December 30, 2014 at 11:565 Ways to Attract More Clients Using Psychology
- Transfer
While you are decorating a Christmas tree, chopping an olivier or standing in line for champagne, we continue to share with you the secrets of interacting with customers. Use them from Monday from next year - give people joy, change the world for the better!
The secret to sales growth lies in understanding what customers expect from your business.
You have too many customers, and it’s pretty hard to get to know each one personally - what to do in this case?
Answer: Conduct a serious study of user behavior.
We are all different, but in many cases our brain tends to react the same way. If you understand the subtleties of the human mind, then you can easily find creative ways to push more customers to the cherished “Yes!” for your products or services.
In this article we will talk about 5 studies that study these processes in the minds of your customers. Immerse yourself!
Overcoming Inaction
Details are important when it comes to copywriting. An interesting study was conducted by Dr. Robert Cialdini, Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University. He studied the donation process to the American Cancer Society, and saw how a penny difference leads to completely different results.
The study also shows how important it is to analyze why people say no, and this is more important than understanding why they say yes.
Research
The following are two phrases that were used to collect donations. Researchers tested the effect of a minor wording change.
1. Are you ready to make a donation?
2. Are you ready to make a donation? Every penny is important.
Subtle difference, isn't it?
The difference in words is negligible, but the effect is amazing.
Result
People who were asked question number 2 donated almost twice as often.
Researchers stated:
People are ready to act when the minimum requirements are set.
People may ask themselves if they have enough money to donate and whether this will make a difference. But specifying that “even a penny” will help, people respond more readily to the call: switch “can I donate?” more often switches to "yes".
The best part of research
Donors were twice as likely to donate in response to the second question, but the amount of donations was not less than that. Knowing that even a penny would be enough, they gave as much as the respondents who were asked the first question.
In the bottom line,
Bearing in mind that a small action is a good start, people are more likely to take the first step. If you are pushing people to action, clearly indicate the minimum that they must do to overcome the effects of paralysis.
Master the power of the label
You might think this applies to the brand label, but we are talking about something else. We suggest you label / categorize customers.
Sounds like bad advice, right? WRONG!
Research shows that people like to be labeled and are more susceptible to the message if they feel they are part of a particular group.
Study
Researchers tested 133 adult voters to see how marking affects turnout. At first, participants were casually asked who they usually vote for. After that, half were told that they were recognized as politically active and were likely to go to the next election. The other half of the group did not say anything.
This was not true, people were randomly selected.
Results
Despite a random choice, the group that was said to be politically active had a turnout of 15% more than the other group.
Our brains strive to maintain a sense of community (even if it is artificial), which is why hook strategies work so well on a trained mind.
People who are labeled as “best” consumers spend more, while others from the “regular” class are not influenced.
- Source: Motivating Voter Turnout by Invoking the Self
The bottom
Do not be afraid to label your customers. People love to be part of a group that is dedicated to the best quality service. Even when the reason for the division is clearly artificial, people are more likely to perform the action due to a sense of belonging to the "elite" group of people. That is why the "gold" or "platinum" statuses work effectively for customer loyalty programs.
Three types of customers
It doesn’t matter what industry you work in, researching customer behavior shows that there are three groups of customers that can differ in the type of “pain” they experience when they buy the necessary things.
A study by
Neurophysicists identified a pattern in people's spending as the process of “spending until you get sick!”. Thus, understanding the various levels of “pain” is important in order to maximize sales.
Types of customers:
1. Ordinary buyers.
2. People who can spend more before I feel the maximum “pain of the buyer”.
3. People who spend less before they feel the maximum "pain of the buyer."
results
Which type is the hardest to convert? Hunks.
After they've made up nearly a quarter of your potential buyers, you should learn a few reasonable techniques for minimizing “customer pain” for your miserly customers.
Fortunately, the secret comes down to using two simple strategies
1. Rethinking prices
If you see software worth 60,000 rubles a year, you will definitely be very careful about buying, right?
Right! Because 60,000 rubles a year is not a trifle. To say the least, this seems like a HUGE pile of money for the average buyer.
