Brand Love & Functional Hope Are Scalable & Inspire Functional Optimism.

(Note: I’m not advocating Harlow’s experiments. To avoid stereotyping humans, let’s continue analogizing stressful circumstances by extrapolating Harry Harlow’s findings.)

Psychology & marketing involve human interactions with & reactions against factors altering life-quality.

Observing people's successful actions inspires hope. Customer integrators help with plans for learning about conditions & skills to build functional hope.

When customers successfully create & consistently preserve value, functional optimism blossoms. Functionally Optimistic customers will likely return to buy resources to upgrade/renew/maintain functional value.

Factors plus human interactions/reactions cause additional planned or unplanned effects/factors which bring more interactions/reactions. Continuous interactions & reactions involve relating to/with people, functions, dysfunctions, products & ideas/beliefs because these relate to major life factors.

Avoidance/Escapes fail when problems aren't identified. Customers need insightful guidance to avoid/escape negative certainties. Customer integrators optimize retailing by being parent-like confidantes & guides.

Since maternal relationships are important, inadequate “nurturing” stressed Harlow’s newborns. Without maternal guidance for finding & using resources, newborns were stressed by unrecognized gaps.

Niche newbies might fill perceived gaps & suffer from worse unrecognized/unremedied gaps. Customers’ misperceptions interfere with using insightful information about where/how to seek remedies.

Interactions contribute/inflict quality changes, so people alter plans & learn skills or must delegate/recruit/hire managers to adjust results. Having similar conditions & goals, people can share costs & benefits of contractors/retailers to guide choices for creating advantages.

After delegating/relying on specialists, customers rest or resume other priorities fitting personal specialties. Specialized brain cells process input until fatigued. Task-switching can somewhat unburden/reset some cells.

Some mental stress comes from personal & social expectations. People need temporary distance from responsibilities & expectations. Hired helpers allow rest. Recreation releases pressure.

People want logical reasons to fulfill emotional desires. If individual benefits don’t seem totally logical, explain how/why combined benefits create logical advantages.

Example: Seeming low-priority entertainment is important to restore energy with positive feelings. People need stress-relief to feel secure enough for unfamiliar possibilities.

New logical plans can fail & confidence fades, when people are distracted by previous results deteriorating. Loss-avoidance is prioritized over gains. Tension saps energy. Despite seeming oxymoronic, rest is more productive after enjoyment releases tense energy.

Since people might misunderstand & dismiss sparse offers, compellingly explain the logic & how you aid customers with productivity through relaxation &/or activities. Provide vital insights to justify attention because short, bland advertising is easy to ignore.

Enjoyable novelty might attract passing interest which people might repeat. You might sell enjoyable novelties occasionally. To form relationships, you & customers should share philosophical grips like rescued people gripping rescuers’ hands.

Customer integration relates/attaches to customers' lives with advantage offers fulfilling important criteria. Projects should stop/mitigate/prevent current & further threats, so customers have less stress/boredom & better focus for successful learning & implementation.

Integration adds value, replaces missing elements &/or strengthens/restores/supports necessities for completely functional units. People might settle for inadequate functionality because they haven't observed, experienced or learned anything better. Advantage offers should open experiential worlds (variety) with insightful knowledge & observations.

Offer Acceptance Criterion: Customers wonder how they used-to/would manage without your updated advantages. Despite competitors/substitutes, your advantages add/preserve better specialness. Advantage offers upgrade life-quality which energizes/empowers customers to directly increase progress.

Build Value Oases. Compete with Value Deserts.

Like Harlow's babies retreated to cloth-covered surrogates for comfort, people can tolerate stress by remembering their comfort oases. When you offer high-quality oasis elements, compellingly explain necessity of relief which differentiates your advantages.

Recovery & high-stress avoidance are valuable immediately & long-term, plus revitalized people can create & maintain more personal/familial/social value. Revitalization refills people with things removed or injured by stress.

You & influencers might recommend kits (products/techniques) based on observed &/or experienced triumphs & disappointments. Help members understand by specifically describing people’s progress from projects.

Progress can mean increased distance from threats/chaos &/or increased proximity to opportunities. Like gardeners evaluate progress: Vegetables thrive. Weeds don't.

Some projects are successful by eliminating troubles & establishing distance from threats/chaos, so step-by-step progress is trackable.

Despite imperfect conditions, you can help people focus productively by decreasing inaccurate guesses/diagnoses & problem-induced stresses. Guide customers' preparations so interference isn't inevitable.

Rechecking for troubles is necessary, time-consuming maintenance. Since planning can reduce surprises & scheduling can reduce disrupting other activities, what indicates necessary prevention practices & repairs?

Offers can be advantageous when projects don’t disrupt lives. If people must reschedule activities, offers are less convenient & interfere with other productive projects.

To gather food Rhesus mothers leave or bring babies who desire playing & wandering/exploring. If surrogates were constantly available, babies had bad choices: Hunger/thirst or painful wire surrogates.

When customers are dissatisfied by available options, guide evaluations of situations improved by options. Which improved situation is better?

Checking My Back-trail. Where’d I Go Wrong?

Many course-changes make meandering back-trails & details pile onto current inconveniences & emerging unfamiliar factors. Retailer teammates' offers should decrease disruptions.

Combine insightful knowledge to prioritize destinations & routes out of current circumstances. Avoid/Decrease concerns of problems recurring & endless journeys/projects by defining indicators of completed/successful changes.

Customized option offers inspire pleasant anticipation of relief. People are relieved by achieved goals but are more concerned about losses than gains.

Relief might focus backward when people realize problems stopped “pursuing” them, so they feel free to pursue happiness.

Develop advantage offers by adding insightful knowledge about niche members’ internal lives plus local/external obstacles, threats & opportunities. Your great offers will fail if most members wonder ‘BUT what if (trouble) keeps happening/happens again? Then (opportunity) won’t help me!’

Offer Example: ‘(Indications) show (problem) emerging. As (problem) gains momentum, do you feel pursued? (Store) consultations find techniques for using (products). When you advance, (problem) won’t chase you.’

Contractors serve travelers/snowbirds who don’t let property concerns inhibit enjoyment. Before sensors & phone apps, properties were monitored by neighbors/relatives without knowledge or equipment for diagnoses or repairs. Experiences can be fully enjoyed whether customers get alerts & call contractors or alerts go to contractors.

Whether your retailer teammates prevent, remedy or mitigate threats, help customers justify purchasing practical protection. Help customers maximize advantages & return refreshed to their regular or better lives with lighter moods & more energy.

Ensure customers’ conditions don’t deteriorate, so project prioritization is less stressful. Stress builds & negates delights when over-stretched/burdened people try reaching for physical necessities & delights.

What do you provide to bring value into customers’ reach or bring them closer to destinations?

People may be more vulnerable when reaching for unfamiliar benefits. Threats might overtake distracted people while they’re reaching.

Mentally & physically reaching while balancing, people simultaneously focus on proprioception & conserving desired value. Splitting focus may interfere with value retention/creation when inattention drops things.

People might struggle to retain low-value if they don't recognize better options.

Though newborns didn’t have comparisons/memories, surrogates had low value.

People might focus mostly on backtrails to detect threats & fret about weaknesses/vulnerabilities. Others charge ahead by focusing on opportunities & desires to preserve/improve strengths. Pursuing happiness is troublesome when people feel they're pursued.

When emerging/pursuing problems seem inevitable, people might surrender instead of checking horizons & planning/preparing prevention, mitigation or solutions.

Procrastinators & overwhelmed people might not check horizons or accept warnings. Go-getters might retrieve previously successful resources & assume new results are effective.

Analogy: Patients previously stopped antibiotic prescriptions when they felt better & saved pills for future infections/sicknesses. Medication potencies decrease; plus, weakened microbes can reproduce & recover to reinfect, then stop patients’ recoveries. Mutated microbes become resistant to treatments.

Suspicious patients/consumers might think physicians/advertisers lie/exaggerate claims about product effectiveness &/or problem severities.

Do niche members perceive governmental, educational &/or local authorities/influence

Review whether customers know how factors interact or might expect unlikely interactions. Customers might uncomfortably listen to lessons of possible mistakes.

Consultations review how current factors & actions can bring unexpected benefits & drawbacks. Potential benefits can inspire curiosity, so customers feel better about listening.

Empathetically cover how much/many actions are necessary to avoid drawbacks including stopping too soon, so customers schedule enough time. Empathy improves rapport & decreases defensiveness, so customers aren’t concerned about immediate pride & focus on how results might affect reputations.

Consultations decrease customers’ Cognitive Labor so they can focus on remembering/relearning & learning skills.

I'm including more quotes/excerpts than usual to bring more value. The full article has more insightful information.

Brand Love Scales—So Stop Settling for Being Liked by Doug Zarkin

https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/brand-love-friend-zone-stop-settling/

"Real growth comes when a brand moves from liked to loved, from acquaintance to advocate. And that transformation doesn’t happen through gimmicks or one-time stunts—it’s built through consistent, emotionally resonant experiences that create brand love."

"It starts with understanding your consumer’s pain points, aspirations, and rhythms."

"It demands curiosity, empathy & humility to realize trust is earned in small, consistent moments—not grand gestures."

"You start by asking better questions. 'What would make them want to come back?' 'How do I remove friction and add meaning?' You reframe marketing as a relationship, not a transaction."

"They’re necessary, not loved. When a better alternative shows up, they’re the first to fall."

Inspire “Brand Love” to create Customer Integration.

Copyright 2025 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

Your business's profit potential depends on how much value your market niche perceives in what you offer. They won't perceive any value unless they have a reason to think about it. It's why you need effective marketing.

https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Create Enough Control to Preempt Customers’ Hesitation.

We’ve covered helping customers gain/regain control with advantage offers.

Case studies demonstrate successful methods for incrementally influencing conditions & easing stress, so customers confidently, precisely focus on details.

