Just make a decision will you!!! Overcoming decision quicksand to get the sale

You've been dealing with this customer for what seems like an eternity.  On paper, the decision is an easy one, some might say trivial, and yet they can't seem to make up their mind.  You are going around in circles, with them demanding more and more information and as a consequence, them getting more and more confused.  Oh no!  You are in "decision quicksand"!

When you make something unexpectedly difficult, you get quicksand
In their study "Decision Quicksand: How Trivial Choices Suck Us in" (2012) Aner Sela and Jonah Berger examined why trivial choices suck us in.  In short, the study looked at the association between difficulty and importance and found that if a choice was unexpectedly difficult, then it's perceived importance increased. What had been trivial has now been elevated into a decision worthy of time and effort.  And what better way of churning up time and effort than seeking out more options, sadly taking us further away from being able to make a choice.

Using quicksand in your business
You can use quicksand in two ways in your business.

Strategy 1. Intentionally make it hard
If you want to increase the perceived importance of a choice, make it more difficult.  Provide more options, use complicated language, complex processes and protracted explanations.  In Daniel Kahneman's language, you will be engaging "System 2" thinking which tends to interrupt an otherwise low engagement decision.  Why would you want to?  To force consideration of your product when you are not the preferred incumbent.

A word of warning though, an unimportant decision that is difficult might increase the time involved but it will likely decrease satisfaction.  Makes sense doesn't it?  We end up resenting being stuck on something that we think we should have easily dealt with.  For those who monitor customer satisfaction, it may be worth looking at how your customers perceive difficulty relative to importance because where effort is greater than reward, satisfaction will suffer.

Strategy 2. Simplify
More commonly, you will want to make the decision process for your customer as easy as possible. Fewer options, simple language, easy to follow processes and straight forward explanations.  Here "System 1" thinking will be most likely ruling the roost meaning your customer will be on 'auto pilot' and go with the flow.  Your job of course is to set up the flow!

Getting out of quicksand
So what do you do with the customer is stuck in decision quicksand? Go back to the basics of what they first talked about and why they contacted you. Fight their urge to get more information by concentrating on framing their decision using simple pros and cons.  Something along the lines of...

"Let's go back to when you first walked in.  As I see it you have two choices in what we've talked about, A or A-.  Now A has xyz whereas A- has 123. From what you've described to me, A- is really what you are looking for.  Does that seem right?  OK. That is a great decision, let's sort out (next steps)".

Knowing that decision quicksand can affect us all should help you come to terms with customers who seem to be frustrating you on purpose.  Take the view that they are not being deliberately difficult and instead look at how you set up the decision for them.  After all, you're the choice architect here!

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(Image from http://www.gsbhealthandsafetysigns.co.uk/danger-quicksand-sign.html)

Being a devil: Influencing your buyer's willpower

We are really good at tricking ourselves into acts of indulgence.


Take a study by Chandon and Wansink (2007) for instance that found that when people visit a 'healthy' restaurant, they tend to underestimate the calories they are consuming.  In effect, the restaurant's healthy 'halo effect' mucks with our ability to assess our behaviour.


And similarly, a study by Wilcox, Vallen, Block and Fitzsimmons (2009) that found that the mere presence of healthy items increased the likelihood of an indulgent item being selected.  In other words, we trick ourselves into thinking we have done the right thing by our mental calorie account through merely considering the healthy item and as a reward, select the indulgence.  McDonalds seem to be playing on this through their healthier options, luring us with salads and wraps but then bombarding us with burgers and fries once there.


As the researchers write 

"Results demonstrate that individuals are, ironically, more likely to make indulgent food choices when a healthy item is available compared to when it is not available... Presence vicariously fulfils nutrition related goals and provides consumers with license to indulge".

What do these studies mean?  Context is crucial and can lower our rational defences.  And as a business, you can and should influence that context.


Business implications
For businesses there are some opportunities to consider;

• If you are marketing healthy options, you need to contextualise your product.  Presenting salads amongst pies and sausage rolls may not be as successful as segmenting healthy and less healthy choices.  
• If you are marketing indulgent options, consider the role healthy products can play in stimulating choices in your favour.  Desserts tucked in amongst fruit and vegetables might be worth pursuing.  

And for businesses not involved in food, the lesson of context still holds. Do they see your product as an indulgence or a necessity?  Help them feel like they've earned a reward to promote purchase of indulgences and if your product is more utilitarian in nature, try keeping it clear of distracting 'goodies'.


PS Why not join the People Patterns mailing list?  Every month you'll receive a short wrap-up of top news from the behavioural sciences and other nuggets of goodness from me. Click here to sign-up.