But what if instead a product costs only 5,000 rubles. per month? Not bad, huh?
The thing is that 5,000 rubles / month = 60,000 rubles / year!
If this method of rethinking is effective for all types of customers, then it is most effective for conservative customers. If your product needs to be paid on a regular basis or if you can break down the price, learn how you can use this information in your pricing model.
2. Reduce the number of pain points with the help of the union
Neuroeconomic expert George Lowenstein noted that all consumers (especially conservative buyers) prefer to make a purchase in one fell swoop, rather than buying many accessories separately.
He refers to the willingness of customers to update all Car Packs at once and points out how difficult it is for the brain to find a reason to buy each individual update ("Yes, I will pay for navigation and parking, and alarms ... and ...„, etc.) .
Several purchases create several pain points, while in the bundle, purchases create only one pain point, even if the price is much higher.
Lowenstein’s study shows how many consumers are willing to pay more for a complete package than to chase individual products and accessories: not only less trouble, but less pain points as a result.
- Source: Spend 'Til It Hurts
The bottom line
No matter what business you work in, it's important to understand how to work with types of customers. Hunks make up the base of your potential customers - learn to sell them. The right choice of words can significantly reduce the pain of the buyer.
Highlight advantages and recognize weaknesses
Is it a good idea to admit your mistakes? Besides, people don’t want to know the whole unsightly truth about you, right?
A study by social psychologist Fiona Lee found that recognizing flaws is a great way to highlight your strength at the same time.
Lee's study aimed at measuring the impact of oversights and errors on stock prices. The experimenters read one of two fictitious company reports. Both reports explained the reasons why the company showed a loss in the last year.
Research
- In the first report - emphasis on strategic decisions
- In the second - emphasis on external events.
(economics, competition, etc.)
Results
The subjects sympathized with the first company much more than the second. Recognizing the flaws in strategic thinking, the report demonstrates that the company is still in control.
After checking hundreds of these types of reports, Lee found that companies that admit their strategic mistakes share prices are rising next year.
When a company blames external forces for its failure, even if the reason is really in them, it gives skeptics an excuse to think that it cannot solve this problem, in addition to the consideration that it might just be excuses.
- Source: Predicting Stock Prices From Organizational Attributions
The bottom line
Honestly recognizing mistakes helps customers understand that you are still in control and not inclined to make excuses.
Use urgency wisely.
Creating the “here and now” feeling is one of the oldest marketing tricks.
Dr. Robert Cialdini noted shortages as one of the six pillars of influence, and it’s easy to understand why: high demand leads to big sales.
The following study explains why urgency can be unpleasant for you and ruin your carefully written marketing materials. How can this be prevented?
Study
The study is a classic work by Howard Leventhal, where he analyzes the effect of distributing brochures on tetanus. Leventhal conducted the study, handing out two different brochures, not sparing a detailed description of the terrible consequences that tetanus leaves on the body. The first brochure describes only the effects of tetanus, while the second includes information on where to get the vaccine.
Results The
rate at which vaccines were given to those who read the second leaflet was almost 25% higher than in the first group.
Leventhal also created a separate group of those who received a “less terrible” version of a brochure describing tetanus in a much more moderate description and without any graphic images. He noted that these participants reacted in the same way as those who received the standard “scary” version (without further information).
- Source: Effects of Fear and Specificity of Recommendation Upon Attitudes and Behavior. It
was possible to trigger an immediate reaction only when subsequent instructions were given.
Those who received follow-up information were also more impressed with the brochure as a whole, having the opportunity to clarify more specific information from it than other participants.
Although the additional information provided in the second brochure was not exhaustive, Leventhal was able to show that our consciousness blocks information on urgency if there are no clear instructions on what to do next.
He testified that those who did not receive information about the next steps tended to convince themselves that “I do not need to worry about it because it will not happen to me, anyway”, while the participants of the second the group had no reason to feel that way because they had an action plan.
In the dry residue
Urgency may be blocked by the minds of your customers if you do not give them specific instructions on how to solve this problem. Instead of giving vague instructions, tell people what to do when the time comes, and don't be afraid to lead them to specific actions.
