Review Conditions & Define Expectations, So Customers Achieve Total Success.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion are important. Notice: Understanding isn’t listed. Since I won’t ever understand all issues, I’m avoiding potential discriminatory stereotypes.

This analogy may seem lame, but hopefully won’t offend anybody. Please adapt this analogy with your understanding of how customers perceive themselves, their needs & opportunities.

In WHAT GOT YOU HERE WON’T GET YOU THERE, Marshall Goldsmith & Mark Reiter wrote about Success Delusion with this analogy: "The bear was about to clamp onto an unsuspecting airborne salmon jumping upstream. [An UNUM] headline read: YOU PROBABLY FEEL LIKE THE BEAR. WE’D LIKE TO SUGGEST YOU’RE THE SALMON."

Because of how people choose to perceive reality, they might overestimate skills & underestimate vulnerabilities. When conditions seem familiar, people might think they’ve accounted for all threats. After people have been ’THERE’, done that, they feel ready for it again.

I'm expanding this concept for retailing.

After using inferior products, people might claim success without considering results won’t last long. Project kits should specify completion criteria for judging success.

Though total quality depends on EACH input, people skimp on (seemingly minor) methods or products. Discounters set manufacturers’ quality standards & are less concerned about results than consumers, so differentiate with your concern about result quality.

Offer Example: ‘Before you start (project), (Store) consultations will review what’s practical & necessary for your budget & long-term success. Discounters push products to boost their profitability. (Store) inventory is chosen for your success in local conditions.’

Why Doesn’t Satisfaction Last?

Let’s anthropomorphize salmon.

Salmon stop eating when returning to spawning rivers & deplete even the best food. The healthiest salmon decline without maintenance in dangerous conditions. Keeping stomachs full depends on what goes in & how fast it’s used.

Their abilities to prepare are limited. They would thrive if they’d accept incremental knowledge & products as they progress & conditions evolve.

Though people follow instructions, they might expect benefits without looking at conditions upstream. After fulfilling requirements (without considering obstacles), people feel entitled to satisfaction (metaphorical full stomachs) without maintenance.

People might feel ready to benefit from results, but low product quality limits duration & numbers of uses.

Example: Since mowers vibrate, vibrations make cheap materials & fasteners more vulnerable to friction. As parts are damaged & overheat during normal use, cheap mowers can’t cut as much grass as good mowers.

Normal Doesn’t Mean Safe

In Jim Collins’s Hedgehog Concept, genetic encoding is ONE success criterion. Salmon & bears genetically fit natural conditions & do normal things with different results.

Since success encoding isn’t automatic, define importance of concepts (normal, results & high quality).

Offer Example: ‘Even when you do (methods) correctly, results depend on product quality. Normal local conditions might not fit discount product specifications. (Product) users are satisfied because at (Store) products & instructions are matched to goals. Because (product) is high quality, (Manufacturer) confidently warranties it for 5 years. Plus, (Store) offers guidance for choosing & using best (product) versions for your needs. If your needs change, let’s review differences & make adjustments.’

Offer successful results by helping people compare value criteria.

People overconfidently assume whoever/whatever got them ‘HERE’ is enough to keep them ‘HERE’ or help them return.

They might feel insulted if you imply they’re wrong. Explain how changing conditions disrupt ‘HERE’, so different resources & methods are necessary for stability.

Example: ‘In this case study, he used (product & method) 6 years ago because (condition change) caused (negative result). He’s been enjoying (benefit) 9 times per month because the quality is high & maintenance is easy.’

People figure they’re logical, but react emotionally. Show your store is the best source for specific benefits by integrating it with emotional reactions to logical conditions.

Example: ‘Let’s consider which factors we can optimize, so you can prioritize those factors you can make appealing & comfortable. I understand you’ve noticed (opportunity & problem) & you want (benefit). As (season) starts, (problem) increases, so you’ll need (products & methods) to create (benefit) to fit your criteria & optimize (opportunity).’

Economics was developed based on rational humans deciding what’s best. Distracted, stressed humans don’t always think logically about causes & effects.

If causes can’t be eliminated, how much cause reduction meaningfully reduces effects? If risk acceptance is necessary, what’s the most serious risk? What’s the best way to tame emotional reactions to that risk?

