Decisions: It's Easier To Change Comparisons Than Facts

Our intention is to get help our prospects decide to buy, volunteer, opt-in, etc.

We want them to make a decision that is good for us and also good for them.

We attempt to use facts and figures to manipulate the prospect. And as we know, that doesn't work well.

Why?

Well a decision is actually a process, not a thing.

The word decision comes from the verb to decide. We want the customer deciding to use our services.

When you remember that deciding is a process, you'll get better at influencing decisions.

"All our final decisions are made in a state of mind that is not going to last." - Marcel Proust
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When programming a computer, decisions are obvious. The software has to run a series of loops and options that compare one result against another (Programmers please forgive me for dumbing it down. I am copy/paste coder.).

Your computer runs through series of comparisons. It compares what's going on now to see if something is true. If it is it does one thing. If it's not true it does another.

Your computer is logical. It doesn't ever think, "This might work, so let's go with that route." It is always thinking yes or no. True or false.

The (Lack Of) Human Logic

Humans are different.

Humans compare with emotions. Humans are who buy from you.

We experience 50 shades of "Yes."

We experience 50 shades of "No."

And another 50 shades of "Maybe."

People aren't rational. Our logic is flawed. Extremely flawed.

Which means the things we use to compare decisions is screwy. So...

If You Want To Change Someone's Decision Change The Comparison

Truthiness is what Steven Colbert called it.

Truthiness is the truth we feel in our gut and what feels right. It's not based in reality, facts, or logic.

We're influenced by different shades of truthiness.
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He frames it as a bad thing. But it's how we make decisions.

Facts are hard to change. They're concrete things. They're static. Usually.

And the relationship to facts are flexible. Bendable.

And that's where things get fun.

That's where you have leverage. It's where you begin to realize there is no real reality. Or no spoon, as Neo discovered.

Everything is a comparison.

You compare dinner plans against cooking at home, cleaning up, and the price to go out. Then you compare one restaurant against another based on types of food, distance to drive, health factors, and other things.

Your customer compares you against the competition. Against other items he wants to buy. Against sitting on his lazy ass and watching TV.

It's your job to change these.

It can be as simple pointing out the significant costs of repairs after buying a cheaper product vs the slightly larger cost of buying your product, which has better guarantees.

It could be creating price options of small monthly payments vs a larger paid-in-full option.

They're all different shades of truthiness.

And it's easier to change the comparison than the facts.