There are entire classes, sections of libraries, careers, even countless scientific studies dedicated to the field of consumer behavior. The reason for that is clear, customers and their desire or lack of desire for products and services determine the success or failure of each and every business.
Fortunately, there is one simple idea that encompasses all that is important about consumer behavior. That is ‘pull’. Create pull and you are most of the way to a successful business.
So what exactly is pull? Pull is demand and it is all the factors that make customers seek your product or service. In order to understand how to create pull, you have to truly understand what your customer’s wants and needs are. Try to understand what motivates your potential customers. Analyze their thought process, the set of decisions that they progress through on the journey toward buying your product.
The simplest way to do this is to first look at yourself, if you were going to purchase your product what would you be considering? Going through the buying process alongside your customers will help you identify places that you can better serve their needs, eliminate doubt, and make the decision simpler.
Remember that advertising is the opposite of pull, it is push. Be careful not to focus all your efforts on push tactics. While they may be effective, a carefully identified need and subsequent pull strategy will have longer lasting, sustained impact on sales. The two can work in powerful tandem and can be used to further the relationship between customers and yourself.
Ride Like A Penguin, Create Pull. Where are you?