The end of summer sees tree leaves turning yellow. At our local supermarket the price tags on the shelves turn yellow on a daily basis. Yellow means special – look at me – hey this is great. But your intrepid correspondent has discovered that all is not what it seems.
After our right-brain sensory channel was engaged by the colourful tag in the egg department yesterday, the left brain analytical function swung into action. Bracing ourselves for a complex volume vs. size vs. origin vs. price decision, we were surprised to discover that the eggs had been discounted by a massive 1c from $3.99 to $3.98!
Our initial disappointment at discovering that the ‘special eggs’ were out of stock, was replaced by a warm smug feeling of superiority over all the shoppers who had gone before and been fooled by this apparently phoney bargain. We have never before experienced such a wave of emotions in the supermarket egg department!
But that’s the point. Behavioural Science is a little understood but incredibly powerful skill in business. Because emotions are a much stronger driver of behaviour than thoughts, intentionally creating the right emotional reaction is crucial for great business. To learn more about this powerful and crucial business discipline check out Bri Williams from People Patterns. Bri (pronounce like the French cheese) is a captivating public speaker, author and blogger. A subscription to her free monthly newsletter is highly recommended.
We’re off now to buy some organic water and cholesterol free toothpaste.