The Science of Influence: How to Get Anyone to Say "Yes" in 8 Minutes or Less!, Second Edition

Chapter 12. How Their Brain Buys . . . You!

When I travel to Warsaw, I ask my sponsor to get me a room at the Sheraton Hotel there. They treat me like a king. I don't think about it anymore, I just instantly know that I want to stay there (stimulus/response reinforced over time). I have the same experience at the W Hotel in Seattle and The Venetian in Las Vegas. There is zero time spent on decision making. It's all done unconsciously, and because these are based on repeatedly positive experiences, they are typically good decisions. Now, if you were to ask me if I seriously compare hotel travel plans to increase my enjoyment factor or get a better price or a better room somewhere else I'd probably say yes, and I'd probably be wrong!

Nine out of 10 consumers leaving the checkout line at a grocery store remember handling the brand they bought and the competing brand to compare it with the one they bought. Hidden cameras reveal that most individuals' memories were completely wrong. In fact, less than 1 in 10 actually handled competing brands. People regularly remember behaviors and actions that don't happen in real life, and this is critical to the influence process, sales, and marketing.

Pay attention: People anticipate purchasing their brand prior to arriving at the store and then they do indeed purchase it. (Just like I am staying at The Venetian in Las Vegas.) They believe they spend time weighing their decisions in the stores, but this isn't true. Where brands are involved, consumers ...