Rational versus emotional – inside the mind of your buyer

1. Summary:
In B2B marketing, using emotion is actually rather rational.
Inside the mind of the buyer.

4. OBJECTION!
But this is ‘charity/consumer/whatever’
We’re in B2B.
Please go away.

5. Emotion IS important
Because business people are still people.
They just happen to be at work.

6. _Open this email!
_Visit my website!
_Download this whitepaper!
_Follow me on Twitter!
(And even occasionally):
Buy something!
We’re in the business of persuasion.

7. So how’s that going?
www.earnest-agency.com
Too often we miss the mark
Or we get it right, but don’t know why…

8. We’ve always made two big assumptions
No.1
That business people are rational
They have access to a vast amount of buyer research info which they use actively.
They make informed decisions.
They weigh up all the options in an objective way

9. The truth: people are really weird
We are always lacking consideration time
We are inherently lazy thinkers
We are hugely subject to biases.

10. No.2
That it’s a SINGLE decision
With clear collaboration
That’s logically thought through
Based on business reasons

11. The truth:
A 9 month sales cycle is more like 100 ‘micro-yesses’
Each micro-yes is likely to be HIGHLY emotive
“The buyers pipeline requires a series of micro-yesses before getting to that macro yes.”
Brandon Stamschrar, MECLABS

12. Proof: persuasion is predictably unpredictable
Vs

13. The science bit
Behavioural economics
A blend of neuro-science and behavioural psychology
NOT made up by science fiction writers or mentalists
NOT a silver bullet*
(*always include a caveat…)

14. What does it give us?
A research-based framework for how we think
What drives us.
And ultimately, how we make decisions.

15. Underpinning everything we do – two systems of thinking
www.earnest-agency.com
What did you think about this morning?
What tasks & actions did you do?
Were they the same?

16. A science-based framework for marketing
Source: D Kahneman. Thinking Fast and Slow

17. This is how our brains like to operate
Source: D Kahneman. Thinking Fast and Slow

18. Some scary stats

19. www.earnest-agency.com
Because without it, things like this would kill us.
Image: Unsplash.com <Thomas Lefebvre>
Why?

20. Back to persuasion
How do we make people say ‘yes’?
How do we become a ‘system 1 marketer’?

21. Cognitive ease
Goal architecture
Framing
Biases

22. Cognitive ease

23. Simple, clear language
Familiar
Repetitive
Human endorsement
Smile / good mood
Complicated
Change
‘One off’
‘Lonely decision’
Intangible
Reduce (perceived) pain. Increase (perceived) gain.

24. COMPLEX
=
COGNITIVE STRAIN
HARDER TO UNDERSTAND
=
PAINFUL
=
HIGHER PERCEIVED
RISK
=

25. Framing and our terrible ability to make decisions

26. Framing and our terrible ability to make decisions
84%
16%

27. Framing and our terrible ability to make decisions
16%
84%

28. Goal drivers
“To understand people one needs to understand what leads them to act as they do, and to understand what leads them to act as they do one needs to know their goals.”

29. www.earnest-agency.com
Think of them like this…
EXPLICIT
goals
IMPLICIT goals
Category specific
Driven by the organisation
Need to demonstrate you satisfy these goals to be ABLE to be considered
Buyer specific
Driven by the individual
Will differentiate your offer and RAISE consideration

30. Our response? ‘Issues-based marketing’.
(Sounds a good idea, actually flawed…)

31. Cut your costs!
Business agility!
Improve productivity!
Business transformation!
Streamlined efficiency!
Great ROI!

32. Fulfilling explicit goals is a hygiene factor not differentiating

33. Personal value trumps business value x 2

34. Earnest Goal Matrix: Goal Drivers in B2B
Progress
Stimulation
Recognition
Avoidance
Obligation
Control
PROMOTION
PREVENTION
I need to do this to get ahead
I need to do this to learn / because it looks interesting
I need to do this to look good
I need to avoid losing out / losing something
I need to do this because it’s expected of me
I need to do this to stay in control
Gain an advantage over others; Lead the field
Personal discovery; Learning experience;
Receive acclaim;
advance career
Be secure; Prevent losses; Avoid threats
Need to comply; fulfill promises; Be true to my word
Stay on top; Maintain status quo; Be empowered
Go-getter
Status seeker
Adventurer
Worrier
Controller
Box-ticker
Implicit goals
Primary driver
Motivations
Persona

35. www.earnest-agency.com
When it comes to asking the question:
Which of these service providers will do the best job?
Buyers can end up asking:
Which of these sales people do I like the best?
Which of these brands will my boss have heard of?
Isn’t it easier to go with the guys we’ve always used?
Image: Flickr <Creative Commons>
Biases

36. Authority
Reciprocity
Scarcity
Commitment
Liking
Social proof
Anchoring
Personal

37. Example 1: Xero

38. Example 2: Misys

39. “Marketing. It’s hardly rocket science.”
“But it is neuro-science.”
“Hmm.”

40. Some further reading
Thinking fast and slow
D Kahnemann
Predictably Irrational
Dan Ariely
Decoded
Phil Barden

41. www.earnest-agency.com
earnest-agency.com
@earnestagency
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Subject line: Yes