Understanding Consumer Behavior and Emotional Selling

Let me tell you a story of typical consumer behavior as it relates to emotional selling. It's embarrassing, it's about me, and it's a true story.

Years ago as a single parent with two kids I got a crazy idea that I needed a new Mercedes to enhance my image. The car I was driving was 14 years old and rusty. I had just started a career as an insurance agent and since I believed I'd be making mega bucks soon I wanted to look successful. More than that, I felt I deserved a new car.

Before I go any further note that what prompted me to visit the Mercedes dealer was all emotion driven. The emotion here is a desire for prestige - which is pride. This is typical of consumer behavior and is critical to understand if you're to be successful at emotional selling.

Anyway, what do you think was the first thing the car salesman did? Did the salesman have to pressure me? No, he just focused on what he knew about consumer behavior and guided me along a path of emotional selling. He invited me sit in the model I liked while he got the keys so I could take it for a ride. I chose the two-seater convertible. Remember this point: I had two young children.

Nonetheless once I cranked that baby up I was sold. The smell of the leather interior, the quietness of the ride, the power under the accelerator, the overall feeling of seeing my friends' expressions of awe as I drove to the office was too much for the logical side of my mind. I wanted that car.

By the time we got back to the showroom I was frantically trying to justify in my mind that cramming those two kids into the one passenger seat would be OK. In the end I was saved from my folly only by the fact that I really didn't qualify financially for the car.

As a customer my consumer behavior tagged me as a perfect example of someone on an emotional selling track. Actually I had sold myself.

I was sold on the emotional aspects of the car despite the logic against it. I was trying to justify my decision. That's called rationalizing. We do it all the time and so do your customers.

The key point to remember is we buy for emotional reasons.

Need convincing? Well, do you buy your clothes by the case? Why not? If you bought white shirts and black pants or dresses by a case lot of 24 think of the money you'd save. Plus you'd never have to waste time worrying about what to wear.

So why doesn't anyone do that? It's certainly the logical thing to do.

No one does that because we like colors and different styles. And we feel better in certain types of clothes. Consumer behavior is emotional. Emotional selling doesn't have to involve pressure or dramatics, just a helpful hand guiding your consumer toward fulfilling their emotional desires.

What are some of the most powerful emotions? If you're Catholic you already know. They're listed in the seven deadly sins. For the rest of you, here they are...1) Fear (2) Greed (3) Vanity (4) Lust (5) Pride (6) Envy (7) Laziness.

Another powerful one you need to be aware of is Curiosity. Think of the check-out line at the supermarket lined with all those magazines. Some of the headlines are, "Pope Visits Aliens from Mars," "Hillary Opens Tattoo Parlor" Even people we might think are too sophisticated to be reached by such headlines - such as executives of major corporations - are dying inwardly out of curiosity to know what that story is all about.

What motivates your consumer? What is your consumer's behavior? Discover the muscle behind emotional selling by identifying the emotions driving your sales. Then weave your appeals to those emotions in your ads and personal presentations. It'll make a big difference.

And remember this, there is always a person involved, so there is emotion to some degree involved. Even if you sell to the government and deal with a purchasing agent who seems to care less, there is an emotional element somewhere. The very fact a buyer has an attitude is a sign of an emotional involvement. For instance, maybe this person has been passed over for promotion or raise because of bad dealings with suppliers. If you can befriend this person and go out of your way to make him/her look good to his/her bosses, you'll find yourself in a favored position.

Lastly, using emotions is not a tool to manipulate but to ease the purchasing process. You still have to deliver on your promises of a good product or service. But understanding consumer behavior to help you incorporate emotional selling into your presentations smooths the pathway to success.

Success rings the cash register. And when the cash register rings we all get bigger paychecks so we can play harder when we're not working. And that would make us all feel better wouldn't it?