Why is it that people insist on making buying decisions based on emotion? And afterwards they try every angle to justify the decision. Read on to see what you can do about this to help your selling.
The school holidays have just begun here in the Archer household which has coincided with selling 9 puppies that Brodie gave birth to last month. It’s been a log haul, creating blogs, photos on the sites, taking phone calls, talking to prospective owners. So far we’ve found brilliant homes for 6 pups and do you know what is it that was the secret to selling the puppies?
Quite simple. You sit the family down on the couch and you put a puppy in their arms. 5 minutes later, they’ve fallen in love and want to keep it. I used to call this technique the “puppy dog close”. To sell anything, let the customer feel what its like to own it. Pet shop owners would give the customer the puppy to take home for the weekend, knowing full well, that by Monday morning, they would want to own it.
Emotions taking over. And we created the same thing, inadvertently, by letting the owner cuddle their new puppy. You see, puppies are devastatingly cute. You can’t resist their little noses, their big brown eyes and tiny tails wagging for you. Puppies have an in-built ability to just love you and be with you. And that’s far too much emotion for most humans to resist.
So when my wife announced that she wanted to keep not one puppy for us…but two pups, I was astonished and immediately my logic cells kicked in.
She was all emotional and was soon allied by three children all oozing uncontrollable, irrational decision making. “Daddy, we have to keep Alfie and Florence”
Now why is having three dogs an irrational decision:
- Italian Spinones grow up to be very large and hairy dogs, and puppies grow up, believe me.
- We don’t have room for three dogs in the boot of the car
- It’ll be me who has to walk them. Now walking one dog is easy, Brodie runs with me, two dogs seems OK, but walking three huge Spinone’s seems impossible.
- Vets fees for 3 dogs, require a new credit card and make my eyes water
- So does 3 pet insurance plans, Brodie costs me £30 a month.
- Think of the food costs?
- And there’s the kennel fees if we go away.
My family are still clouded in emotion and desperately want to keep 2 puppies as well as Brodie
The lesson? Think about what you sell. Are you making the purchasing decision emotional?
- If you sell photos of sports events, do you play on the emotional memories that you can take away and recall for ever….or do you focus on the 5″ x 4″ photo being of good quality and high resolution and easily uploaded to Facebook?
- If you sell life insurance, do you focus on the features and bolt-ons, the low monthly premiums…or do you talk about the inner warm feeling that if anything ever happened to you, your family would never have to think bad thoughts over your grave. Money, or the lack of it, changes people.
- Do you ask questions to reveal the emotional needs and pains of the customer?
- When selling the house, do you ask where little Johnnie’s room might be and how would he decorate it. Remember the puppy dog close.
- Do you ask what it might feel like to own the product, what it might mean to them….play on the emotions.
- Do you play on your sales team’s emotions when influencing or persuading them? Most decisions have emotion packed into them, even when you’re not buying anything.
- If you don’t then you really ought to.
So where does this emotional buying decision leave me? When I pick up Florence and Alfie, yes my family have already named them, I just adore them, who wouldn’t,they’re puppies. But logically, I think it’s wrong and I genuinely need your help and I’ve posted a reader poll on my blog.
Do you think we should keep 2 puppies or 1 puppy? Please complete the poll below, and give me your opinion and I’ll present the outcome to my family at the weekend.
I’ll let you know the result next week.
Has to be 1 puppy, Three is great but you will grow to regret it and it can end in tears!!!
good luck, pleased its not me telling our family
Paul,
I would not keep any puppies but at the most I would keep one, unless I lived on a large piece of land in the country.
You should have a contract with the kids with their responsibilities for taking care of the puppies.
Lastly, if your kids are nearing university age you may want to reconsider………
Three is too many. One or two at the most.
Share the love and the responsiblities. May want to ask others in the home to share and ask who will walk,feed and bath etc. in exchange for a puppy? Realistically ask what you are willing to give up to allow more time to the puppy?
Paul
As a dog lover who has tried having 3 dogs I must warn you not to.
Two dogs is good. They are company for each other and are in many ways easier than one dog, but three are difficult to walk and are always in competition with each other. You admit that transport will be a problem and finally, why doesn’t the family help in the walking of them? That’s the best bit!
Best regards Paul
Nick
Hi Paul
If I wasn’t at work all day i would buy the other one off you! just love the breed.
2 puppies would be hard work because when trying to train them they have their own agenda with each other, whereas one would pay more attention. definitely keep one.
Oh Paul – How can you just keep one? It would be like Sophie’s Choice – how could you choose? I’m routing for you keeping 2 puppies. You live in the countryside with access to lovely long walks (& I sell beautiful, bridle-quality leather hound couples on behalf of the RR Welfare Trust if that helps. Most insurance companies will do multi-deals if you have all your animals with them. Petplan are very good but Sainsbury’s do a very comprehansive cover at very good price and I’m sure a man of your persuassive calibre can do an even better deal. Plus think of all the Nectar points you’ll get!! Then there’s the fact that 2 puppies will play with each other giving Brodie a well earned rest – 1 puppy would worry her for play all the time – think of Brodie Paul. The idea of getting shared commitment from the family now, while you have most leverage is a agood one. A rota of care including brushing, training, socialisation and walking the pups is key, but it’s nothing ‘Team Archer’ can’t handle under your leardership Paul. Think of it as a challenge and you get to be the hero. Really – what’s the alternative?
Keep one puppy only. The costs and impracticalities of three big dogs is too much. Also I think you do need to share the responsibilities acrss your family.
If you keep two you then have one for each child to look after, think about how much time you would save if you delegated the responsibility!
Happy days…
Good luck
Paul, has to be one if any. I speak as someone who knows, I have three dogs – never again.
I think those who have been sold on emotion haven’t let their logic kick in yet. As you said in your post, “Money, or the lack of it, changes people.” So use the power of money to de-motivate them.
Ask your kids to cough up for the £60/month insurance plus vet fees plus food plus whatever other costs you would incur. They should be prepared to cover the cost for at least the first 7 years of Alfie and Florence’s life. Just the insurance comes to over £5,000 – whose piggie bank is that coming out of? Require at least a 1 year deposit to prove their commitment. If they still persist ask for a complete business plan including a dog-walking contract with a penalty charge each time you have to take them for a walk.
Good luck, and just don’t look into those puppy dog eyes. Even the photo is starting to suck me in!
Hi Paul
I understand your situation but you need to rule with your head and not your heart on this one (it is important on these matters). Wishing you, and your family, lots of happiness with your two, or possibly three dogs.
Hi Paul,
I agree with the majority of comments here, if not the poll. It has to be one at the most. The breeder we bought our border terrier from refuses to supply more than one puppy per owner from the same litter -it is, apparently asking for trouble.
Of course, if this means you have a “spare”, send over a photo….
Hi Paul
It has to be 1 puppy, logic has to take over, unless of course you’re going to buy a bigger house and a bigger car.
On the positive side, you might win the lottery.
I’ve used this concept with good effect in my sales training – emotion = motion.
Good luck, they will understand in the longterm. Tony