All Customers Are Irrational
Understanding What They Think, What They Feel, and What Keeps Them Coming Back
By: William J. Cusick
Published: July 2009
Format: Hardcover, 240pp
ISBN-13: 9780814414217
Publisher:AMACOM - American Management Association
"Whatr we've learned over the last few years is we are all, in fact, irrational. And irrational isn't all that bad". writes CEO and Founder of Vox, Inc. William J. Cusick in his groundbreaking book All Customers Are Irrational: Understanding What They Think, What They Feel, and What Keeps Them Coming Back. The author describes effectively how understanding how and why customers are irrational, can help build your business and your brand, while enhancing customer experiences.
Bill Cusick recognizes that customers are irrational in the sense that their buying decisions are based on emotional responses. At the same time, the author understands that customers are often unable to describe their true needs and desires regarding products and services. William Cusick bases his analysis on modern studies of brain activity surrounding a purchasing decision. The choice is made subconsciously, and then acted upon by the conscious brain. The author makes the seldom discussed leap of understanding that people within companies also act in an irrational manner regarding customers. Instead of striving to retain customers, businesses devote massive amounts of resources to acquiring new customers. The organizations ignore the real cost of customer acquisition that is anywhere from five to ten times more expensive than keeping current customers happy and satisfied.
William J. Cusick (photo left) not only points out that both customers and companies act in an irrational and emotional way, but suggests that irrationality can be turned into an asset. Instead of continuing the mistaken belief that customers act in a rational manner, the author recommends applying emotional appeals not only to sales and marketing, but also to customer relationships and product design. Since customers either won't tell a business the truth about their products and services, or are simply unable to do so, William Cusick recommends studying their actions instead. A customer's actual behavior, and not their words, is what really should matter to the business. By framing every customer interaction terms of irrational behavior, the organization can get a true picture of the customer's needs and desires. In the end, the customer can be given a positive emotional customer experience that builds the customer list through both retention and growth.
For me, the power of the book is the recognition that neither customers or companies are rational. The emotional response of people is what matters, and any allegedly rational ideas are applied later as justification for the purchase. Not only does William Cusick describe effectively how customers behave, he also makes powerful suggestions for changing the way a company does business to take emotions and irrationality into account. Indeed, he suggests using emotions and experiences in a positive way to build stronger customer relations, that result in more sales and repeat business. The author takes the step of describing how to integrate processes into the organization to ensure that customers' emotional needs are understood and become an integral part of any transaction.
I highly recommend the important and insightful book All Customers Are Irrational: Understanding What They Think, What They Feel, and What Keeps Them Coming Back by William L. Cusick, to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of what truly motivates a customer, and how to apply that emotional behavior to all customer experiences. At the same time, the same concern with irrationality can be utilized to enhance the organization's internal ways of thinking and of acting as a business. A thorough understanding of how people really make decisions and behave is critical to operating a successful business both online and in the bricks and mortar world.
Read the customer experience transformational book All Customers Are Irrational: Understanding What They Think, What They Feel, and What Keeps Them Coming Back by William J. Cusick, and embrace the important concept that customers are indeed irrational. They make their buying decisions based on emotions, and if a company understands this key idea, then a business can create a positive customer relationship. Read this book and put the power of irrationality to work for your business. Your customers will be happier and your business will become much more successful.
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