Can We Get Irrational for a Moment?

"The most common frustration I see, and I see it daily, comes from marketers who can't figure out why more people won't buy their product," says Seth Godin in a post at his blog. All the rational arguments in the world, it seems, won't dissuade irrational customers from giving their business to a lesser competitor.

"You know that your car is more aerodynamic," reports Godin. "You know that your insulation is more effective. You know that your insurance has a higher ROI." A sale should be as simple as proving your value to the customer, right? But you won't come to terms with a customer's reticence—or find a way to resolve it—until you realize he's not interested in charts and graphs.

Rather, argues Godin, he's considering a million abstract variables like what his boss will think; how difficult a switchover might be; or, perhaps, whether the decision will have a positive impact on his professional reputation. Even the best fact-and-figures speech holds little sway in the presence of these considerations.

The Po!nt: Don't appeal to irrational attitudes with a rational pitch. "The opportunity," says Godin, "is not to insist that your customers get more rational, but instead to embrace just how irrational they are."

Source: Seth Godin's Blog. Click here for the full post.

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