Today, I have three interesting business tidbits for you:
1. A Peek into the Brain of Shoppers
What happens when buyers' brains when they consider difficult purchasing decisions? Researchers Akshay Rao from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota, and William Hedgcock from the University of Iowa, have published a very interesting study in the Journal of Marketing Research.
Using MRI scans, the researchers have discovered what they call "The Attraction Effect." If you're considering purchasing a sweater, let's imagine that you have your purchase narrowed down to two possibilities. You like both sweaters, but are having trouble deciding between the two. When a third option is introduced into the mix, and when this third option is a less appealing one, the research study's subjects found the decision was easier than when two sweaters were being considered. And the MRI showed the subjects were experiencing more pleasure when the third option was present.
What can sellers take away from this? Give your customers a third option. I've been teaching the "three option" technique for years. If you sell life insurance, give your prospects a quote on three different policies at three different price-points rather than just providing two.
Read The Attraction Effect.
2. Top Sales Bloggers
Using data from several sources, Business Technology and Sales 411 (www.BTS411.com) has just published their list of the top 15 sales bloggers who are also power twitter users. There are some great bloggers on the list (Ian Brodie, Will Fultz, Art Sobczak, and Shane Gibson for example). I'm honored to have earned the #11 spot on the list for this Selling to Consumers Sales Blog. See the complete list of the top sales bloggers.
3. What is the Difference Between Marketing and Selling?
• Respected marketing guru Seth Godin says the role of selling is to overcome the customer's natural resistance to buying. I agree. Read sales is overcoming resistance.
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Skip Anderson is the Founder of Selling to Consumers Sales Training, a B2C and retail sales training and management consulting company. Skip is mad about helping companies and individuals sell more.
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