We can perceive, experience, and communicate feelings as humans. That’s our claim to fame as a species. Sure, other species feel things, but we can actually describe what we feel.
We also know that emotions drive customer (and employee) behavior, but most of us are still in the dark when it comes to connecting with customers and motivating desired behaviors. We tend to guess and experiment.
A recent article in Harvard Business Review, “The New Science of Customer Emotions” by Scott Magids, Alan Zorfas, and Daniel Leemon, sheds more light on what actually moves us to feel something, do something, or buy something.
The authors have found hundreds of “emotional motivators” that drive buying behavior. Below are 10 that stand out consistently across all categories studied:
Emotion: I want to stand out from crowd
Action: Help customers be seen as special
Emotion: I want to have confidence in the future.
Action: Help customers perceive the future as better than the past
Emotion: I want to enjoy a sense of well-being
Action: Help customers seek a stress-free state without conflicts
Emotion: I want to feel a sense of freedom
Action: Help customers act independently without restrictions
Emotion: I want to feel a sense of thrill
Action: Help customers experience pleasure and excitement
Emotion: I want to feel a sense of belonging
Action: Help customers feel part of a group
Emotion: I want to protect the environment
Action: Help customers take action to improve the environment
Emotion: I want to be the person I want to be
Action: Help customer fulfill desire for self-improvement
Emotion: I want to feel secure
Action: Help customers pursue goals and dreams without worry
Emotion: I want to succeed in life
Action: Help customers feel that they lead meaningful lives
When we connect emotionally, we’re more likely to meet customers as they are, where they are. We also have a better chance of giving them what they want and need.
And at the same time, we secure what our businesses need: a new source of competitive advantage and growth.
Get more emotional by using customer case studies, use cases, profiles and success stories. When done right, they have the right mix of problems, solutions, results – and emotion.
Have a great week.
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