What People Really Want
Have you ever wondered what makes people do what they do, buy what they buy or simply go along with things? I have – and for the past many years I have been a student of people’s actions. I use this knowledge in my marketing efforts with more than acceptable results. I will share with you some of the more significant concepts of what makes people agree.
First of all – one basic way of thinking: People – for the most part – agree to something for emotional reasons. They justify their decision with logic though, so to motivate someone you will use the combination of both triggering an emotional reaction and logical justification. The car sales pitches do exactly that. They instill an emotional reaction and a ‘want’. Not need. The sales person might ask what you drive now. If it’s a Volvo – he/she would immediately start on the safety/family issues.
You really don’t buy a BMW for the horsepower and quality of engineering. Those are simply justifications for wanting a BMW – and you want it because it will give you prestige, and yes – the “show-off” factor is big. Volvos are sold because of the feeling of stability, safety and family concerns. Nobody really need these expensive cars. Most folks would get around fine in a basic Chevrolet at a quarter of the price.
TIP: People PAY to be emotionally satisfied. Give them what they want!
The other important thing to remember is that there are different “motivation triggers” for certain personalities. For example, some people are driven by the desire to avoid pain. Others are more driven by the desire to gain. Together they form a great persuasion combo. Again, the car pitch. If the salesperson knows you drive a gas guzzler, he will show you the economy cars and say” I am sure you don’t want to spend that much on gas – do you? What will you do with the money you save?”
Another interesting factor in motivating people is one that really fascinates me. Because it is so obvious, yet people go for it all the time. The reason is that this trigger is actually quite subconscious. I am sure you will recognize this one, and still fall for it later today.
When something is in limited supply – people will want it more. Look around you. Everywhere you see – “Limited Issue”, “Today Only”, “Sneak Preview”, “Close-out Sale”. If you think about it – the same stores will run the same campaigns over and over again. The “limited” factor is only temporary. It’s fake.
If you combine scarcity with competition – most people will succumb. Auctions are that way. Why on earth would a misprinted stamp be worth tens of thousands of dollars? Because there is only 200 of them, and competition is fierce. I would like to propose that you resist this tactics for a week and see how much money you save.
You can use these tactics everywhere to motivate people, or to avoid being persuaded into something you really don’t need. Even skeptical and cynical people will fall by the wayside.
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