People are distracted & lose track of details when priorities & stresses pile-up. If efforts & resources are expended on Priority-1, would people lose Priority-2 limited-time opportunities? Would Priority-3 problems become worse?

People don't like settling for less than their aspirations.

Compare case studies of people who: 1) did & didn’t invest in advantages &/or 2) succeeded because they stopped hesitating. Describe everything customers gain from advantage offers, so do-it-yourselfers don’t resist full-service offers.

Offer Example: ‘Though you're rightfully proud of your skills, are you prepared as challenges of (season) approach. As you repair __, can you fully prepare for (opportunity)? If you run out-of-time, anticipation will become stress. (Contractor) can quickly repair __ while you learn about (opportunity) options & enjoy the anticipation. (Contractor) will help you proudly fulfill priorities plus enjoy (opportunity).'

Ask about customers' impressions before & after projects. Testimonials may express, 'Though others enjoyed (advantage), I hesitated after friends failed with cheap products. (Store) consultations showed success comes from (brand) products & planned projects. I can't bring back lost opportunities. I'm glad I have (advantage) now.'

Customer integration advantage offers & in-store experiences can inspire testimonials like that.

To develop offers, answer these:

After discovering opportunities, why do people advance, hesitate, not try or quit? Without insightful knowledge, consumers might have regrets after misunderstanding circumstances & offers. Advantage offers should clarify problem remedies & opportunity maximizing.

For your niche's circumstances, what makes customers' needs/desires urgent? What about that urgency makes your offers essential? If customers don't have money & time for urgent projects, what's the next best occasion & how does it compare to the best?

Limited-time offers are arbitrary. What makes any expiration date better than another? Why did customers perceive your suggested actions as superior to competitors’ offers? What would inspire customers’ self-confidence & confidence in products?

Uncertainty seems to justify hesitation. Raise assurance enough to make hesitation unnecessary & counterproductive.

Case studies help consumers relate to customers’ stories plus understand your insightful services bring more benefits than competitors' generic results. By comparing advertising & in-store experiences, consumers will recognize product value increases because of your understanding & desire to learn.

Advantage offers convert customers’ wishful thinking into functional hope. Customer integration practices are bridges bringing customers back for more value.

Use Customer Intimacy & Product Leadership to compete with competitors specializing in Operational Excellence/Leadership.

Progress & Stagnation - Which Brings More Risks?

Whether perceptions are accurate or false, what would indicate consumers should wait for information or stop projects? What would consumers gain &/or avoid losing if they wait or stop?

Issues have multiple factors & actions might affect some factors more than others. Consider positive & negative causes & effects. What if "A" happens, but "B" doesn't happen as expected?

Offer Example: ‘Let’s be realistic. People hesitate because they don’t know how to create & preserve (advantage). They don’t want to fail or lose (advantage) after succeeding. (Store) advantage offers include high-quality products chosen for your goals & circumstances so you succeed. You'll learn preventative maintenance specifically for (advantage) & won't lose enjoyment & fulfilling memories. Instead of thinking about risks of losing (advantage), consider what you’ll lose if you never have (advantage). (Store) is dedicated to functional hope, so avoid wishful thinking & we’ll build functionality.’

“Normal” Normally Isn’t.

We're avoiding human stereotypes by anthropomorphizing bears & salmon while continually expanding Marshall Goldsmith’s analogy to avoid success delusion & spawn insights.

As predators, salmon & piranhas have different tastes & abilities. Piranhas may be satisfied if they eat enough bears. If bears stay away, what will piranhas do? Can salmon better defend against or escape from bears or piranhas?

Bears are major threats, but salmon shouldn’t rush into alternatives without considering potential problems then testing effectiveness & efficiency. Though piranhas bring advantageous relief, disadvantages negate advantages.

Since they don’t always survive bear attacks, salmon don't develop self-defense techniques. Piranhas are unfamiliar with local conditions & to salmon. Species differences bring unpredictability.

When salmon react to unexpected effects, their reactions can cause unexpected effects. Though fish seem familiar & salmons’ circumstances are familiar, it’s important to avoid force-fitting facts & biases. Salmon & piranhas might bond based on similarities, but their mission success could be jeopardized by ignored differences.

Case study similarities might be incompatible with goals. Cold, oxygenated fresh & salt water are good for salmon but not piranhas. After meeting salmon in oceans, piranhas had difficulties switching to swimming upstream in rivers.

Salmon described conditions as normal except for bears, so piranhas thought they’d easily adjust to environmental & work conditions.

Their species might not survive if salmon stop spawning because of bear attacks. Salmon leaders could promise followers safety with a slogan: 'Piranhas will swim with us!' Followers might misunderstand & ask, 'Will bears eat piranhas not us?'

Effective offers require clearly understood advantages.

Be Careful What You Wish For!

Outsiders’ observations & experiences affect perceived logic of people's plans. Others might not notice causes or recognize slowly emerging internal & external effects. Learn about niche members, so you can blend objectivity with their subjective perceptions.

Help customers interpret observations & experiences with insightful knowledge. People might assume correlation is causation or concurrent effects have the same cause.

Many bears switched to other “normal” conditions by moving upstream to shallower water to avoid drowning. Some piranhas claimed success when few bears attacked. Salmon retorted, “Bears weren’t expected to attack YOU!”

It’s vital to define success metrics, expectations & impressions (“normal”).

Fish assumed they’re safe until they couldn’t swim & flee in shallow water. Bears learned to decrease their disadvantages & increase salmons’ & piranhas’ disadvantages. Swimming difficulties impeded almost 100% of their plan.

Commit to Goals, not Methods.

Salmon seem committed to spawning without considering alternative times & locations could better fit their requirements.

Help customers recover from mistakes & avoid risks. Encourage openness to input. Determine project irreversibility points when customers can consider stopping to resell kits.

Sales may be final, but resale & rentals open options when conditions make plans unsustainable. Resale values are lower than retail prices, but when customers invest in top-quality products, some value is retained. Discontinue if rental/resale promotions become unprofitable.

Offer Example: 'Plans go astray when people misinterpret information & observations. Customers take responsibility for consequences & consult with (Store) to reinterpret & replan. Don’t reject negative reality. Report triumphs & tribulations, so we can change methods & resource combinations to decrease negatives & increase positives. Ask for information packets from (Store). If you're serious about creating benefits, let's plan positive steps. (Store) has rental tools & used materials for beginners.'

If customers inquire without buying, offer consulting: 'If you're inquiring because of curiosity, I'll supply information packets. When you’re ready to create (benefits), let me know you're ready to plan.'

People should prepare for more, similar & less stressful conditions to ensure they maintain control. Progress isn't permanent without consistent or adjusted efforts.

Which resources should be reserved for future prevention or repairs? How much control do customers need for being & feeling safe? How much control & risk can they afford? How much & what kinds of controls are practical, attainable & sustainable? How much & what kinds of risks are possible, practical &/or tolerable?

Products May Be Low-Priced or Seem Impressive, But Prices or Impressiveness Don't Solve Problems.

Bears decreased attacks when piranhas were present, so hungry piranhas blamed & attacked salmon. The next attempt was piranhas wearing salmon costumes to fool bears. What could go wrong?

That's a discounter question. Instead of real remedies, discounters try imitations.

Piranhas couldn't fight in costumes & were vulnerable because of trouble removing costumes during attacks. Hungry bears eat whichever fish are vulnerable. Hungry, costumed piranhas fooled & bit salmon. Some salmon tried piranha costumes but were attacked by salmon gangs. Bears swarmed in while fish were fighting.

Remote-controlled piranha drones didn't work for thumb-less salmon.

Discounters advertised preprogrammed Piranha Drone-Amatics. Those drones had impressive names & scary appearances, but bears weren't impressed or scared.

Real problems are like that. No matter how cheap discount products are, problems aren't impressed. Problems grow despite or because of cheap products. Low-prices bring instant gratification, so explain why advantage offers establish long-term gratification of functional hope.

Product prices & appearances don't increase functionality. Functional hope brings personal benefits when functionality increases opportunities &/or decreases troubles.

Cheap prices let people keep money, but are they comfortable with incomplete remedies? How much & what kinds of functionality bring hope? It's important to know what went wrong & could fail without full remedies.

When they haven't fully defined problems, consumers don't fully understand necessary functionality. Differentiate your store by explaining how to create functionality in specific circumstances to increase customers’ understanding & functional hope.

As a specialist retailer, increase customers’ satisfaction by helping with cognitive labor.

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

Copyright 2024 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Do You Need People to Accept Unfamiliar Offers?

Are you doing what’s necessary for your store to be & remain a popular choice for a benefit?

Do you test or reject conceptual offers & innovative methods? If you reject unfamiliar marketing methods, why expect consumers to buy what they haven't tried?

Don’t expect different results without trying different methods & offers to attract different people.

“Are You Talking To Me?”

Identify intended recipients. Authentic niche members know enough to evaluate product benefits & your advantages when you compare those with members’ lives & goals. Describe how offers are better than people's current experiences & competitive offers.

To adequately test offers, you need enough authentic niche members to interrupt routines to evaluate benefits & advantages. Help people justify purchases with details. What’s special enough about offers to warrant people postponing other things to concentrate & buy?

People Disregard Been-There-Done-That Offers.

Product names & prices don’t offer advantages to accept or reject. People can engage with offers of specifically customized product benefits to achieve goals.

If people don’t engage regularly with your offers, you aren’t in their routines. Most probably don’t routinely pay attention to & evaluate your offers.

Test offers to determine which facts induce people’s curiosity & preliminary confidence to inquire. When people inquire, consultations can connect your advantages to people’s goals.

If you won’t break routines to adequately test offers, why would you expect anybody to break their routines?

Some retailers complain about fickle consumers, but some retailers are so fickle, they don’t experiment.

Do You Reject Anything That Isn’t a Proven Success?

