11 Feb Brain or Gut?

Advertisers have known for years that the way to a purchase is through the gut. That people make decisions on an emotional basis and then rationalize them after the fact. Agencies spend millions of dollars in all kinds of research to figure out how to connect with their target emotionally.

Seems to me that the sales process is a more left brain rational activity, focusing on things like objection handling, price and other elements that make a prospect ultimately choose you. Similarly, the marketing process can be considered more of a right brain activity, focusing on creating a value-based, emotional connection between your brand and your target. Think about this. When marketing creates a strong desire for something, people will find a way to buy it, even if it’s not practical or even in their budget. Really, does anybody actually need a $5000 handbag?

When decisions are made in the gut, people are more likely to own their decisions. They want to justify them. The bond between a brand and a user is tightened by that justification and is more likely to withstand “hiccups” in the relationship. When decisions are made only in the brain, there is less ownership.  Your customer might wind up with things like “buyer’s remorse” or be  less forgiving of a relationship “hiccup”.

Which is why…drum roll please…we need both a marketing and a sales process that work cohesively and synergistically. We create the gut decision through marketing but then, through sales, provide all the rationale as to why it’s the right decision. And it keeps that second guessing out of the mix.

Not or but and. Brain and gut. Sales and marketing.