Decision-Making Processes and the Human Factor

Decision-Making Processes and the Human Factor

By Vickie J Scanlon


It would definitely make selling products easy if everyone had the same process of making a buying decision. But that is not the case. For example, women more then men, want more content when making a buying decision. Well, since I am a woman, I can say I definitely fit that description.

Then there are the following types of people whether man or woman:

The “I got to have it” type of individual. These are the individuals who will stand in line for hours to be the first to buy a new product, or to run you over or grab the product from your hands, just to get to the product first. Every seller loves these types of people (not the rudeness) – but the get it now mentality.


The Johnny come lately type- These are the individuals who have the wait and see attitude. If the product is new, they will make sure all the bugs are out of the product before getting their feet wet. They will examine it, read all the information, ask others if they have tried it and liked it. They may even possibly keep up on the product for several months to see if there are any bad comments floating about. Sometimes this type of hesitation causes them to lose out on a true deal-and yet other times, it can save them money.


Budget-minded – I want it, but I will wait till I can afford to buy it. Unless of course, they think it is a need or the product is going to be gone in days.


Here is an example of a budget-minded individual. There was this one individual, I’ll call him Budget Denny. He went into a department store with the sole purpose of buying a tie. He looked around for a while and found a really nice looking tie. He examined it, checked out the price, felt the texture of the material, and put it back down.


His friend, Inpatient John said, “Come on, I know you want the tie, buy it.” Budget Denny quietly shook his head in the negative. “No,” he said, I believe I need to wait a day on this buy. Just to think it over.”


Inpatient John just looked at him. What was Budget Denny doing? He wanted to make sure he needed it and not just wanted it. As you know, “need” is different from “want”. If it’s “a want” you can wait on it for a while. A need is, well, what you decide mentally as a necessity. As to inpatient John – he realized the importance of the lesson from Budget Denny and he too has since followed this individual’s example. (By the way, this was a true story. Only the names were changed to reduce embarrassment.)


In most cases, a lot of online buyers are like budget-minded Denny. They need to think about it. They may bookmark your web page of interest and come back later. They will mull over the price and the perceived benefits of purchasing the item.


They may be thinking: 1) Is it a true need-(“Will this product or service really help me?”); or 2) I know what the going price of this product is- and know that this is a great discounted price, but do I have enough money to buy the product; or 3) it’s a close out sale and I doubt I’ll have the opportunity to purchase it later; or 4) I like the return policy. If I don’t like it, they guarantee I can return it in the next 30 or 60 days-with no questions asked.


As you can see, people look more than at price. They look at need- real or perceived, with a guarantee. The guarantee and the perceived need can ward off buyer regret. So when you are writing your sales copy, remember it's rarely an analytical exercise, but an emotional exercise that you need to address.

About the Author:
Vickie J Scanlon -- Visit her site at: http://www.myaffiliateplace.biz
for tools, ebook reviews, computers, security software and products for business, and how to info for the Affiliate Marketer/Internet Marketer.