For those who only invest in proven successful methods, invest in Sears, Roebuck/Kmart. Their combined methods were built in more than a century of power. Oops, they didn’t last!

Long-term success happens when people start small & adjust based on results. Mainstream methods started as theories before becoming dull, unnoticed routines. You need new messages relevant to people’s goals because advertising success depends on Attention, Interest, Desire, & Action.

Realistic retailers test approaches to find new successes & readily replace fading business practices. It only happens by investing a percentage of revenue into testing new options. Long-term successes come from creating methods to find better approaches & replacing lower performing practices.

If you copy mainstream advertising methods, copies would be new in your conditions but old for consumers.

Advertising success starts with earning attention with opportunities relevant to consumers concerns.

Diversify To Optimally Compete For Attention.

In repetitive surroundings, do you notice new things more than familiar things?

When you use repetitive methods, they blend in with common surroundings.

Humans perceive familiar things as settled because threats &/or benefits seem to be reduced, so more attention seems unnecessary.

If threats still have longer term effects, change explanations so people understand how your advantages make product benefits more effective &/or efficient. Explain why offers are better than current conditions & competitors’ offers.

It’s important to have an option portfolio so you can depend on what’s currently strong while replacing weaker options.

Build multiple success streams of new advantages for consumers, so your store will thrive even when some streams falter.

Instead of continually investing resources in old, worn out methods, you can consistently achieve AIDA with new, innovative methods. People notice & pay attention to new value like descriptions of advantages you add to product benefits.

People are interested in what’s advantageous in achieving goals. People desire what increases value of current & planned possessions. You’re responsible for compelling value descriptions. People are less hesitant to quickly acquire superior value when retailers help them understand how to maximize results, benefits & advantages.

You could lose more money by advertising the same offers people didn’t prioritize & buy already. If people link stale offers to your store, they might ignore future offers.

Product, service & business differentiation requires compelling value descriptions. If you don’t influence consumers’ perceptions, you’ll lose sales to competitors’ better efforts. It’s your responsibility to increase perceived value & decrease perceived risks of buying from you.

Cognitive Labor & Perceived Value

Don’t expect people instinctively to understand value or feel compelled to investigate products. People go to discounters for generic offers that don't warrant detailed descriptions. If you believe your offers are special, demonstrate that value with details.

Which offers have more perceived value? 1) Discounters’ cheap stuff; 2) Indifferent retailers’ expensive, generic offers; or 3) Empathetic retailers describing advantages for people to optimize results.

Descriptions build knowledge & show you know people’s conditions, so people feel comfortable about purchasing. Your specialized knowledge builds people’s confidence in unfamiliar products.

Despite discomfort about risks of spending money, people might feel driven by uncomfortable conditions & desire for your advantages. Describe persuasive value to decrease discomfort of spending money & perceived risks of buying.

Offer Full Advantages

If benefits increase incrementally, tracking progress is important to maximize results & check for reversals.

Examples: 1) Health products slowly decrease problems by increasing healing, but if healing slows or stops, problems could advance. 2) Plants might grow without producing food. Opportunities can be lost if remedies are done late in growing seasons. 3) If mold remediation succeeds slowly, spreading spores can cause medical problems & property damage.

People might overlook slow deterioration if effects aren’t measured because conditions might seem normal.

Customers need to know if negative causes are nuisances or problems, so resources are used well for priorities.

Ads should alert people about conditions that sustain problems. Offers should include resources for checking symptoms, remediating problems & repairing damage.

Offer more than physical results & show concern for people, not just sales. Planning consultations reduce overwhelming feelings & improve long-term quality so people are confident.

When people feel overwhelmed by priorities, acknowledging problems adds more obligations. People might feel less neglectful if they don't look for problems (error of omission) than by (committing errors) neglecting recognized problems.

Write offer stories so people recognize causes & consequences plus understand how optimal solutions reduce obligations.

Example: ‘Just as your vacation is set, you notice (problem) as you prepare to leave stress behind. Your money & time are committed, so (problem) feels worse. (Store) offers kits for quick diagnosis & solutions. You’ll reduce stress without disrupting plans & enjoy your vacation.’

Be Open Minded

You’re hypocritical if you stubbornly refuse to change approaches but expect people adopt your ideas.

I wouldn’t do you any favors if I didn’t include unpleasant truths. To serve people, you need to present reasons & explanations even if people are uncomfortable. People need to know why, what & how they should change.

Example: ‘Paint $10’ doesn’t express value of What’s In It For Me? I want sweet beverages, why would I want your paint? If I pay you $10, I’ll have fewer desired benefits. Wait! What might happen if I don’t use your paint?

It’s easy to ignore offers without reasons to pay attention. People need priorities because nobody can pay attention to everything.

People attend to things connected with survival, comfort & self-actualization goals. You’re responsible for making offers connect to people’s priorities.

To have enough mental energy for productivity, people have perceptual & mental filters. If something is perceived at any level, it’s probably 1) connected with people’s priorities; 2) unfamiliar enough for pleasant variety or 3) potentially threatening.

When people are distracted by other issues, attention is sporadic & interest in offers can increase incrementally. Offers can connect while or after issues arise. People might disregard offers that aren’t connected with expected issues.

Social tensions raise people’s defenses & distract from low priorities.

It’s important to promote offers at various times, so messages can be perceived while people aren’t defending against other issues or focusing on more pleasant things. Incremental perception & reception can be like overlapping radio stations. Stronger signals on the same frequencies can be received more clearly than weaker signals that are barely perceived.

Changing antenna or radio positions can affect signal reception. People's receptivity changes when internal & external issues affect mental positions.

When messages are received while people experience related issues, you can connect to people’s priorities. If people missed part of your message & your offer fits their priorities, humans can remember & assemble pieces.

Each message exposure helps people integrate rationales incrementally.

Example: People receive parts of an automotive offer. Even if drivers think they don’t need brake service, ads prime them to notice brake system trouble. That offer is prioritized (earns Attention & Interest) & other exposures are integrated because the benefit is Desired & prioritized for Action. Emphasize safety during inclement weather. During dry weather, offer lower expenses of maintenance compared to replacements.

Purchases might be delayed because resources (time, energy, money, etc.) aren’t available. Other priorities might be fulfilled because of importance &/or convenience (resources are available).

Even if offered benefits aren’t the highest priorities, your advantage can include conveniences. Examples: Do you offer pick & delivery, payment options, project planning, complete customized kits, & whatever else customers need to benefit fully & quickly?

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

Copyright 2022 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Replace Guess Work with Yes! It’ll Work!

Primer $10? I guess it’ll work.

Guesses fracture certainty & added aggravation shatters hope. Certainty increases confidence & decreases stress. Certainty is an advantageous offer. If people buy despite uncertainty, discount store prices seem less risky without increasing confidence.

People can choose these options: 1) superior results from optimal products, knowledge & methods; 2) try decreasing possible losses by paying discount store prices; 3) ignore problems/opportunities.

People are more stressed when low priced, low quality products increase failure & risks. Validate higher prices by describing lasting value of superior results plus the value of avoiding negatives. Explain why specific goals require superior products & planned methods you offer.

Offer Example: ‘People might think they have less to lose by buying products made of cheap materials. Losing your budget on cheap products can ruin opportunities to enjoy great results. Secure benefits you deserve. (New material) resists weather conditions better & longer than (old material). Low prices won’t save you money if results fail. In (Store), consultations focus on goals. What do you want to prevent? Which specific resources do your goals require? Because you need more than products, (Store) offers (result) with these advantages: ___. Successful goal achievement combines the right elements. Suboptimal products & methods can bring dissatisfaction. Instead of settling for less than you deserve, get full advantageous results from (Store).’

Superior Offers Are Superior Options

Initial Awareness doesn’t guarantee Attention. When people don’t know or forget about your store, it doesn’t exist in their Attention. Maintain customer integration by consistently achieving Attention, Interest, Desire & Action.

Diagnostic Awareness mentally connects causes & effects. Optimize consumers’ Attention by connecting causes to what affects people & what you offer to eliminate or reduce causes plus mitigation or repair of effects.

Example: Though you’re aware of sitting on a chair, you might not be aware how old cushions weaken & slowly contribute to spinal trouble. When you consciously think about it, you’re paying attention to it & remember your back hurts. Benefit offers connect to your Interest in & Desire for remedies plus motivate you to take Action for relief.

People are stressed when they aren’t fully aware why something doesn't seem right. (Why does my back hurt?) Without firm knowledge, people diagnose things incorrectly or disregard potentially illogical feelings.

If people use incomplete knowledge & cheap products, problems might fade anyhow. People might think that’s repeatable success plus tell friends. Example: Cheap aspirin reduces pain, but doesn’t eliminate causes.

It’s vital to offer organized resources for specific conditions. People need consultations for complete knowledge to find & fill gaps. Outline: Since (fact A) means __, (project) should produce (result). Customer noticed (indication B) which connects to (A), showing (damage) was from (cause). (Method C) creates (result) with (Product D) & fixes (damage) plus prevents (cause) recurrence.

After Creating AIDA, Sustain Awareness

Consistent offers should raise & sustain Awareness of your store’s opportunities &/or solutions. Offer opportunity plans for fulfilling Desires by achieving goals & solving problems. Help people recognize how problems interfere with goals, so solution offers relieve stress & open opportunities.

Offer specific benefit achievement & retention because Attention is finite & people Desire control over personal circumstances. People become Interested in your store when offers are the most advantageous for creating & maintaining important benefits. To build Interest & Desire, define why benefits are important for people’s current &/or future conditions. Help people set & fulfill higher priorities, so you'll inspire purchasing Action.

Effective advertising gives people superior options. Some retailers make ineffective offers, but complain about ineffective advertising media.

Bad Luck Might Be A Lack Of Control.

Customer integration helps people take control & decrease stress.

