wow, what a title. I found Dr. Lynella Grant's website, Giant Potatoes (When You're Tired Of Being Treated Like Small Potatoes) - first I love the name, and secondly, she makes a great point. People buy EMOTIONALLY... oh sure, we all try to logically rationalize our decisions, but they are made through emotion. Dr. Grant goes on to say:
If you've driven yourself crazy trying to figure out why so many
customers get away, relax. You can't figure it out, because…
It's not logical. The impulse that makes people buy from one
business instead of another is no more logical than the baying
of an elk's mating call. In fact, it works exactly the same way,
through the limbic system.
The limbic system is instinctive—older than language, faster
than thinking. It controls trust. It controls attention and desire.
And logic must stand aside until the limbic part of the brain says
decides something is trustworthy. In primitive times it was
constantly alert for danger. Detecting threats spelled the
difference between life and death. That function is still important
today (although the kinds of risks are very different).
Check out the rest of the article here, and post your thoughts - I would have to say that I DO court the limbic system, although I've never thought of if quite that way.