Do you remember the reasons why people do not buy from you?

Here are the main three reasons:

 • They don’t want what you sell.
 • They don’t have the money.
 • They don’t trust you.

Let’s focus on the first reason for a minute or two.


They don’t want what you sell.

In many instances this can easily be translated into “They don’t understand what you sell.”

Direct response copywriters and advertising experts taught us the importance of “getting into the head of our customer”.

A piece of marketing which generates a lot of response is not a monologue, it’s a dialog between the copywriter and the reader—the prospect. A writer needs to join that conversation in the head of the reader. Therefore, the writer needs to understand the market and the prospects she is writing for very well.

Derek Sivers gave a short 6 minute talk at a
TED (↑) conference in India, in November last year. He reminds us of the many reasons why the person listening or reading might not understand what you are trying to communicate. His multicultural example makes it quite clear.

Derek Sivers: Weird, or just different?

That’s just the icing on the cake. Culture is not the only potential barrier that interferes with the meaning of your message and its perception.

“Despite the Internet being a global medium, your audience usually wears a very local head.”
~ John W. Furst

Enjoy the video and start becoming more aware of dangerous pitfalls in your communication and marketing.

Yours
John W. Furst

Now it's offical: “Stay Hungry” has been chosen as the best career advice for lesson 7 of Daniel Pink's book The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need (↑).

It was a land-slide victory for Becky Blanton. She says,

“I'm going to TED, but those whose stories are told on the blog at beckyblanton.com are going with me. In the coming months the blog will be redesigned in order to highlight and showcase those people who are both ‘Staying hungry’ AND ‘Saying Thanks’ as Ed Brenegar and I team up to spread OUR ideas.

In July I'll be blogging and vlogging about TED on that site as well.

My dream is that my win will bring more traffic, attention and help to ALL of you who are not only staying hungry and saying thanks, but are giving back and leaving an imprint in this world. With nearly 5,000 votes cast - the stories and efforts of many charities are getting out. Thank you […]”

Thanks to those of your who have supported my call for help. I know you are many. That brings me to the second part of this blog post.

“Help” versus “Free” -Email Statistics Compared

(and the essence of a good speech - a video with author Daniel H. Pink)

We usually believe that more choices is better. I mean, in which shoe store would you go? The one with 2 pair of different models on display or the one with 50?

Our economy is driven by giving people as many choices as possible. However, there is a point when too much choice is simply too much.

As marketer you should listen what your market wants, instead of overwhelming them with what they don't want.

Psychologist Barry Schwartz wrote a whole book, after he was dissatisfied with a purchase of a pair of jeans. Imagine that… most customers won't tell you what's wrong. They simply won't come back.

So take this opportunity and listen to a quite entertaining analysis about choices. Even while being entertaining he conveys an important point.

This is part three in my mini-series about psychology for marketers.

Watch, now!

Marketing revolves around the concept of “perceived value”. People are more likely to purchase your products and services, when the value they assign to your offer outweighs the price tag. (We all know that, right?)

However, it seems that men and women are very bad in estimating value. So let's further dive into psychology and pair it with math. Don't worry!

Dan Gilbert explains it using simple examples. He presents research and data from his exploration of happiness — sharing some surprising tests and experiments that you can also try on yourself. Watch through to the end for a sparkling Q&A with some familiar TED faces.

This is part two in my mini-series about psychology for marketers.

“Marketing Changes Minds.” First time that I heard that phrase was from Alex Mandossian, I presume. Actually there is a second part to it.

• Marketing Changes Minds And
• Promotion Changes Behavior.

Could not be a bad idea to learn more about the human mind and a bit psychology. What do you think?

I have found some treasures in three TED Talks that I will present to you in a mini-series. Here is part 1 (of 3).

Dan Gilbert: Why are we happy? Why aren't we happy?