Persuasion master Duane Cunningham was interested to know what causes a customer to choose a product (and dating expert April Brasswell was curious curious too). 

I suppose, when it comes down to it, this is the most important question for a consumer behaviouralist like me to answer.

The difficulty is that it’s a much easier question to ask than to answer – not that that makes it a bad question, I hasten to add.

As it happens I’ve been steadily cataloguing (if that’s the right word – which it probably isn’t) the reasons that customers buy something.  You may not be surprised to learn that there are quite a lot of factors that can be involved: thus far I’ve detailed 41. 

When it comes to any single consumer purchase there may be any number of these involved and the purchase is triggered (I suspect) when enough of them exist with sufficient strength to generate the requisite level of desire for the individual concerned. 

That could be one purchase driver activated very powerfully – to give you an extreme example; we would nearly all snap up, say, a fancy pen, if we could buy it for 1% of its typical cost, irrespective of anything else (and certainly irrespective of whether we needed a new writing implement).  Equally, we would pay anything we had for a bottle of water if we’d walked out of a desert, not having drunk anything for three days.

In these hastily constructed examples our desire to save and desire to drink exist so powerfully that we wouldn’t want to stop ourselves buying.

It’s not just about our psychological desires though.  At a higher level what we’re told by someone else or the colour used on the pack can influence our choice dramatically (to name just two other factors).  This is all a by-product of how our unconscious minds’ process what they encounter (and something I explain how to harness in The Secret of Selling, if you’ll forgive the shameless plug.)

So, when it comes down to it, purchase choices are complex but not unfathomable.

Understanding your own customers is first and foremost a matter of seeing your product, service and marketing through the eye of their unconscious mind.

Philip

24 Comments

  4. JJ Jalopy

    Fascinating ideas as always Philip.

    “Understanding your own customers is first and foremost a matter of seeing your product, service and marketing through the eye of their unconscious mind.”

    I have a feeling that you’re going to unravel this for us in the days and weeks to come.

    I know I’m going to learn a ton from you writing. I’m already starting to see where I can apply these ideas in my life coaching and consulting practices.

    Thanks for this!
    JJ Jalopy

    reply to comment→
  6. Rob Northrup

    Philip,

    You are a born teacher, I want to hear you put some of this on audio recording. I will be happy to interview you for such a thing if you would like. Just think of ten good questions you want to answer and send them to me and we’ll schedule a time on my conference line to record it.

    Your ideas are well-formed and I look forward to your blog every time it comes out…

    Seize the Day,
    Rob
    Personal Asset Protection For Small Business Owners
    Have You Covered Your Assets?

    reply to comment→
  7. Yann Vernier - ProfitsTactics.com

    Your insights into how our unconscious minds process the products we encounter and how it affects our buying choices are fascinating.

    And you have a gift for explaining your expertise concisely and very clearly. It is a real treat to read your posts and I very much look forward to your next installments to see how I can apply your ideas to my business.

    All the best,
    Yann

    reply to comment→
  9. Christian Haller

    Henry Ford has been quoted as saying “If I asked my customers what they wanted, they would ask for bigger horses.” When it comes to innovative products and services, I have found it effective to know my customers needs – but not to always give them what they ask for. Instead, consider focusing on a creative solution to the needs.

    Christian

    reply to comment→
  11. Pam Schulz

    How fascinating that you have cataloged 41 factors that help determine a person’s choice. I guess though it all boils down to knowing what your customer really wants. As Lynn mentioned above, I guess this says it all with regard to customers:

    “Understanding your own customers is first and foremost a matter of seeing your product, service and marketing through the eye of their unconscious mind.”

    Interesting post!

    Pam Schulz
    http://www.greatwealth.com

    reply to comment→
  16. Duane Cunningham

    Hi Phillip,

    Well Im honored to be mentioned in your blog! And Persuasion Mater indeed..lol But this subject is just the tip of the ice berg on what motivates and triggers us to do the things we do!

    And contrary to opinion its usually has nothing to do with what might seem quite obvious at the time!

    Im looking forward to the details of your research as you share the secrets into human buying behavior!

    Duane

    Learn Winning Persuasion
    Techniques that Work Like Magic by Tapping Into the Psychology of
    the Mind with Persuasion Expert Duane Cunningham!

    Great

    reply to comment→

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