H umanity’s greatest hope, is the hope that the decisions we make are the right ones. There’s a hope in every one of us that desperately wants to avoid a world where we don’t fit in, or where our thoughts don’t make sense, or that we sink low into a point of no return.
The ways this manifests are countless. But here are some that I’ve seen in myself and other people:
— Checking house prices well after buying a house to confirm they got a good deal:
“I hope I made the right decision”
— Looking at a movie review after they just watched that movie only to confirm that they have good taste:
“I hope I like the right things.”
— Reading news that only confirms their world view:
“I hope I’m as smart as I think I am.”
We don’t want to be wrong. And every one of us hopes that we’re right. But the hard thing is, we’re not always sure.
Make them sure about their decision
As a marketer, or a small business owner, or even just a decent person, congratulate people for the decisions they make.
It seems surface level and silly, but people are desperate for any sort of affirmation, particularly when they spend money.
But how?
Your quickest win is the email (or other comms) you send after someone buys something. This part of the process is incredibly underutilized. I think many marketers have an email like this, but don’t make the most of it and don’t tap into a crucial human insight.
My experience
One of the best purchase experiences I had was for a particularly expensive advertising book I bought. In the post purchase communication, Brian here talked about how I was joining an elite group of other book owners and that I was going to get a helluva lot out of it.
- Brian here made me feel good for spending.
- He made me feel silly for doubting.
- And best of all, he reinforced all the reasons I bought it in the first place ie. it gave me talking points to brag about.
I didn’t have the post-purchase regret, and even when I received the book there was another sheet of paper within the package that reinforced the same points again.
The bottom line
Help people feel the decision they made was the right one.
Make people feel good about their purchase, or risk them regretting it.
