My encounter with neuromarketing goes back to 1994. At that time my country, Mexico, was going through one of the worst economic and financial crises in its history; the value of the dollar went from 3.4 to 7.2 Mexican pesos per dollar in just one week, very similar to the situation it is experiencing now. At that time, I worked in a family business founded by my grandmother; I remember that while people struggled not to lose their homes or cars, those of us in commerce strove to keep the few customers who dared to visit the stores.
The lack of family income from scarce sales led me to study economics because I wanted to get ahead of any crisis like the one I had lived through. Influenced by my mother, a psychologist by profession who worked in sales, I came to know neuroeconomics, a science that analyzes the role of the brain when individuals evaluate buying and selling decisions, categorizing risks and rewards. It is there that I discovered my true calling, marketing, since while economic principles tell us that as we lower a product’s price sales go up, in reality that is not always so.
Until now, we marketers thought that by correctly applying all the fields of action of marketing we could access and persuade the consumer’s mind, thus increasing our chances of selling. However, with the arrival of neuromarketing, a new way of analyzing the customer’s brain processes when making the purchase decision, we can use that knowledge to increase sales.
If you are looking to help your customers make a purchase decision, follow these neuromarketing tips. I assure you that you will be surprised.
The customer is your best friend.
Communication with customers should bring them closer to your business; to achieve this, use the words “you” (tú or usted), as this will create a more personalized bond. Remember that to win someone’s trust, we must get close and get to know them: ask them what they like or what their needs are. Surely the next time they need a product or service they will remember you as their first option, just because of the attention you gave them at that moment.
Good stories for excellent female buyers.
Those of us in sales know that selling to a woman can be a bit more complicated than selling to a man. Neuromarketing teaches us that women have emotional strength and that their purchase decisions are less rational regarding functionality, price and quality; and that the products they prefer are those that let them experience emotions when using them. To start a good buying process and help your customer, talk with her and listen to her. If you have an interesting story about the product you sell, tell it to her. In the case of women with children or family, think that she is looking for something that benefits her loved ones.
Your product and its 3 best features.
If your potential customer visits your website looking for information about your product or service and finds countless benefits, they may sense some confusion that ends up diverting them from their decision. Focus on a maximum of 3 attributes that define and highlight your product’s differentiating value against the competition. A clean, direct message sells more than one crammed with text.
Male audience, tech-minded and modern.
Men tend to look for products that let them be at the technological forefront and show their mastery in front of their peers. By nature, they need to see a wide variety of products and learn about their functionality, usability, practicality, etc. Place the products within their reach so they can examine them carefully. Use brief sales arguments that make him feel like the leader who, through that product, will be able to “provide” and protect his family or loved ones.
Generate your own success stories.
“A satisfied customer brings 2 more customers, but a dissatisfied customer takes away 8”. If you want your customers to be your best business partners, strive to offer them the best service. Without a doubt, a satisfied customer will agree to leave a favorable comment on your Facebook FanPage, which will be seen by all your followers, even those who are just getting to know your brand. If we get our own success stories, we create that perception of being a reliable and efficient service provider, two attributes that customers welcome.
Want to sell? Launch an offer.
The old trick used by Middle Eastern sales masters such as the Jews and the Arabs brings us excellent results today. Phrases such as “Clearance sale”, “Promotion of the month” or “End-of-season offer” act on people’s brains as a clear invitation to take advantage of that opportunity that “will never happen again”. If you make an attractive offer to your customers and promote it by email or through your website, your sales of that product, and of others in your catalog, are likely to increase.
If you want to grow your business, use neuromarketing, since it will drive you to innovate in the fields of action of traditional marketing: market intelligence, product or service design, communications, pricing, branding, positioning, targeting, channels and sales.
Although it is new and its path is just beginning, this discipline has a long way to go, but without a doubt it will let you not only market your products more assertively, but also create products aligned with people’s needs to grow your business. Interested?
*Special collaboration by Francisco Nuñez Ávila, Marketing Manager at Altavoz Comunicaciones; advisor on advertising strategies; and speaker on marketing and digital marketing topics.
