Use the science of decision making to boost your business growth
Research shows that to communicate the value of low carbon products or services, we need to overcome inherent barriers in our brains.
This is particularly challenging when your solution is complex or technical.
However, understanding the science of decision making enables you to maximise the impact of your marketing spend and time.
These three essential insights from neuroscience can transform your low carbon business growth strategy:
- 95% of our decision making is unconscious
- Focusing on your customers’ emotions and unconscious needs will make your marketing messages more effective
- Including factual details will help your customers’ logical brain justify the decision – but don’t expect it to make the sale.
Here’s why.
Take a look at the shadow images below. Which one corresponds to the more colourful image on the left?
Research shows that if you’re given a puzzle to solve, it’s likely that your brain has actually solved it as much as eight seconds before you have the conscious “aha!” moment?
In fact, neuroscience shows us that 95% of all thoughts, emotions and learning occur before we are consciously aware of it.
Professor Daniel Kahneman, the Nobel Prize winning behavioural scientist, explains why in his famous book Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Our brain has two systems for thinking that determine our decisions and behaviour:
- System one thinking is unconscious, fast and automatic.
- In contrast, system two thinking is slow and effortful.
For example, when you learn to drive, you start by using system two thinking – it’s hard and takes a lot of concentration. However, by the time you pass your test, you’re using system one thinking to automatically do the basics of driving, freeing you up to focus on road safety.
System one thinking is the dominant driver of decision making.
When it comes to deciding whether to buy a low carbon product or service, rational, conscious cognitive processes have a surprisingly small influence.
This means our sales and marketing needs to appeal to our buyers’ unconscious brains. We need to convince the fast-thinking side of their brain.
Here are some questions to help you apply this knowledge to strengthen your brand.
- Imagine you’re visiting your website for the first time; what’s your first impression?
- Can you quickly see the value of what’s on offer?
- Or does your brain hurt from deciphering complex information?
Lots of text, a lack of images, multiple calls to action, too much choice – all these things make it harder for customers’ brains to engage with your brand.
In contrast, brands that quickly forge a strong emotional connection with customers do better and matter more.
At the Sustainable Results Lab, we offer a range of services to support you to apply neuroscience and behavioural insights to boost business growth.
To find out more, book a neuroscience chat with our founder Ruth.
Together we can build a low carbon economy one customer at a time.