The secret to sales growth lies in understanding what customers expect from your business.
You have too many customers, and it’s pretty hard to get to know each one personally - what to do in this case?
Answer: Conduct a serious study of user behavior.
We are all different, but in many cases our brain tends to react the same way. If you understand the subtleties of the human mind, then you can easily find creative ways to push more customers to the cherished “Yes!” for your products or services.
In this article we will talk about 5 studies that study these processes in the minds of your customers. Immerse yourself!
Chapter 1
Overcoming Inaction
Details are important when it comes to copywriting. An interesting study was conducted by Dr. Robert Cialdini, Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University. He studied the donation process to the American Cancer Society, and saw how a penny difference leads to completely different results.
The study also shows how important it is to analyze why people say no, and this is more important than understanding why they say yes.
Research
The following are two phrases that were used to collect donations. Researchers tested the effect of a minor wording change.
1. Are you ready to make a donation?
2. Are you ready to make a donation? Every penny is important.
Subtle difference, isn't it?
The difference in words is negligible, but the effect is amazing.
Result
People who were asked question number 2 donated almost twice as often.
Researchers stated:
People are ready to act when the minimum requirements are set.
People may ask themselves if they have enough money to donate and whether this will make a difference. But specifying that “even a penny” will help, people respond more readily to the call: switch “can I donate?” more often switches to "yes".
The best part of research
Donors were twice as likely to donate in response to the second question, but the amount of donations was not less than that. Knowing that even a penny would be enough, they gave as much as the respondents who were asked the first question.
In the bottom line,
Bearing in mind that a small action is a good start, people are more likely to take the first step. If you are pushing people to action, clearly indicate the minimum that they must do to overcome the effects of paralysis.
Chapter 2
Master the power of the label
You might think this applies to the brand label, but we are talking about something else. We suggest you label / categorize customers.
Sounds like bad advice, right? WRONG!
Research shows that people like to be labeled and are more susceptible to the message if they feel they are part of a particular group.
Study
Researchers tested 133 adult voters to see how marking affects turnout. At first, participants were casually asked who they usually vote for. After that, half were told that they were recognized as politically active and were likely to go to the next election. The other half of the group did not say anything.
This was not true, people were randomly selected.
Results
Despite a random choice, the group that was said to be politically active had a turnout of 15% more than the other group.
Our brains strive to maintain a sense of community (even if it is artificial), which is why hook strategies work so well on a trained mind.
People who are labeled as “best” consumers spend more, while others from the “regular” class are not influenced.
- Source: Motivating Voter Turnout by Invoking the Self
The bottom
Do not be afraid to label your customers. People love to be part of a group that is dedicated to the best quality service. Even when the reason for the division is clearly artificial, people are more likely to perform the action due to a sense of belonging to the "elite" group of people. That is why the "gold" or "platinum" statuses work effectively for customer loyalty programs.
Chapter 3
Three types of customers
It doesn’t matter what industry you work in, researching customer behavior shows that there are three groups of customers that can differ in the type of “pain” they experience when they buy the necessary things.
A study by
Neurophysicists identified a pattern in people's spending as the process of “spending until you get sick!”. Thus, understanding the various levels of “pain” is important in order to maximize sales.
Types of customers:
1. Ordinary buyers.
2. People who can spend more before I feel the maximum “pain of the buyer”.
3. People who spend less before they feel the maximum "pain of the buyer."
results
Which type is the hardest to convert? Hunks.
After they've made up nearly a quarter of your potential buyers, you should learn a few reasonable techniques for minimizing “customer pain” for your miserly customers.
Fortunately, the secret comes down to using two simple strategies
1. Rethinking prices
If you see software worth 60,000 rubles a year, you will definitely be very careful about buying, right?
Right! Because 60,000 rubles a year is not a trifle. To say the least, this seems like a HUGE pile of money for the average buyer.
But what if instead a product costs only 5,000 rubles. per month? Not bad, huh?