I write about projects & plans because organized product selection & methods bring better results. People might buy from discounters to get quick, generic results without processes. You can specialize in refined methods & help people recognize what’s necessary. Example: Gardens start successfully when seeds are sown according to requirements for each plant.

People think preparation wasn’t necessary if they’re lucky with unplanned schemes.

It’s easier to determine what’s wrong or missing when people know requirements & how required elements interact. Example: Luck ends if tack hammers adequately pound weak nails that don’t hold shingles during storms.

Consultations can develop adaptations for people who don’t have or can’t use tools or materials. Planning includes determining which factors produce superior results for achieving goals in specific conditions. Otherwise, it’s like trying to analyze meal failures without recipes.

Though people want turnkey benefits, somebody is responsible for planning what happens. Explain who has those responsibilities, so consumers know how much they're required to do. Does turnkey mean fully automated or minimal effort is required?

Explain why turnkey isn’t too good to be true & assure customers about how that convenience is maintained. Differentiate offers by explaining what your supply chain does for customers’ benefits. Who/what makes consumers’ efforts more productive? Offer guidance so people get better benefits from efforts.

Offers can present competitive alternatives &/or announce new opportunities. Internet access makes searches easier, but people search if they have some awareness.

Some retailers act as if people naturally know about & remember their stores. When memories fade, awareness drops. Don’t blame people for forgetting. Blame yourself if you don’t remind them.

As multiple priorities pull people’s attention, they become less aware of lower priorities. Though all priorities still exist, people must set some aside. When you understand niche members’ concerns, you can link offers with priorities & reestablish or retain awareness.

Sometimes desires don’t arise until people realize what’s possible for them.

Product & price ads communicate possible purchases without offering results except having less money. Do you think people search for product information just because you offer a price? Do you think people see familiar products & automatically consider how to use them?

If you try to get by with minimal offers, don’t complain if your business fades because of minimal sales.

Big competitors feature no-brainer offers of familiar products & prices. If you can’t afford to compete with low prices, don’t try to win that race because big competitors are optimized for it.

Analogy: You can own the right car but lose the wrong races. Optimize your business for races you can win.

Why Struggle?

Marketing success is incremental. It’s rare to achieve a slam dunk in Attention, Interest, Desire & Action. Each time you remind niche members about necessary & desirable values, you can gain a bit more attention. As people recognize value, their product attention space expands.

If your offers are compelling, potential benefits become Interesting & paying money feels more comfortable. Increase Interest with compelling descriptions of how offers improve people's lives. Help people understand value so they wish they had that result.

Desires become more than wishes when you explain how you combine resources (tools, materials, methods & knowledge) into dependable results. Purchasing Actions happen when transaction opportunities fit people’s schedules or people rearrange commitments.

Seeing somebody else’s result won’t always lead to believing, but personally succeeding by doing is confirming.

Benefits are only theoretical until people are sure they can create results because their conditions are suitable. Theories aren’t comforting.

People might accept theories based on incomplete information & think they did everything necessary for success. If any elements fail, the theory threshold is harder to overcome in the future, so people might not try again. So, it’s important to make offers to preempt competitors’ incomplete offers.

Use Consultations To Encourage People To Try Again.

What prevented or interfered with successful project steps? Is the problem related to or from products, methods or conditions? Is the problem temporary, long-term or permanent? How much problem mitigation is practical?

Is total success possible? Consider how much progress is possible for determining if projects are worthwhile? How can you optimize mitigation steps to create progress?

Without those answers or testimonials, how can consumers compare your offers with competitors’ claims?

If previous products & methods didn’t produce optimal progress, explain what’s better about your offers. Can your offers help customers salvage previous or budding results? If it’s too late to achieve that previous goal, what can be salvaged for another goal?

Would big competitors offer thoughtful value like that? Your concern adds value to your offers.

Offer elements that bring benefits closer to fruition & reduce stress.

Offers don’t have to be discounts. Descriptive product offers present results. Businesses make those results beneficial. Specific businesses make benefits advantageous for specific consumers.

Your advantage offers can bring opportunities people think they’ve missed. People might think they’ve waited too long or tried & failed to achieve goals. New product, method &/or knowledge innovations can bring better success than people could’ve gotten without you.

People might think, “Every time I tried __, it failed immediately or didn’t last.” How can you fill gaps to prevent collapses? What indicates problems are likely or already emerging? Compellingly offer prevention, mitigation or solutions.

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

Copyright 2022 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Show You’re Special By Treating Customers As Special.

Show you aren’t just another retailer with offers to create & preserve progress, not just products/services.

Customer integration expresses concern for special customers & their situations. Customer integration includes efforts to understand how to define & offer specific value for customers’ conditions.

In a medical joke, a patient said, “It hurts when I do this!” A doctor replied, “Don’t do that.” How would patients overcome limitations if “this” action is a felt need for achieving/maintaining results?

People often are aware of a few options because when something seems to work, more options seem unnecessary.

Limited time/supply offers involve urgency to disrupt procrastination. People may procrastinate because of conflicting priorities.

Uncertain people might hesitate because they don't understand how to use products & methods to optimize results. Reduce hesitance with full offers of checklists & consultations to 1) evaluate conditions & options for creating progress &/or 2) diagnose problems to inspire customers' certainty about plans including product choices.

In consultations with research, you can help customers with advanced & basic decisions.

Example: Simple changes can encourage customers to cook savory meals including onions. People might think some things are inevitable like eye irritation while preparing onions. Irritation can be reduced when people choose the right onions & use sharp knives in favorable conditions. Recommend comfortable knife handles & sturdy blades to cut onions & minimize crushing cells.

What Do Customers Want To Produce & Prevent?

Prevent damage & harm with results that maintain quality. Quick actions might become habits that seem to work unless people can evaluate results based on current & future needs.

Products & actions can cause benefits & problems. People might act quickly to eliminate negative causes & effects without knowing negative effects of remedies. Example: People might know only about insecticides killing bad insects. People, who kill pollinators, have reduced fruit & vegetable harvests.

When people claim they’ve done EVERTHING to solve problems, it often means people did the few things that seem to fit. After EVERTHING fails, people lose hope.

Are there other resources to add effective, efficient functionality to familiar products & practices? If not, do you offer different options to match customers’ hopes & conditions?

Since functionality is required to create & maintain results, people need to learn to use & maintain functions. Even when direct function control is hard, some things can be influenced.

Analogy: Physiological functions are necessary for life & science reveals total physical & mental health is a combination of integrated factors (diet, rest, exercise, etc.).

The wrong levels of factors undermine control & influence. There are generally normal ranges of factor combinations & optimal individual levels.

Example: Since tire inflation pressures are set for vehicle models, performance & safety depend on matching conditions & vehicles with specifically inflated tire models. Random or unevenly inflated tires increase fuel consumption & risks.

Whether customers need plans, formulas &/or recipes to optimally use products, your success depends on offering condition-specific values.

Product instructions aren’t for customers’ specific needs & some product combinations can be suboptimal or hazardous. When discounters only value is low prices, your knowledgeable goal-specific offers are superior.

Diagnostic, Remedial & Prognostic Format: ‘(Outcome) happened because (reason). (Aftermath) is happening & is apt to continue unless (products) are used to (create result). (Store) has checklists & processes for determining causes & severity of effects. For superficial cases, your project should stop (problem), clean surfaces & prevent recurrence. Use (products A&B) in steps 1-4 until (symptoms) disappear. Use (products C&D) in steps 5-8 to repair damage & remove (residue) & you can see (cause). Use (products E&F) in steps 9-12 to remove (cause) & do steps 12-14 to install (products G&H).’

Analogy: Light bulbs, batteries & electricity are more than conveniences, because people reduced the risk of using fires for light.

Risk reduction increases hope. How can you help people switch on hope with fewer risks?

Whether darkness is visual or hopeless feelings, long-term darkness can seem to invade people. Outer darkness can be dispelled, but people need to push out inner darkness & fill that space with what fills them with light.

Invasive darkness feels like it has weight. What can you offer to lift, remove & prevent turmoil? You can do this by creating & enhancing pleasure to prevent, reduce or replace what’s disquieting.

Whatever is quietude to people might be upsetting to others, so there are boundaries. People might not know about boundaries including legalities & practicality, plus personal & social comfort.

Advise customers to talk with lawyers, doctors & neighbors about limitations before starting projects. When goals, limitations & budgets are used for planning, you can confidently explain how products & methods fit.

Benefits Make Your Store Important.

Customers rate your store’s importance according to how your offers contribute to life quality.

Life is a series of inputs & outputs. Since customer integration adds physical &/or mental inputs into life functions, explain how your offers help people create & continue present & future life quality. Help people organize activities & inputs into progressions which imply the hope of progress.

Superficial hope isn’t secured by actions & collapses under life’s pressures. People can sustain some hope in fighting problems or fleeing if resources outlast challenges. Since people are limited in fight or flight abilities, they need to rest without losing progress.

Functional hope brings people assurance of not being overcome by problems because projects are designed with optimal steps & effective products.

Hope declines as options fail to create or restore functionality. People might misinterpret what’s missing or why factors aren’t connecting. As a specialist, explain how factors connect & interact, so customers can understand how to optimize benefits.

Unsolved problems seem to pressure people into quick actions possibly with inaccurate diagnoses &/or inadequate products.

People might not pursue another option because they’re embarrassed & discouraged or they used up available time, money & energy. If you advertise offers after people typically notice problems, it might be too late to avoid mistakes & excess pressure.

Help Customers Define Plus Establish Control & Stability.

Financial pressure, legal obligations, social expectations, family responsibility & other external priorities seem to press on people. Each priority causes stress. The combination causes distress.

Restricted resources bring pressure of choosing what to delay & tolerating remaining troubles. Help customers determine which problems will become worse, stay the same or fade without remediation.

Even if people can afford to solve some problems, it’s important to prioritize what disrupts personal & domestic stability. When people feel conditions are out of control, refuges are vital so people can rest mentally & physically.

