Study after study reaffirms that a customer’s emotion trumps their logic in the decision-making process. One of the most persuasive emotions is that of congruency, or being consistent with your values, rhetoric, and actions. Some may say that we are mentally lazy, others that we are just being consistent to a personal declaration or value. Regardless of the reason, the fact is that it is human nature to retain our personal credibility by remaining consistent to word and deed. Facts and logic just don’t have the same power over us that emotions do.
This is the primary reason it so important to understand others before we attempt to be understood. When we genuinely see things from the other’s perspective, we are better suited to speak to their paradigm.
In many cases people have yet to form a position on a specific issue. Rather than immerse ourselves in every issue, most of give credibility to another person or group in which we believe we share general interest and beliefs . . . this is referred to as social proof. Just think of the TV sitcoms, the producers figured out a long time ago that laugh tracks are a heavy influence on whether we think something is funny or not. Still not convinced? Marketers have proven that the number one indicator that consumers utilize in determining the highest quality product (assuming they have not yet used the product) of similar products on the retailer’s shelf is . . . the highest price brand.
So, if you are trying to persuade people to trust and believe you, then you would be better off to speak to the beliefs they already hold rather than trying to sway them with facts and figures. And the key is to know what and who they believe in . . . you discover that when you take the time to truly understand them.