What is more important: the factual reality or the customer's feeling?

Eliav Ellof takes the "3 things I learned this week" format to marketing thinking that we like: what will have more influence on the customer's reaction, the actual facts or what you made him feel?

You probably know the answer in advance, and still - this is also an article that you will be happy to add to your set of professional decision tools.

Eliav Allof

07/26/2022

Tuesday, July 26, 2022, 10:33 p.m. Updated: 11:19 p.m.

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What do we really know about what is important to them? (Photo: Unsplash)

Remember the movement problems in math classes at school?

We were taught that time is time, distance is distance, and speed is speed.

And with facts, you can't argue.

If you are an engineer - you probably agree with this.

Because in the world of engineering, there is only one correct answer.

But if you live in a world of people and marketing, is that still true?

Let's check.

1. What is more important to us: the physical facts or our feeling?

(1) Which of the following would you like to receive on your next flight to the USA:

A. (clean) porcelain toilets

B. WIFI service that really works...

C. A psychologist who helps anxious people!

D. An innovative fuel injection system on the plane

(2) What things are important to you: essential, expensive and important things or trivial things and things that are relatively cheap and easy to do?

Do you value an investment of 100 million dollars in a new plane (remember which model of plane you flew in? Are you sure?) or an investment of several thousand dollars per flight, so that Is there anything memorable about it? (Do you remember what you had for dessert on the last flight?)

For example, which is better, flying on a 787 or having tiramisu for dessert? By

the way, in your experience, which things do airlines prefer to invest in: the objective facts or the subjective feelings?

As consumers, do you like airlines ?

2. How many types of time are there?

Example A:

You enter a restaurant, the host seats you.

But long minutes pass, and still the waiter does not treat you.

After 10 minutes, you get really angry and call the waiter.

He apologizes, takes the order, brings drinks and... returns to Suru.

After 25 minutes, you suddenly notice that the food still hasn't arrived.

Question: Which period of time felt longer: the 10 minutes or the 25 minutes?

There are two insurance companies, and both pay the claims in the same period of time, more or less (say, 14 days).

And it happens, sometimes, that the check is delayed for a few days.

But the customers are not interested.

In one company, complaints were received from customers about the slow rate of payment.

"You know how to get money, but when you have to pay, you take your time, eh?!"

The customers scolded them.

what did they do?

The logical thing, apparently.

They invested in technological infrastructure, improved the skill of the workforce and closed a special agreement with a courier company, and now the checks reach the customers in only 3 days.

impressive!

It cost them over 6 million shekels (and continues to cost them a few million more every year) but it's important to maintain customer satisfaction, isn't it?

In the other company, the situation was the same.

But instead of investing money in technology, couriers and personnel, they simply informed customers that payment for a claim is due "within 30 days."

In the second company they still receive calls from customers, but not complaints, but compliments.

Why?

Because the checks arrive within 14 days, which is much faster than the customers expected.

Time is the same time, but the (low) costs and (excellent) results of the second company remind us: the perception of humans is relative.

Good, bad, slow, fast.

It all depends on what.

There is physical, objective time, and there is subjective time.

The clock is the same clock, the facts are the same facts and the reality is the same reality - but the feeling is completely different.

3. Which arrives faster to Eilat: flying or traveling by train?

Suppose there was a fast train from Tel Aviv to Eilat.

And let's say the trip was 3 hours long.

Would you prefer a train or a flight?

Apparently, a flight is shorter (45 minutes), this means that a train will take 4 times longer.

But not really...

because there is the first part, where we have to get to the airport, go through a security check, and, in general, suffer an "efficient" experience from Monopoly (the airport authority) who doesn't care about how we feel (they are here for security , not for our good feeling, God forbid).

Then at the end of the flight, we again have a not very pleasant experience, again, courtesy of the same public entity.

In between, there can be air pockets and flight delays or your suitcase will disappear, for example.

And when we land in Eilat... well, it's not really Eilat.

Now we have another harrowing ride.

Then another taxi to the hotel.

ippppppp

In our imaginary train, we can arrive 15 minutes early - with our tablet - and watch a series or a movie from Netflix.

Or connect to the high speed internet and spend hours on social media.

Or read, write, work, go through emails, etc.

In other words, for quite a few people, 3 hours by train can be a "shorter" experience than 45 minutes of flying - in subjective time, of course.

Facts are great when you're engineers, but it's not the same in the world of people.

When people buy, they don't use the same areas of the brain that work when we sell.

And where the selling mind thinks, the buying mind feels.

For an engineer, a minute is a minute.

For customers and consumers, there is an hour that feels like a moment and there is a minute that feels like an eternity.

If you want to change the facts - it is possible, but it is usually expensive and not always worthwhile.

And if your intuition is to change the customers' perception?

You probably understand a thing or two about marketing.

4. Bonus:

If you still think that facts are the only thing that matters, ask yourself the following question: how can it be that in most companies, there is someone who handles public relations, marketing, sales and advertising - but there is no director of facts?

Eliav Ellof is a consultant for marketing strategy and storytelling and the author of the book "Being plasticine in a world of screws".

• Marketing and digital

• Performer

Tags

• psychology

• Persuasion