Common advice is to not multi-task. Multiple responsibilities & stressors push subconscious minds to multi-task & use energy needed for functioning.

Hope maintenance depends on knowing how to get out of stressful conditions. When thoughts & energy are thinly spread, functionality can drop & cause mistakes which reduce hope of solutions.

Functional hope is more than wishing without ability to create results. There’s agency in functional hope, because people are inspired to be change agents.

Functional hope works by focusing on acquiring & using what’s available for each step plus how steps contribute to goal achievement.

How much can customers benefit from the functionality level they can afford? If customers can’t afford the minimum necessary, would finance charges of loans be too burdensome compared to not having results? How long can customers afford to wait to save enough money? Would benefits of partial results make it worthwhile to start projects with expectations of finishing later?

It’s important to consider customers’ contexts, so you integrate products & plans into current results plus goals.

Consultation Example: ‘What changes have you noticed between when you were satisfied & dissatisfied? Has anything physically deteriorated, did conditions change or both? Please describe that deterioration & condition changes.’

After defining conditions & goals: ‘Since your goal is (result), your usual options are choosing good, better or best quality. The best option is what fits your budget & the combination of needs, desires & expectations. It can be like choosing cars. People might want luxury cars but can realistically afford & expect mid-price cars lasting 5 years without expensive repairs. People might need basic, safe transportation for commuting to work & shopping. We can explore needs & if your budget covers more than you need, we can compare costs of your desires with your remaining budget. Let’s compare your budget & desires with realistic expectations in emerging conditions.’

Define customers’ abilities to benefit from & maintain results: ‘(Maximum result) could last X years. Are you apt to use it that long or potentially upgrade? Do you need the highest quality result enough to warrant this investment? Let's compare the minimum benefit you need with the maximum you can afford, so we can develop your best value. To maintain (result), you need (products & skills). Let's evaluate the maximum & minimum quality you can afford to create & maintain with your time & money.’

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

Copyright 2022 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Customers Need You to Decrease Negative Effects of Complex Lives

In previous posts, my example offers are guides in offering long-term results. Since customer integration connects & completes benefits, I emphasize shaping offers to optimize lives.

Let’s review more beliefs, desires & needs, so people recognize how offers make benefits productive & compatible with customers' lives.

Controlling incompatibilities can be analogized with relationships. There are compatibility-incompatibility spectrums.

Bosses push co-workers to be compatible despite disagreements about non-work related issues. Neighbors can be compatible if they don’t trespass & ignore disagreements about non-property related issues. Incompatible roommates might disagree about many issues & have conflicts because it’s hard to ignore each other.

People need to learn to identify & manage what's incompatible to goals plus increase what's compatible.

If authorities, products or systems limit incompatibilities by maintaining boundaries, people tolerate some inconveniences. Example: Pesticides & herbicides make gardens productive but harm people. Guidance can ease integrative complexity by limiting nuisances & ensuring food safety.

Frustration increases as incompatibilities last longer & remedy attempts fail. How do you release people from incompatible choices? How do your potential remedies mitigate dissatisfactions? When you decrease any frustration, you achieve friend status. When you decrease multiple frustrations, you can be a smash hit by smashing through barriers.

Products don’t smash barriers without aimed forces. Without information, aims might be lucky. Precise aims can smash specific problems because people know how to identify causes & effects of incompatibilities.

People aim accurately by using product & condition-specific information about limitations & opportunities.

Offer systems & products to reduce the most uncomfortable incompatibilities plus bring comforting satisfaction with offsetting compatibilities. Example: Plants attract harmful insects that are food for insectivores. Poisons kill good & bad insects plus insectivores. Though insectivores are compatible with human health, they’re less predictable than poisons.

Unpredictability of dissonance & dissatisfaction increase if people don’t know how to integrate compatible factors to maintain consistency.

Customer Integration Helps Retailers Reach For Success.

Despite big competitors’ low prices; you can make more attractive offers. Customer integration builds compelling offers to vie for attention with life distractions & competitors. Even if offers achieve undivided attention, people still delay shopping & forget offers.

Customers' physical & cognitive labor affect whether offers feel like opportunities or chores. Since people might delay purchases while gathering information, offer information so customers don't delay. Help ensure customers accurately diagnose problems & are self-confident about using methods.

It makes more sense to urge people to BUY NOW if you offer everything necessary to benefit now. Unless people know how to use products to create definite benefits, you’ll only offer potential benefits instead of providing results.

Make your store the best choice by making decisions easier. Don't assume people know how to diagnose & solve problems. Offer certainty. Describe symptoms.

Offer optimal resources & explain how to use them for successful results. Each time you link compelling offers to people's needs & desires, show you provide ways to climb to liberation from problems. It’s different than claiming instant, effortless (too good to be true) success is possible.

Liberation can be achieved by conquering any problems people tolerate. Customers’ mental & physical energy will be liberated by reducing burdens of labor & mental distractions.

People can enjoy more experiences when your offers reduce tedium & eliminate stresses of lost productivity.

Employers emphasize how accident prevention allows more productivity. People should consider what interferes with producing & enjoying valuable experiences.

Even if people delay problem solving until after vacations, concerns can be nagging burdens & reduce enjoyment.

Why Are Projects Delayed?

You can encourage people to buy earlier & address problems sooner by streamlining efforts. Since people might lack time for research & shopping, offer project kits to relieve short- & long-term burdens. Quickly customize kits with consultations.

Sometimes, overall stress loads are from many small things & can be more burdensome than individual big things. Mental focus can be more efficient & effective when stress is reduced by fulfilling high & low priorities.

Though some want quick easy successes, assure customers with team efforts including combined resources.

Customers want justification for money, energy & time investments, so use consultations to combine observations, knowledge & insights. Talk about expectations & full practical results that protect full investments because partial, quick results might end or fail quickly.

Why Not Us?

Whether questions are verbalized, people tend to wonder why & how others have better benefits. When consumers wonder if they can have better benefits, your offers should be full affirmations. Testimonials should include details to explain how benefits were created & assure consumers similar problems were prevented or solved.

Help customers evaluate progress of each project element. What explains differences between project results & expectations? Example: If _ happened, it’s because __. Since _ didn’t happen it means __. Based on that, which resources would improve or replace current (suboptimal, possibly damaged) elements &/or add what’s missing?

If efforts fall short, instead of continuing to struggle, people might think unfulfilled needs & desires are impractical. Even if projects are on track, people might not have essential information, strength or stamina to continue.

Consult about hurdles, so people succeed with small steps. Multiple long leaps require more stamina & strength.

Develop step-by-step flexible kits, so people can adjust if reality is different than they perceived or has changed during projects. Help customers determine if it’s practical to learn individual steps instead of full projects. Mental & physical momentum is interrupted when people need to change projects including learning methods to use different materials & tools.

What kind of adjustments would preserve progress, eliminate insufficiencies plus build customers’ confidence enough to overcome disruptions?

Dissatisfaction & disruptions are like friction or roadblocks. When people successfully achieve sub-goals contributing to full projects, next steps & skills can be added based on amended desires & needs without discarding goals.

Suboptimal living is more probable & unsatisfactory for people who work only on easy low priorities. People need confidence to take on higher priorities.

Each dissatisfying day can feel like sinking lower, so describe satisfaction you offer & explain how liberation is achieved. Talk to customers about avoiding discouragement.

Causes & effects of dissatisfaction reduce life quality. Will incremental gains inspire people to continue? Do customers expect quick or incremental liberation?

If liberation is a process, what confirms the process works? Do you include checklists to assure people are on track? As people gain liberation, what do you offer for avoiding regression?

If consistent advancement isn’t possible, how can progress be maintained until projects are continued? How would people recognize regression symptoms & sustain improvements?

These considerations are part of total offers & show your authoritative concern for customers. People recognize commitments to total quality value compared to desires for profit. Specialists have knowledge for asking diagnostic questions & dispensing insights, so your perceptiveness & empathy show your interest in customers’ wellbeing.

Even after gaining distance from negatives, people might feel they’re sliding back &/or problems persist. How can people discern if setbacks indicate failure or necessity for different thinking?

If people feel out of their depth during projects, it’s tempting to quit. Others try to ignore problems because they're too overwhelmed to start projects.

Whether it’s from education or life’s struggles, people might have majors & minors of deep study/knowledge. Many things are outside of people’s majors & minors.

How Customers Express Feelings Can Guide Your Explanations.

When things go wrong, people might feel like they're in deep water. In effect, people need to rest on shore when they need breaks from swimming against life’s currents or just treading water.

When people are overwhelmed, they might feel their heads are swimming.

People should use the buddy system while swimming to avoid heartbreak. Beach lifeguards are trained to recognize & get out of rip currents. Swimming novices might not notice problems until they’re swept into deep water. There’s a difference between knowing how to get out of danger & thinking clearly while in danger.

Since successful retailers have majors & minors of deep knowledge, you should offer buddy system services. When people perceive they’re out of their depth in conditions matching your expertise, you should be their best buddy.

If people need the equivalent of lifeguard service, you could recommend professionals for guidance, remedial help or full service.

Even if you can’t provide full value, bring in team members to help customers update decisions based on discovering what did/didn’t produce progress.

Be people’s definitive source, so they don’t need to search for anything but your contact information.

Basic Offer: ‘When you notice (symptoms), it means you need to solve (problem). You can call (store) for all you need for (solution) projects. (Store) offers (products) & consultations to plan projects, so you’ll have definite relief. (Problem) is increasing, so call (store) for checklists & you’ll recognize (symptoms), plus when & how to search.’

Do as much cognitive labor as you can & make the customers’ progress as routine & easy as possible.

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

Copyright 2022 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Customer Integration Includes Individual Attention Discounters Won’t Offer.