The thing is that 5,000 rubles / month = 60,000 rubles / year!
If this method of rethinking is effective for all types of customers, then it is most effective for conservative customers. If your product needs to be paid on a regular basis or if you can break down the price, learn how you can use this information in your pricing model.
2. Reduce the number of pain points with the help of the union
Neuroeconomic expert George Lowenstein noted that all consumers (especially conservative buyers) prefer to make a purchase in one fell swoop, rather than buying many accessories separately.
He refers to the willingness of customers to update all Car Packs at once and points out how difficult it is for the brain to find a reason to buy each individual update ("Yes, I will pay for navigation and parking, and alarms ... and ...„, etc.) .
Several purchases create several pain points, while in the bundle, purchases create only one pain point, even if the price is much higher.
Lowenstein’s study shows how many consumers are willing to pay more for a complete package than to chase individual products and accessories: not only less trouble, but less pain points as a result.
- Source: Spend 'Til It Hurts
The bottom line
No matter what business you work in, it's important to understand how to work with types of customers. Hunks make up the base of your potential customers - learn to sell them. The right choice of words can significantly reduce the pain of the buyer.
Chapter 4
Highlight advantages and recognize weaknesses
Is it a good idea to admit your mistakes? Besides, people don’t want to know the whole unsightly truth about you, right?
A study by social psychologist Fiona Lee found that recognizing flaws is a great way to highlight your strength at the same time.
Lee's study aimed at measuring the impact of oversights and errors on stock prices. The experimenters read one of two fictitious company reports. Both reports explained the reasons why the company showed a loss in the last year.
Research
- In the first report - emphasis on strategic decisions
- In the second - emphasis on external events.
(economics, competition, etc.)
Results
The subjects sympathized with the first company much more than the second. Recognizing the flaws in strategic thinking, the report demonstrates that the company is still in control.
After checking hundreds of these types of reports, Lee found that companies that admit their strategic mistakes share prices are rising next year.
When a company blames external forces for its failure, even if the reason is really in them, it gives skeptics an excuse to think that it cannot solve this problem, in addition to the consideration that it might just be excuses.
- Source: Predicting Stock Prices From Organizational Attributions
The bottom line
Honestly recognizing mistakes helps customers understand that you are still in control and not inclined to make excuses.
Chapter 5
Use urgency wisely.
Creating the “here and now” feeling is one of the oldest marketing tricks.
Dr. Robert Cialdini noted shortages as one of the six pillars of influence, and it’s easy to understand why: high demand leads to big sales.
The following study explains why urgency can be unpleasant for you and ruin your carefully written marketing materials. How can this be prevented?
Study
The study is a classic work by Howard Leventhal, where he analyzes the effect of distributing brochures on tetanus. Leventhal conducted the study, handing out two different brochures, not sparing a detailed description of the terrible consequences that tetanus leaves on the body. The first brochure describes only the effects of tetanus, while the second includes information on where to get the vaccine.
Results The
rate at which vaccines were given to those who read the second leaflet was almost 25% higher than in the first group.
Leventhal also created a separate group of those who received a “less terrible” version of a brochure describing tetanus in a much more moderate description and without any graphic images. He noted that these participants reacted in the same way as those who received the standard “scary” version (without further information).
- Source: Effects of Fear and Specificity of Recommendation Upon Attitudes and Behavior. It
was possible to trigger an immediate reaction only when subsequent instructions were given.
Those who received follow-up information were also more impressed with the brochure as a whole, having the opportunity to clarify more specific information from it than other participants.
Although the additional information provided in the second brochure was not exhaustive, Leventhal was able to show that our consciousness blocks information on urgency if there are no clear instructions on what to do next.
He testified that those who did not receive information about the next steps tended to convince themselves that “I do not need to worry about it because it will not happen to me, anyway”, while the participants of the second the group had no reason to feel that way because they had an action plan.
In the dry residue
Urgency may be blocked by the minds of your customers if you do not give them specific instructions on how to solve this problem. Instead of giving vague instructions, tell people what to do when the time comes, and don't be afraid to lead them to specific actions.