Is Logic Limiting Your Sales?

Think about the last car you purchased. Did you buy it because it had more steel per square millimetre than its competitor? Did you choose it because it had a few extra square metres of leather than other cars in its class? I’m quite confident you did not. Those would be logical reasons to buy a vehicle.

People buy a car for emotional reasons. They buy it because they feel good behind the wheel. They buy it because they like the way they look behind the wheel. They buy it because they think their friends, co-workers or dates will admire them. They buy it because they want to be environmentally conscious. The list could go on, but I think you get my point. The process of making a car purchase decision is emotional, not logical.

In fact, almost every purchase we make stems from the emotional side of the brain. Whether it’s choosing which restaurant to eat at on Friday night or deciding which financial advisor in which to invest our money, nearly every decision is emotionally driven.

All too often, marketers and business owners make the mistake of trying to sell to the logical side. They fill their advertisements with features and benefits and fail to address the emotional needs of their consumers. This is the most common mistake I see and the one that’s sure to sink your advertising ship.

The interesting thing I’ve found is that the bigger the purchase, the more the emotional side is the driving force. You’d think it would be the other way around and logic would win out when more money is on the line, but it’s not. Higher price tag purchases are almost always about the feeling they give.

The next time you’re drafting your ad copy, think of ways to appeal to the emotional side of the brain. Instead of stating logical reasons to buy your product or service, tell people how they’ll feel using it. Give them a clear picture of how it will affect their wellbeing. Show them how using it will transform their life. If you do, you’ll start getting a lot more sales requests.

Now the logical side of our brain does play a part in the process. The logical side is what justifies the emotional purchase. So don’t think you can ignore the logical reasons that make your product or service the right choice. Make sure that information is on your website, brochures and other easy to find places for buyers. Just don’t make the mistake of highlighting too many logical cues in your advertising.

Advertising isn’t cheap (and if it is, buyer beware) so there often isn’t room for making a mistake or having a dud. Start highlighting emotional triggers and you’re going to have a much higher chance of success.

The above is an excerpt from Gabe’s new book, The 7 Elements of Highly Effective Advertising. You can grab your free copy, here.