Marketing should show you offer powerful values customers need for prized results. Advertising should show you understand niche members’ goals & offer ideal achievement methods. Empower customers by identifying products & methods to sustain powerful results.

Customer integration will help you form relationships & differentiate your business. Reaching people with ads can start like greeting social acquaintances. Even if you want conversations, people (who recognize you) have other social options & priorities.

Since people tend to listen to & talk about high priorities, which urgent benefits should your ads feature? Since ads can be like nuisance phone calls, which needs & desires would prompt consumers to accept your offers & put other things on hold? What kind of value would stimulate that priority?

Do you inspire more hope & offer more functionality than competitors? Functionality is effectiveness & efficiency in creating benefits &/or avoiding benefit losses.

Make offers special enough for people to clear their schedules to learn about & buy your offers. Projects might exceed people's abilities to create &/or maintain high priority benefits. Project offers should include consultations & tutorials to relieve strain with increased abilities. Explain why results are necessary & how you expedite projects plus reduce disruptions. If projects seem to be major life detours, people might stay on course unless you show how to: 1) make big improvements &/or 2) end plus avoid problems.

Emotions Sink Unless Hope Floats.

Functional hope includes methodology & dispels hesitation about setting goals. Functional hope inspires people to find products & apply methods because positive effects are possible.

Optimally directed functionality creates inspiring results, so people believe more aspirations are achievable. Your offers can encourage people to bring aspirations to you.

Aspirations can be fantasies, someday wishes or specific goals. Design total offers based on customers' goals & explain project effectiveness & efficiency. Projects should be designed with integrated products & methods so people don't rely on luck.

Creating good luck is more than motivational philosophy. Be people’s good luck source by lining up elements & creating optimal momentum, so even a few bumps won’t stop projects.

Incompatibilities & inconsistencies can arise if people use tutorials for miscellaneous unintegrated (some assembly required) products. Full functionality requires connecting (possibly assembling) products into conditions.

Help customers get full benefits without interfering with other benefits.

Example: People might buy bikes for transportation & exercise. When workers start shifts, they might be tired with aching backs & legs from commuting on bikes. Exercise might be fulfilled, but would it be efficient transportation? People can reduce air resistance by bending low, but strain their backs. Consultations about bike models & rider positions can maximize top priority benefits by matching product specifications with customers’ needs & desires.

When, where & how will products be used? What about conditions should be modified before & during product use? How much can planned methods & products create those modifications? Which criteria indicate whether modifications are complete or should be continued? What would indicate adjustments are necessary?

Special People Deserve Special Results.

There are many retailers who aren’t concerned about customers’ results & treat people like money sources. You can easily differentiate from those retailers by serving people who don’t want to be commonplace & don't want common results.

When complexities are discouraging, people settle for easy, ordinary results. Integrative Complexity can be analogized as optical illusion drawings that seem to be one thing or another, but are really both.

If people perceive results as only good or bad, projects might seem to fail. Is partial success a total failure or opportunity for improvement?

Though projects create slight improvements, people might feel their expectations or trust are violated.

Consultation Example: ‘It’s easy to think we agree, but we might misunderstand each other because we have different interpretations. Let’s be sure we understand what to expect. We might perceive pictures & descriptions differently, so though challenges seem low now, complexity can become real quickly after you start. This full project could take XX hours even for highly skilled people; so instructions are highly detailed for novices. If a few details are missed, results might seem adequate but fail later. (Review the benefits list.) If your finished project creates (benefit 1) but not (benefit 2), would your satisfaction rate as high as 10, low as 1 or another level? Based on that, let’s be sure (result) definitely happens by thoroughly defining (method).’

Fight, Flee or Freeze

Since there are limits on how long people can fight, they need closure.

When people don't know which beliefs are accurate, conclusions (closure) aren't possible & Integrative Complexity brings dissonance.

It can be hard to start over or reassign resources to different projects until people are sure they did all possible for positive results. After people did everything they know but got negative results, they might believe particular positive results aren't possible. Did somebody deceive them? If nothing confirms suspicions, is there anybody to blame (fight)? Should they give up (flee)? Do they hesitate (freeze) & potentially lose improvement opportunities? Would fleeing mean abandoning any partial good result instead of using or salvaging it?

People could waste resources if they ignore negatives & try improvements without removing insecure underpinnings. People should learn & acknowledge whatever could undermine current & future efforts & materials.

When people don’t admit misconceptions about what’s possible, it can be hard for you to counter misconceptions but necessary. Compare results of people who used knowledge, products & methods for satisfactory results. Case studies can show potentials without directly confronting misconceptions.

Individual Attention

It’s important to be mindful in present moments despite distractions of personal needs, business requirements & multiple customers. You might need reminders to put aside other concerns as you listen to people’s confusing expressions. Example: Customer: I have foot odor. What would you do if you were in my shoes? Pharmacist: Bury them!

It’s more than a joke because it can be hard to determine what people literally mean. If you’re distracted, you might not notice primary words & respond to secondary words.

Since people exaggerate all the time, it’s hard to know how to deal with a ton of bugs. What some claim to be true is literally unbelievably incredible.

Urge customers to focus on specifics to help you precisely diagnose problems & develop specific solutions.

Consultation Example: ‘I understand you’re frustrated. Let’s identify the problem size so you’ll have the right solution for the right price. If you use too much (materials), you could have (problem).’

Though people claim they’ve done everything about problems, they have finite awareness. Customers’ results prove success is possible & offer insights about products, methods & timing many people haven’t learned.

People might reject conflicting insights because apparent truth can become false. Scientists willingly admit inaccuracies & overcome mounting uncertainty with research & acknowledge misperceptions & perceived exaggerations might have limited validity.

Though imprecision erodes value & causes misunderstandings, people (including advertisers) commonly exaggerate. You could think somebody misunderstood you, but s/he might suspect fraud, especially if there are multiple misunderstandings.

Though reviewing statements takes more time, that investment can reduce wasted resources.

Consultation Example: ‘Let’s be sure I understand, so I offer accurate solutions. Please indicate if I’ve misunderstood some facts. Apparently you noticed (symptoms) in (location). Those symptoms might’ve existed __ months. You tried (products & methods) & have (preliminary results). You still need (final result). You have (products) & need to learn about (products). You have internet access. This video shows methods for using similar products, but those conditions are different than what you described. You can adjust by installing __ & using (tool) like this article shows.’

Perceptions Influence Experiences Which Influence Other Perceptions.

Motivations are shaped by how things did or didn’t work. Since discouraged people might give up instead of search for solutions, you should explain how your offers improve results.

Typical advertising (product names & prices) doesn’t differentiate benefits or motivate people to try another project. Since you probably need to coax people away from discounters, provide reasons to change shopping behaviors.

Big store one stop shopping isn’t as convenient as ability to finish effective, efficient projects then focus on other priorities. If people excessively need to recheck results because of low product quality, projects aren’t perceived as complete or reliable. Solutions should provide as much relief as practical because a lack of fulfillment doesn’t fully relieve stress.

Make offers to lighten people’s loads instead of just focusing on products.

No matter how important results are, people quit if failures seem to indicate projects aren’t worthwhile. In consultations, you can learn what people expect so you can help customers define success & failure. Compare definitions of expectations & practical requirements to determine what successful projects should create.

It’s vital for you to inspire hope, so you need to be precise with promises & explanations. Even if your social circle members understand what you mean & won’t doubt you if they misunderstand, customers don’t have that history with you.

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

Copyright 2021 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Don’t Let Customers Suffer Problems & Lost Opportunities.

Customer integration blazes trails through complexities so customers optimize experiences instead of just wishing for something better. If people lack resources & are frustrated by obstacles, they might dismiss your offers as unworkable.

Skeptics think ‘That’d be good, but if you knew my conditions, you’d know it won’t happen.’ Explain how your product & local knowledge make your offers work for specific benefits. Convince people they can achieve results with specialized knowledge & products.

Analogy: Frustrated people believe ‘optimal experiences – our conditions = aggravation’. After you help people clearly define optimal experiences, their conditions & your offers, you can show their conditions + your offers = optimal experiences. Everything you add to the equation changes the total.

What can you add to conditions to reduce gaps between current conditions & desired, optimal experiences? You need to convince specific people your offers can create special transformations by adding your insights to their information.

Aggravation dampens desires & can lead to negative mental chains: overwhelmed; self-doubt; hesitation about specific solutions; uncertainty about anything working; general hopelessness; etc. Provide hope with knowledge of effective methods for using new products.

Emphasize results are based on the strength of multiple factors, so benefits don’t seem tenuous because projects don’t rely on one product or method.

Since you won’t differentiate based on prices or volume, you need to know your market niche's most significant life differences. Why do niche members have certain needs compared to people’s general needs? How would your offers specifically fulfill certain needs more effectively & efficiently? How should customers define effectiveness & efficiency of solutions they need?

If you don’t offer all essential products & knowledge, you can be a hub for other stores, so value revolves around you.

If desires & problems are predictable, preempt people’s frustrations with explanations of dealing with current & impending obstacles. With consultations, you can understand obstacles & customers’ goals, so remedies fit approaching trouble plus current & desired conditions.

Product & Price List Offers Aren’t Enough.

Think about your main concerns & what would indicate somebody has ideal preventions or solutions?

Back pain & headaches are common, so you might dread those when you wake up any morning. As you prepare for another day, consider the appeal of these offers: ‘Aspirin $4’ OR

‘Back pain is commonly caused by injuries & physical positions aggravating injuries. As you get distracted each day, you probably forget about your posture. StimApp will ping your phone at intervals you set & remind you to check your position. StimPad is a handheld unit with pads to put on your most tense spots. Pads are like medical patches to keep on sensitive spots for hours. When you take breaks, reconnect the pads to the unit & start massages exactly where you need them. When you interrupt back muscle tension, you’ll keep that tension from transferring up through your neck to your head. Your $XY investment in StimKit will disrupt tension that would otherwise disrupt another day of your life.’

