artificial reason, people tend to take action in order to feel they belong to an “elite” group of people.

 

Hope this helps make your week even more successful.

 

Happy Tuesday & Happy Selling!
Kevin

Psychology & Sales – Study #2

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