Back to the Analogy

People & salmon feel compelled to fulfill purposes despite difficulties & risks. Offer physical resources plus condition-specific guidance for lower difficulties & risks plus higher benefits. That fits reality because nobody can remove all risks.

Example: Sedentary living includes health problems plus possible furniture & building collapse. When we leave home to find risk reductions, we increase other risks. In effect, we tell people if they insist on doing ABC, at least reduce risks by doing X, Y & Z.

Salmon leave favorable conditions & return to what seems safe. They survived before but this time they’re adults swimming upstream. It’s different for hatchlings swimming downstream undetected in shallow water. When salmon return, they & river conditions are different.

You can explain emerging risks to persuade people to prepare based on current information, but desires, memories & society are influential. With social proof, salmon advance together confidently because they're successfully fulfilling their prime directive. They feel ready for more risks.

Maybe lamprey eels have latched on, but haven't killed them. Bear spray offers for $X seem meaningless because after evading a bear they think they can evade every bear anywhere. Beware of humans & eagles!

Logically people realize past success DOES NOT guarantee future success in medications, investments, retailing, etc. Emotionally people feel they’re in control.

If you believe or act as if your success is guaranteed to last or increase, why would you expect consumers to change stores, products &/or methods? Adjust your attitude before expecting anybody to adjust theirs.

Though rivers are shallower than lakes & oceans, fish are built for water, so what could go wrong?

Salmon skillfully, successfully swim for survival needs until CHOMP! If salmon were sentient, unawareness of bears might seem like functional hope.

Since salmon are deep water predators, they’re unfamiliar with rivers (except as hatchlings) & land-based predators. Salmon use more energy than usual while swimming upstream. Their previous swimming didn’t fully prepare them for swimming upstream & jumping while evading predators.

CHOMP Happens but Isn’t Inevitable.

Since CHOMP hasn’t happened to them yet, some will figure CHOMP only happens to others. Fatalistic fish might think CHOMP happens no matter what, so preparation won’t help.

Define avoidable & unavoidable problems, so resources are devoted to diminishing vulnerability to unavoidable problems.

Compared to fish, bears aren't as inhibited or vulnerable in those conditions. Starving salmon are vulnerable because of diminished energy & shallow water, but they MAN up - no pain, no gain.

Does pain include known &/or unknown risks? Which pain avoidance efforts reduce gain? Which gain methods cause less pain? How can pain & risks be reduced without significantly reducing progress?

To avoid misdirected advancements, it’s important to define what gains are & aren’t, so people don’t take on unnecessary pain & risks.

Stephen R. Covey wrote about leadership, management, effectiveness & efficiency in THE SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE. His analogy was managers improving working practices & conditions while pushing workers to efficiently hack through the wrong jungle. They didn’t want the leader to stop their ineffectiveness.

Customer integration includes fully effective, efficient offers. Earn repeat business with advantage offers of leadership & project management, so purchases & projects won't waste people’s money, time & energy. Preserve people’s motivation, so they’ll eagerly take on more projects.

Guide project scheduling for starting, reaching milestones & evaluating preliminary results. What would indicate it’s time to detour or change speed?

It’s important to focus on short- & long-term positive & negative effects. Immediate inconveniences might distract attention away from emerging problems.

An analogous salmon might think, “Just a little further, I can make it. It’s shallow here but I can jump.” CHOMP! “Something isn’t quite right!”

Salmon wouldn’t recognize bears as threats to avoid or which behaviors increase hazards, so jumping would seem inconveniently necessary. Fast-flowing, cloudy water is analogous to pressure for quick action. As people respond quickly, perception is limited plus internal & external resistance increase.

Whether customers are illogically certain or uncertain about opportunities & problems, your advantage offer should include clarity.

Offer Example: ‘It’s time to check for (problem) because it interferes with (opportunity). (Store) has checklists for guiding you to maximize effectiveness & efficiency. Here’s a sample: (Symptom) indicates you should (method) with (product). (Reduced symptom) indicates progress, so you should continue (method) until resolution. (Unusual symptom version) indicates an additional problem; you can test (product 1 & method 1). (Reduced symptom) indicates a successful test, so you should adjust (method 1). (Advanced symptom) indicates you should stop (method 1) & start (method 2) with (product 2). (Resolved symptom) indicates you should start the next step.’

Thank you for using my blog. Please let me know if I should clarify anything.

Copyright 2022 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

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