Notice the empathetic information showing an advertiser understands customers’ problems. If StimKit would exist, it would be integrated into people’s lives because the advertiser knows how to reduce customers’ problems. It’s like saying ‘I know causes & effects of these problems. Even if we can’t eliminate these causes, let’s work together to reduce these effects.’

Show how to convert hopes into functional desires & avoid frustrations. In sales, friction is defined differently. Let’s think of friction as marketing & life hassles that wear people out. Identify frictions of preventing & solving high priority problems.

When marketing friction comes from a lack of facts, fill those gaps. Do people understand how project kits improve conditions? Are products &/or tasks unfamiliar? If inconvenience is the friction, develop easier processes. Do people need exact products & learn complex methods or could basic products & easy-to-learn methods fulfill goals?

Division of Labor

People, who acknowledge specialized knowledge & skills are important, delegate work based on abilities. Customer integration makes delegation part of retailing. It includes cognitive labor since specialized thinking can improve results.

Ads should explain how offers reduce or end problems plus make solution implementations easier than competitors’ options.

Even if you’re comfortable with products & methods, customers might experience unfamiliar projects as minor friction or risky trail blazing. Offers should include making projects feel less threatening than problems, so people realize real risks of problems & reevaluate perceived risks.

If you can't make products more powerful, make solution implementations easier & more effective. Reduce risks of mistakes & threats.

Even if you accurately describe problems as big threats, people might disagree. Combine emotions of dealing with logical effects.

Basic Offer: ‘If you (want experience/anticipate problem), it’s easy to wonder what you’ll do if you can’t escape from (daily stress/problem). Have you wondered how similar people can afford to enjoy (activities)/solve (problems), while you struggle? People enjoy (activities)/solve (problems) regularly because they have (product) & can (method). (Kit) provides (products) with instructions specifically for (creating experience/solving problem) & during (Store) consultations, we’ll customize methods according to your goal.’

Too many retailers follow leaders (big retailers), but since leaders get to consumers first, leaders get top prizes. Also-rans get whatever might be left over. It isn’t a matter of being risk-taking pioneers; it’s the importance of the most relevant offers for people’s current needs & desires. Emphasize high quality products & optimal methods for reducing short- & long-term risks.

Explain how cheap products & suboptimal techniques can increase risks because benefits might be late &/or inadequate.

Example: 'Don't struggle through choosing products & hoping for adequate quality. Don’t be stressed with planning techniques & projects. (Store) consultations identify risks & define benefits while planning projects.'

Are People Wandering Because They Wonder How To Create Opportunities?

Sometimes people say they’d feel lost without __. What would customers feel lost without? What does lost mean in their context? Maybe it’s only a perceived/potential loss because they haven’t clearly defined it. If you help them find words to describe it, you can determine what to protect or regain.

Does lost mean people are disoriented (not sure how to proceed)? Are people unsure if their knowledge would apply to upgraded products? Which established benefits are they losing? Which partially established benefits are at risk? Which opportunities might people miss? Which abilities/skills do they lack? Do they quantify losses as totals or percentages?

If it’s totally or almost lost, do they want exact replacements or upgrades? Is it too late to learn to avoid losses? Do they need to learn about upgrades?

If people are ready to live differently or try different directions, should replacements be similar to originals or different?

Failures or Opportunities to Restart

Optimists think failures & losses are opportunities to restart with new information & experiences. Are there opportunities in customers’ losses?

Realists think salvageable resources should be used to optimize relaunches & avoid waste. Are goals still achievable & are results still the highest & best use options with those resources?

Review previous efforts & conditions to determine what can fulfill new or future goals. Efforts & goals can be adjusted based on what worked before & what’s reliable now plus in the future. Which current/salvaged resources are still available?

What could augment or restore resources to make them fully applicable? Would augmentation &/or restoration require too many new resources? Would new results be easier to maintain?

Even if physical property is available or applicable, what was/can be learned? Are experiments possible using what might deteriorate?

Pessimists think (CENSORED). You can’t turn everything around or inspire everybody to accept improvements.

Are positive or negative causes & effects overestimated? Do different interpretations fit those perceptions? What’s been misinterpreted? What can be changed to augment &/or preserve positives? What can be changed to eliminate or decrease negatives? If negatives can’t be eliminated or decreased, what can be changed to halt problems & prevent more deterioration? What are the risks? What causes those risks? What could eliminate or decrease risks?

Retaining & regaining control can depend on multiple factors, so which factors can customers currently manage? Which factors can be turned around? Which factors are too deteriorated to save? Could customers retain or regain control if they recognize current resources & learn to salvage & use those?

Though customers might know how to use resources for other issues, condition changes might make different methods necessary to optimally fix current factors.

After confronting problems, people might have comfortable, but less than optimal approaches. Criteria can help people accurately recognize problems & determine if approaches & solutions are compatible & complete.

Problems can seem familiar until people learn about unfamiliar symptoms & change diagnoses. When they learn about unfamiliar, unrecognized symptoms, it’s easier to accept unsuccessful results without hurt pride.

Offer Example: ‘When you know what’s wrong, you can learn which products & methods you need. (Store) is dedicated to more than product sales, so you get complete kits & results.’

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

Copyright 2021 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Your Advantages Should Include Reexamining Customers’ Conditions

Reexaminations can bring & protect benefits by uncovering what novices might not realize. It isn’t only obvious things that interfere with benefits.

You can differentiate yourself from competitors by finding opportunities & eliminating obstacles. If people don’t identify obstacles, resources might be wasted by compensating later for what should’ve been removed before finishing projects.

Discounters push popular products without helping people understand how to create benefits. Your customer value perspective & knowledge can create benefits with products & methods for customers beyond saving a few dollars.

Fine-tune Project Kits

What could connect current circumstances to a beneficial future & make goals easier to achieve? Which other resources are necessary? How should new resources be connected to each other plus established results? How can people benefit more from what they own? Example: Customers might have patios with retractable awnings but not enough lawn space for regular gardens. People can grow compact plants in pots & planters which can be repositioned to clear space for barbecues. Spices & herbs could be grown & harvested as desired while barbecuing.

Optimize Cognitive Labor with Questions & Answers

Before customers finalize plans & purchases, reexamining conditions can ensure clarity & reduce mistakes. Compare plans while reexamining problems & resources to expand knowledge of what’s wrong plus optimize abilities to make things right.

Customers should choose options based on criteria developed from full knowledge. Though the internet & libraries hold information, you can connect product purchases with local knowledge & other facts relating to customers’ needs & goals.

Since knowledge is NOT power without implementation, people need insights to use information to optimize products & methods. You can offer adjustments when you know about people’s usual products & methods.

Offer Example: ‘Though it’s common to settle for (basic result), you don’t have to miss out on (benefit category). (Store) consultations can guide you to increase opportunities. You’ll enjoy (specific benefits) by adding (products & methods). You’ll be advised in choosing product versions & using customized methods to develop life-specific benefits instead of less interesting generic results. Do you want whatever discount stores push? Or do you want special advantages you deserve from (Store).’

That’s a Benefit for You Because

People want to know WIIFM ‘What’s in it for me?’ It’s a valid question, but not a rich question. The rich version is: ‘I have (problem), so why should I buy this from YOU?’

You should offer integrated advantages because many products are easy to find & some retailers only recommend general product benefits. Customer integrators explain advantages of integrating products & methods to optimize benefits. If you don’t offer those advantages, why do you expect people to buy from you?

People need guidance to find & sort through relevant facts plus understand how to apply facts in choosing products & methods to create results.

It’s important to be careful about advice based on other people’s comparable needs, conditions & results. People could have short-term satisfaction by imitating similar people’s methods using similar products to remedy similar problems. Slight neglected differences could combine into long-term project failures. Any differences, especially multiple differences, can cause problems instead of bring solutions.

Help customers learn which information is relevant & enough, so they don't delay projects & increase costs by creating unnecessary results or pursuing unattainable benefits.

People might conclude something doesn’t work because they tried the best plan without adequate knowledge, skills & products. People can feel betrayed if they thoroughly fulfill product instructions to achieve short-term results & projects fail later. Ask if customers expect temporary patches or full solutions, so expenses & efforts are worthwhile.

People might check with you but buy from discounters. It’s a reason to differentiate your quality from discount offers.

Analogy: If total results quality & long-term success would be 100 points, five perfect materials could supply 50 points. Even if perfect methods contribute 50 full points, poor quality materials might trickle in 20 points. Since results depend on each material, that project would fail eventually despite apparent short-term achievement. It’s because 100-point success would be difficult without consultations focused on fully defining & resolving specific conditions with the right methods & products.

Consider Long-term Results

Diagnoses might be incomplete or inaccurate when more problem symptoms are discovered after projects start. Plans should include alternative steps &/or reexaminations if changes become necessary.

Products & plans can seem to fail because people rush in without considering possible misperceptions.

Example: Wisconsin conditions are hard for vehicles. I didn’t know how long my old car would last, but I needed to replace a loud, rusted exhaust system. I chose products that might last as long as my car. After a repair, my car wasn’t as quiet as I expected because of my cheap muffler choice. The installation was good but products were only adequate. I bought a modicum of certainty without total comfort.

People might demand certainty, control & comfort without defining expectations. Do people expect to banish all doubt or just confirm specific facts?

Does control mean preventing symptoms or reducing severity? Does comfort mean preventing all pain or achieving refreshing sleep?

Consultation Example: ‘If you can create ABC but not XYZ, would this project be successful? How long should ABC last? If (material) needs 8 hours to dry, would that interfere with your schedule? If we add (product) to the kit & you do (method), you can create (result). Do you want that added benefit though it would cost $__ more & add 2 hours of labor? When you think about your budget & available time, is there a higher priority result we should fulfill?’

Trial & Learning

Trial & error processes imply ending with errors which can cause more problems & delay solutions. When customers choose options from case studies of lessons learned, quicker solutions can reduce damage.

