December 2008

    
   
   

WHERE COMMUNICATIONS INFLUENCE DECISIONS
   

The Point:
 

Tap into New Year’s Resolutions

    
 

The New Year, with its ritual of resolutions, is always a key decision point as people reflect on the year that has passed and resolve to make changes and do better in the year to come.

In this year of uncertainty and turmoil, it’s hard for people to know what changes to make and how to do better. Things they always took for granted seem ambiguous. That ambiguity can lead to fear and discomfort which can cause rash, irrational, unproductive decisions, or lead to complete paralysis.

Smart marketers can tap into this emotional context to help their customers overcome paralysis and make better decisions. Here are five tips for helping customers with their New Year’s resolutions:

1.

Help them make a long-term plan. People can be reluctant to commit to a course of action when the path forward isn’t clear. But the process of making a plan can give people a sense of direction and confidence, and can help them focus on where they want to end up. Encourage customers to make resolutions that are sufficiently concrete to lead to specific actions, but flexible enough to accommodate new information or changes in the environment.

2.

Connect decisions to tangible benefits. Remind them of the value of re-engaging in their retirement plan if they stopped; making regular savings contributions, or paying down high-interest debt. Show them how eating better will help them stay fit, or how investing in energy-saving equipment and appliances will help them save money.

3.

Be a helper, a rock to lean on. People need to talk to people. As your customers grow more cautious, they will need a lot more personal attention and hand-holding to get them through their decision-making. This is the time to invest in your sales force and customer service staff by giving them the information and training they need to move people from consideration to purchase.

4.

Position yourself as a facilitator and source of encouragement. Successful resolutions are about quick impact but also ongoing re-enforcement. So many resolutions get broken because people can’t stick to their plans. Show how you will help people stick to their resolutions and get the results they want: Money saved. Weight lost. Books read. Doctors visited. Behavior altered in some positive way. If you can show them they will have a partner in achieving their goals, they may find it easier to decide.

5.

Urge people to act. Right now, your customers and prospects feel frozen. They’ve witnessed things they never thought they’d see, and they don’t know how to respond. Resolutions are a good forcing mechanism to action because there’s a built-in deadline; a sense of urgency. Help your customers act by showing them in a gentle, thoughtful way, that not making a decision is, in fact, a decision—and help them evaluate the costs of that.

If you resolve to be sensitive to your customers’ needs during turbulent times, you can help them make positive resolutions for themselves, and build stronger relationships that will benefit your business long into the future.