A month ago, while looking for blogging inspiration or maybe out of boredom, I decided to visit the large mall a mile from my house and wander around.
The first place I stumbled into was Teavanna. I wanted to try a sample and just browse around at all of the teapots and accessories, without planning on purchasing anything.
45 minutes later I walked out with three different types of tea and a caste iron teapot.
What happened?
I bought 100% on emotion.
The sales person led me through different teas they offered, showed me a variety of teapots, had me sample 5 different teas, did the thing where they open the lid of the tea bin and waft the lid at you, provided a lot of education, and poof–I bought a $100 teapot that I didn’t really want.
Selling purely based on emotion OR rational thought doesn’t work.
You need both.
I didn’t keep the teapot because I couldn’t rationally back up the purchase. I have three other ways to make loose leaf tea, though they aren’t quite as nice, they’re sufficient. The cast iron teapot was pushed on me. There wasn’t a rational reason for me to spend $100 on it at this time.
Selling just based on rational thought doesn’t work either.
In Minnesota, 60% of small businesses don’t have a website. If rational thought alone moved the checkbook at least 75% of those companies would have a website. Don’t expect people to be rational. Being rational doesn’t get people excited about what you have to offer. It just presents the facts and if all you have to offer is facts, your potential customer will just end up looking for the cheapest price.
People buy based on emotion first and then back up their decision rationally.
If they only buy on emotion, it’s a matter of time before you have an angry customer demanding a refund or saying that you have shady sales techniques.
How to Use Emotion and Rational Thought: Tell a Story.
Tell a story that touches the customer on an emotional level and matches their worldview. Stories are the easiest way to connect with a customer and sell in a transaction where both sides are happy.
People buy a story before they buy whatever you’re selling.
Connect with me on Twitter: @BenNesvig
