Why is it so hard to get people to make a buying decision? Especially when you’ve done the work of putting the obvious facts in front of them.
That’s a common question in the sales world. We think a merely logical case is all we need to make, in order to change someone’s behavior (eg, they go from not buying your product to buying it, or maybe from buying it somewhere else to buying it from you.)
The reality is that humans see the world through a set of paradigms, and it is extremely difficult for us to change them.
Let’s review what a paradigm is.
The dictionary defines it as: “a cognitive framework containing the basic assumptions, ways of thinking, and methodology”
The key word in that definition is “assumptions”, because a paradigm does not have to be factual or accurate to exist and be defended.
Before 1492, the ruling paradigm of western civilization was that the earth was flat. Columbus was laughed out of the room by almost everyone for suggesting it was a globe. He wasn’t even fully correct, because he underestimated the size of the planet, (since he was searching for a route to the Indies) but he was still more right than the ruling paradigm of the day. Yet almost no one was willing to listen. They found comfort in their paradigm, and this is despite a viking oral record of sailing beyond Greenland. The power of the paradigm is strong enough to even dismiss evidence that threatens it.
I love history, and I love sales, and my loves share some common lessons.
So why did Queen Isabella of Spain agree, counter to the crowd, to fund Columbus’ voyage west? Because what breaks a paradigm isn’t logic, it’s emotion, and Isabella had strong feelings on one issue. Everyone wanted the potential wealth of a shorter route to the Indies, and everyone wanted the power and stature associated with it, but only Isabella was focused on spreading Christianity. That powerful, emotional drive made it worth taking the risks involved.
Paradigms shift when powerful emotions come into play. If your customers are not changing their paradigms, even in the face of strong logical prompts, it means you have not found what drives them emotionally. Emotion powers change. Without them, people cling to their current beliefs, regardless of accuracy.