The Power of Suggestion

Every human being is susceptible to clever marketing messages and the enticing images that marketers put out when they are trying to build a customer base. All one has to do is turn on the t.v to see the food industry flooding our consciousness with  tasty looking food items. And people want to know why Americans are so fat!

Will power only goes so far and the power of suggestion is a lot stronger than most people think. Hell, most people probably don't realize that they buy things they don't want or need because it has been cleverly suggested to them by marketers or friends.

The trick is to make people feel like THEY are really the ones making decisions about what they are buying. In reality they had less to do with what was purchased than they would like to think. People fall prey to the power of suggestion everyday in every aspect of their lives. This is why people come home with expensive merchandise they do not really want. The power of suggestion is what makes a salesman succeed. The power of suggestion is why people say a few certain words to someone with the intentions of planting a seed in someones mind and watching it grow until the person is doing what they wanted them to do while believing it is their idea and what they want to do!

In reality, most people are far less in control of their decisions than they would like to think. Lack of control makes people mad and scared. When one becomes conscious of the power of suggestion they will see how much the media and society influence people's decisions. Becoming aware of this will allow YOU to begin taking control over your decisions without being so heavily influenced by the media or friends.

First Impression is the Last Impression

When it comes to meeting someone new or seeing something for the first time, first impressions are everything. The same is true when a new product is launched into the market. The first impression that the consumer gets about the product is very important. First impressions of a new product get imprinted into the consumer's head.

Consumers attribute the quality and value of the product largely around how the product is introduced. Consumers will likely base future decisions of the product or brand based around how they perceived its first impression. Thus, a product that has a good first impression will likely create a loyal customer following.

First impressions are one of the reasons that companies place a new product at a premium price. This premium price signals quality to the customer. Customers are willing to spend more for a product they see as quality.

Once a customer buys a product at a particular price the customer (and other customers) become more accustomed to that price. If a customer who buys a product at a particular price is satisfied with their purchase, other customers will see this as a signal that the product is worth its asking price. The trick to this is making sure that your customers see value in your product at the selling price.

Once a price has been established in a customer's mind, it not only shapes what a customer would be willing to pay for the product in the future, but it also shapes what they would be willing to pay for similar products in the future.

Now all of this does not mean that a customer will only accept the first price given. A customer will accept a range of different prices, but they will always compare new prices with the original price (that's why many people perceive one product being over priced and one product being under priced). With this comparison the customer may see a new price and think to themselves "Wow! This product is now this price? It used to be much more than that...I can't pass it up now...I HAVE to buy it".

Just ANOTHER way we as consumers are easily predictable...and why marketers can easily manipulate our decision making without us even knowing it.

Thus, we as customers should pay particular attention to the FIRST decision we make in a particular situation. Though it may seem like a simple decision with minimal amount of consequences when we make it, it will DIRECTLY impact future decisions. This first simple decision thus turns into a series of decisions that build upon the first decision resulting in long term consequences.