Limited time pushes people to quickly learn skills to use unfamiliar products in time to avoid urgent damage. Pre-assembled materials in kits can reduce that pressure.

Questions & answers guide people in the logic of unfamiliar projects. What firmly indicates whether projects succeed or fail? What constitutes full trials in forming reliable conclusions? Is it a number of steps or length of time? Is it a product or method? If preliminary results are unexpected, would it be justified to stop or change projects? Would it be practical to restart some steps or is it unsalvageable?

Which case studies of comparable conditions could indicate potential missing or excessive elements? Did anything reveal potential disruptions? What started preventing, ending &/or relieving disruptions? As projects started, progressed & ended, which transitions were positive or negative? Did unexpected symptoms emerge?

Trial & error can produce waste, but trial & learning can bring value. With proper guidance, processes can be trial & learning if people know how to compare expectations with emerging results.

Try to qualify & quantify differences between pre-action conditions, planned results & actual project effects. If conditions were different than previously thought, did that difference disrupt the project? Which facts could indicate different products &/or methods are necessary?

Help customers with checklists in case preliminary diagnoses give way to new discoveries or if results don’t fit expectations. Whole projects don’t have to go totally astray, if salvage steps are possible.

Project kits should include mid-project guidance so customers can change course based on changing needs &/or if preliminary results don’t fit expectations.

People might wonder about results of buying products from you after purchases from other stores. If you don’t have access to specifications of products from other stores, you can offer general reviews of what could/should be possible based on conditions.

People might wonder if project benefits would be worth their total monetary, energy & time costs. It can be hard to discern how things might add up. If you have detailed case studies, you can compare those pre-project conditions with customers’ conditions.

If goals in case studies match customers’ goals, those can be like answers of equations. If A + B + C + D = 20 (goal); A could = conditions to be changed. B + C + D = necessary inputs to fill gaps between A & 20. B could = materials. C could = tools made necessary by conditions & materials. D could = methods made necessary by tools, conditions & materials. Since using certain materials & tools make certain skills necessary, do customers need to learn those skills or choose other materials & tools? In other words, changing B &/or C can make it necessary to change D to get 20.

While comparing customers’ goals with case studies, explain how inputs fit conditions & goals, plus ways inputs synergistically work together for specific results. Example: In that case study, people noticed (problem) & decided to achieve (goal). They used (method) to create (result) with (product).

If preliminary results turn in unintended directions, what could’ve caused that or taken away what’s desired? What could be added or taken out now to get projects on track?

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

Copyright 2021 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/

Customers’ Success Depends On You Maximizing Their Work

Help customers identify necessary labor to produce benefits & organize necessary resources. Customers need your product knowledge, local conditions information & leadership to make tasks & thoughts more productive.

It can seem strange to lead people to achieve their goals because motivation should be built in. After being discouraged by conditional setbacks &/or poor product quality, people might not challenge generalized thoughts leading to negative beliefs.

‘Nobody ever made that kind of scheme work’ & other generalized thoughts can be countered with specific ideas. Focus on what local people need so they realize you offer high quality products that work in planned projects.

Though people seem to never have enough time, better time management & cheap products won’t create great results. Explain why project kits are necessary for faster, better quality results.

Offer Example: ‘(Store) has project kits for (results). There are specific reasons projects will or won’t work. When positive & negative reasons are identified, projects can be customized to maximize positives & reduce negatives. At (Store), let’s review specialized information to learn about specific obstacles & opportunities for designing projects to create benefits & reduce frustrations. When you need (results), it’s hard to start projects because of demands on your time & energy. It’s time to invest in project kit advantages from (Store). After buying what other stores push, you’ll be relieved by investing in customized benefits from (Store).’

Why Should Customers Invest In Results of Your Leadership?

Customer integration requires collaborative leadership to ask & answer questions.

Before guiding people through transitions, be sure you & they understand starting points plus obstacles to desired results. Whether results should be temporary or maintained, people need instructions, so expectations are fulfilled & investments are preserved.

Since people have imperfect perceptions & knowledge, they might resist positive changes to predictable life routines. If people don't realize how disruptive problems will be, they might not know changes are necessary or understand how your offers make changes easier. Help identify & prioritize problems so people optimally invest time, energy & money.

Explain offers so people understand value they can receive & how to avoid consequences of unsolved problems.

Since imperfect lives can be series of obstacles, offer preparation resources to mitigate what's unavoidable. Consultations can help you understand people’s rough spots, their current resources plus successful & unsuccessful efforts. Consultations are also for guiding product choices & planning methods.

Though affluent people hire professionals, middle-income customers might need guidance to do or outsource any steps.

How can you help people through processes from problem discovery to solution maintenance? Identify existing & emerging problems. Compare products. Plan how to use unfamiliar products for creating & maintaining benefits.

When you write offers & do consultations, consider questions like these examples: Which causes & effects can & should consumers take on or outsource? If causes end, how long will effects last? Will effects cause further problems or is damage limited?

Cognitive Labor is a Legitimate Customer Workload

Even if potential thoughts are infinite, daily time & energy are finite. Though people have many needs & desires plus inspirational & aspirational ideas, follow-through is limited by knowledge, time & energy. When you help customers integrate needs, desires & ideas with your resources, you work together to turn potential into reality.

Offer Example: ‘When people need to prevent & solve problems, some stores offer barely adequate products. It’s like throwing lumber to stranded swimmers who need boats. (Store) offers consultations to guide you to find & use resources to fulfill goals. Let’s work together to combine the right resources to convert your needs, desires & ideas into reality.’

Allison Daminger wrote the article “How Couples Share ‘Cognitive Labor’ and Why it Matters”. Here are my interpretations of some of Allison Daminger's ideas plus my extrapolations:

Cognitive Labor includes thinking, planning, deciding & problem-solving. These mental tasks include anticipating needs, identifying options for filling needs, deciding among options & monitoring results.

For some issues, Cognitive Labor requires knowing, interpreting & applying limits.

Example: People are frustrated because they don’t know why plants aren’t healthy. Watering plants can be more complicated than gardeners anticipate. Some plants need some acid in soil, if water is acidic, it could be good for some plants & hurt others. Too much water can dilute acid & minerals in soil. Soil composition, heat, humidity & light affect how much water plants can tolerate. Gardeners can solve problems & cause others because things that help plants can also help harmful organisms. Gardeners need to do just enough to bring benefits.

People’s preparations for decisions are invisible, but significant & can be onerous.

Cognitive Labor Can Distract People From Other Tasks.

Anticipation is mostly in one person’s mind & can interfere with other activities because people have limited mental bandwidth.

Some decisions are spontaneous. High stakes decision-making is often done in a longer period, frequently involves conversations & is possibly postponed until convenient times.

Cognitive labor can lead to anxiety: People wonder if they’re forgetting anything. As conditions change & technology advances, people realize they don’t know valuable things. That knowledge gap means people won’t recognize emerging problems & don’t have resources for preventing or solving unrecognized problems.

Which needs have people failed to anticipate? What schedule conflicts have they not foreseen? Which ongoing home project might people have lost track of along the way? Should they keep searching for better solutions or consider problems solved?

People need to be satisfied with information, insights & practices to achieve comfortable closure. Even if they know they’ll reopen issues/projects when new information is available or conditions change, people want to be sure they’ve done all they could currently.

After people feel they’ve settled issues, they might believe they’re protected & ignore those issues. When protection isn’t permanent, it’s important to understand what’s possible & determine if preliminary answers can guide people to significant progress.

If the best time for action is unknown, somebody needs to determine whether to risk starting too early or late. Is there enough time to establish full assurance (about best practices) before implementing preventative action?

You can lead people through consultations even if you don’t have all pertinent answers yet, because you can check which questions apply to customers’ conditions.

After finding applicable questions, you can search for answers. With answers about what’s apt to happen & potential results, you can work on options. If customers are comfortable with options, they can commit to using products & methods. That commitment is important, so people don’t give up without allowing enough time for full effects.

During consultations, you can determine what people need for producing & maintaining full results, so customers are assured. Part of assurance is sharing common term definitions because misunderstandings can lead to problems & mistrust.

It’s important to agree what words mean so people can set realistic goals. People might not know they’ve made mistakes when expectations aren’t accurate.

Share the Cognitive Labor

Do some of the heavy mental lifting to streamline processes, optimize results & reduce risks. It takes more than strength for physical lifting; strong lifters also need correct techniques.

Effective, efficient decision-makers know what & how to think. As a retailer & consultant, you should know how to evaluate conditions & know which facts are necessary.

It’s important for you to know the cognitive labor load of processes from identifying vulnerabilities & problems to eliminating or reducing those. Consider which options could make budgeting & financing less stressful.

Marketing can include reminding customers about seasonal preparation or it’s time to check for problems. People will be relieved to outsource that anticipation work to you.

There’s an overwhelming span of problems from potentials to what’s probable plus emerging or current trouble. There’s an overwhelming span of solutions from potentially effective to what’s likely to work & what’s currently working.

Among emerging & current problems, which are threats or nuisances? Can problems be solved, prevented, or just mitigated? If somebody buys unreliable products, there’ll be less money, time & energy to restart with effective resources.

Which efforts can customers do with current resources? If people can’t afford money or storage space for materials or tools, you might need to adjust your business. If products are packaged in bigger amounts than people need, do you justify small purchases? If people need tools for short times & can’t afford money or space for purchases, will you offer rentals?

Help people determine how much of each resource they can afford to invest in for results. If people end up buying tools they’ll use once, their money will be tied up until they sell or trade tools. If you have tool rentals, people can rent what they need & move on.

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

Copyright 2021 Dennis S. Vogel All rights reserved.

When you compete against big businesses with big budgets you need powerful marketing strategies & tactics. You'll find them here- https://thriving-small-businesses.blogspot.com/