Do We Buy With Emotions or Logic?

It’s easy to imagine boardrooms filled with serious faces, poring over spreadsheets, and discussing ROI. Numbers and logic certainly dominate these conversations, but beneath the surface, emotions play a crucial role.

Picture a procurement manager evaluating suppliers. They spend hours scrutinising key performance indicators, analysing cost-benefit scenarios, and forecasting market trends. This meticulous approach is the essence of rational thinking, which relies on data, facts, and logical analysis. Rational thinking is essential for managing risks, improving efficiency, and maintaining objectivity. It provides a solid foundation for sound, objective choices in the B2B world.

However, the reality is that emotions significantly influence B2B decision-making. Dr. Gerald Zaltman, a renowned expert in consumer behaviour, has revealed that 95% of our purchasing decisions are driven by the subconscious mind, where emotions hold sway. In B2B contexts, these emotions manifest in various ways, impacting trust, relationships, brand perception, and customer experience.

Jonathan Haidt’s analogy of the elephant and the rider paints a vivid picture of how we make decisions. Imagine our emotions and intuitions as a huge, powerful elephant, and our rational mind as a tiny rider perched on top. While the rider holds the reins and appears to be in charge, it’s the elephant that truly has the strength to decide where they go. Even though the rider might think they’re leading, it’s often the elephant that dictates the path, with the rider scrambling to keep up and justify the journey. This analogy beautifully illustrates how our emotions often drive our actions, even when we think we’re being completely logical. It reminds us that understanding and guiding our emotional side is just as crucial as using our rational mind.

When you view this through the lens of a buyer you start understanding that these negative emotions like risk, anxiety and in some cases outright fear can cause complete paralysis. FOMU stands for the “Fear of Messing Up,” a concept that highlights a significant psychological barrier in modern selling. This fear is a powerful driver of customer indecision, often causing buyers to hesitate or even halt their purchasing decisions entirely. According to Matt Dixon, co-author of “The JOLT Effect,” FOMU reflects a deep-seated anxiety about making mistakes, particularly errors that could lead to negative repercussions such as wasted resources or internal criticism. This isn’t a rational challenge but one driven purely by emotions.

This fear is especially prevalent in B2B sales, where the stakes are high, and the repercussions of a poor decision can be substantial. For example, a buyer might fear that choosing the wrong software vendor could disrupt operations and lead to significant financial losses. Consequently, this fear often results in a decision to maintain the status quo rather than take a risk on a new purchase.

This presents a clear challenge for sellers because our go-to strategy is often grounded in logic. We equip sales teams with ROI calculators, case studies, competitor battle cards, and testimonials. However, we seldom provide guidance on navigating the emotional component of buying. Lets look at some simple strategies:

Story Telling

Leveraging the concept of the “Angel’s Cocktail” can be a game-changer. Popularised by David JP Phillips, the Angel’s Cocktail refers to the positive chemical reactions that can be triggered in the brain through uplifting and engaging storytelling. When a story is enjoyable and resonates well, it releases a mix of dopamine, oxytocin, and endorphins in the listener’s brain.

Dopamine enhances focus and motivation, making buyers more attentive and excited about the product. Oxytocin fosters trust and bonding, helping to build a strong connection between the seller and the buyer. Endorphins create feelings of pleasure and relaxation, making the buying process a more enjoyable experience.

By understanding and harnessing these reactions, sellers can craft their narratives to create a positive emotional connection with their audience. This approach helps in making the buyers feel happy, connected, and more receptive to the message. It’s all about striking the right emotional chords to keep the buyers engaged and emotionally invested, leading to more impactful and memorable sales interactions whilst cultivating trust.

Transparency

Transparency is not just a buzzword but a powerful strategy that can transform how sellers connect with buyers. Todd Caponi, in his influential book “The Transparency Sale,” emphasizes the importance of honesty and openness in sales processes. Caponi argues that leading with transparency, including openly discussing the flaws and limitations of a product, can significantly enhance trust and accelerate the sales cycle.

Caponi’s research shows that buyers today are more informed and sceptical than ever, relying heavily on reviews and feedback from other users to guide their purchasing decisions. This means that hiding a product’s imperfections is not only ineffective but can also backfire. By being upfront about both the strengths and weaknesses of a product, sellers can build a foundation of trust. This honesty helps in reducing the natural resistance buyers have towards sales pitches, making them more receptive to the overall message.

Furthermore, transparency positively affects buyers’ emotions by creating a sense of trust and reliability. When buyers see that a seller is being honest about potential drawbacks, it reassures them that the seller is not just interested in making a sale but genuinely cares about helping. This reduces anxiety and scepticism, leading to a more relaxed and open mindset. Buyers feel more respected and valued, which can enhance their overall satisfaction and loyalty to the seller. By addressing emotional needs, transparency helps foster deeper, more meaningful connections between sellers and buyer.

Help Them Decide

We’ve discussed this extensively: the role of the seller has evolved, especially as customer indecision has become our biggest challenge. Our role now is to guide the customer through their decision-making process once they’ve decided to make a change. Think of us as sherpas, leading them through the rocky terrain of decisions.

This involves offering advice, helping them de-risk their decision, and creating alignment and consensus among the buyer group. We must address the primary emotions at play—fear, confusion, and shame over poor decisions—by showing how others have navigated this path successfully. While buyers have access to more information, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are better informed. We need to provide them with insights they can’t find on the internet, like real customer stories. These aren’t just case studies but detailed accounts of what customers did, the deliberations they went through, how they made their decision, and how they de-risked it to avoid potential pitfalls.