What I've Learned...

Wow!! There have been a lot things we have covered this semester regarding consumer behavior like cultures, subcultures, how consumers make decisions, how we see ourselves, and many other things related to consumer behavior.  The main take-aways for me from Predictably Irrational was things like the power of the word "free" and how procrastination affects us as people. It was interesting to learn about how irrational we are as consumers and how we make our decisions. In in the book Nudge, I learned about the two ways of thinking which were the automatic and reflective systems. The reflective system is deliberate, while the the automatic system is instinctive. I learned how we can "nudge" consumers to make decisions. I really liked the chapter about culture this semester, it was interesting to learn about how our cultures and rituals shape ourselves.  Overall, this has been an eye opening class and has taught me a lot about how consumers make decisions and what drives them.  

Product Placement

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"Product placement is the insertion of real products in fictional movies, TV shows, books and plays" (Solomon, 2013, 555). Product placement can be both subtle and very obvious. The video below is an example of how products were placed in a recent movie, Man of Steel. According to the textbook, "Marketers pay $25 billion per year to plug their brands in TV and movies" (Solomon, 2013, 555).  Researchers believe that this act aids consumer decision making because of the familiarity with these items.  I found this really interesting when I stumbled upon this in the chapter about culture.  I never realized how common this occurs on TV and in movies.  It is everywhere!!! I mean I could go all day finding pictures and examples of how products are placed in today's society.  Product placement is like watching a commercial inside of a TV show or movie.  With the creation of Netflix and other media outlets, consumers are able to get rid of traditional commercials resulting in companies turning to product placement of their products in different media forms. I have also listened to songs that seemed to have an audio version of product placement in them, for example..."Apple bottom jeans, boots with the firm...etc.." I am afraid that diving deeper into this topic may have ruined movies, TV shows and music for me. We shall see.  

Here is another movie that compiles different examples of product placement.  

Hoarding and Collecting

Hoarding: Buried Alive has become a popular TV show in more recent times that shows people and their masses of stuff that they gather over years and stash away in their home. "Hoarding according to the textbook is the unsystematic form of collecting" (Solomon, 2013, 542). Every time this behavior is portrayed on television it proves to be problematic. These people are being either removed from their homes if they don't improve the situation, their children are moving out or being taken away, or they face huge fire danger. Below is a video about a lady who hoards....

Collecting is different than hoarding because it refers to the "systematic acquisition of a particular object or set of objects" (Solomon, 2013, 542). So instead of collecting everything they only collect certain things.  I think most children at some point start collections of some sort, when I was in the second grade I collected rocks.  "Some consumer researchers feel that collectors acquire their "prizes" to gratify their materialism in a socially acceptable manner" (Solomon, 2013, 542). 

I feel like most of us either have some sort of connection to a person who hoards or collects items. My grandma could be considered an organized hoarder.  She has taken pictures of most of the items in her home where she has them organized in boxes and puts those pictures in binders for people to look through. She has random stuff boxed up in piles in her house and those boxes are everywhere!! One example of something she has in her house is these fabric swatches from probably the 1960's or 70's that are old and outdated but she saves them and intends to use them to sew things.  

It is interesting to think about how people can get so attached to products.  I think some of it a generational thing where they want to save things because of the tough times they lived through and some of the hoarding can be attributed to psychological issues.  Collectors and hoarders seem to spend huge amounts of time devoted to building up their collections and maintaining them. These activities becomes a "central component of their extended selves" (Solomon, 2013, 542).  

Effectiveness of a Good Salesperson

After working almost two years in the quilt store, I have learned a lot about how to relate to customers and how to move more product out the door, but it hasn't always been this way.  I used to just look at a customer blankly in the face when they would ask me a question that I didn't know the answer to.  I probably looked like an idiot.  When I first started working for the store I didn't know any of the customer's names and didn't know where anything was located in the store. Inexperience and my youthfulness was working against me when I began my job. When I read the section about what defines a salesperson's role and effectiveness I thought of real life examples from my work experience for each of the factors they listed.  The list included age, appearance, educational level and motivation to sell (Solomon, 2011, 353). I learned in order to gain respect from the customers in the quilt store there is a certain appearance I need to maintain or else customers will think I am just some snot nosed kid. I had to change some of the clothing stores I normally shop at to give me a more mature wardrobe.  I have also learned that salespeople need to build strong relationships with their customers.  A strong relationship creates loyalty that keeps customers coming back to you for future sales.  Customers with a strong relationship will seek you out.  I think good sales people also possess integrity and usually customers will recognize this quality and it will reflect on the salespersons sales.

After reading about the effectiveness of salespeople, I wanted to learn about some of the things I could do now to be more profitable in my current job.  The following is the 7 Highly Effective Habits of Sales People:

1. They Make a Good First Impression

According to scientific studies, you have very little time to make an impression when meeting someone new. About seven seconds, in fact. And if it’s not a good impression, you’ll struggle to overcome it. Top salespeople know that it's important to look sharp and speak well during those first meetings with prospects and customers, because that’s how they will be remembered.

2. They have a Positive Attitude

People want to associate with others who are enthusiastic and who have an overall positive attitude. Of course, everyone has bad days, but the best salespeople don't display these feelings in front of clients. They take a day off or, better yet, develop personal techniques to manage those emotions.

3. They Take Notes

A few minutes after a meeting, most people will have already forgotten huge portions of what the other person said. So, when top salespeople hear important information--during, for instance, a meeting with a decision maker about a sale--they take notes. The clients will remember what they asked for and the promises they were made. Top salespeople remember, too.

4.They Keep their Commitments

Trust is a key component in any relationship, and it is especially important in sales. When top salespeople make promises, they keep their commitments, reinforcing to clients that they can be trusted.

5. They Know their Stuff

Top salespeople know everything there is to know about their products and their competitors. But, above all, they know their customers' needs. According to a survey of customer-buying attributes we conducted, the top reasons buyers selected a particular supplier was because they felt that the salesperson understood their needs best.

6. They Welcome Complaints

The best salespeople don't shy away from criticism or become defensive when they encounter a complaining customer. In fact, they welcome these situations. Surveys have shown that when customers complain, it signals that they actually want to keep doing business with the company--provided the problem is addressed. 

7. They Never Give Up

A sales career isn't always easy. Sometimes--like when you lose a big sale or a big customer--it can be downright depressing. But, even in the worst of times, success is often right around the corner. Rather than give up, the top-performing salespeople concentrate on all the reasons they can succeed. And they find a way to win.

http://www.inc.com/john-treace/7-habits-of-highly-effective-salespeople.html

Ownership in Basketball

While reading Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, there were many themes that stuck out to me and found interesting.  One topic that Dan Ariely discusses is people and ownership. He found that, "The more work you put into something, the more ownership you begin to feel for it" (Ariely, 175). I think that this is completely true especially when I reflect on myself, especially when I am making quilts.  Ariely also made a point that, "Ownership is not limited to material things.  It can also apply to points of view or an idea--like sports" (Ariely, 175).  When I read that sports can be something that people take ownership in I immediately thought about the March Madness basketball tournaments.  I am not a huge basketball watcher but I have watched my boyfriend and his residents (He is an RA) and how they have responded to the current tournaments. All I have been listening to them talk about is what is happening in their brackets and screaming at the top of their lungs at their TVs.  It's crazy to see people get so worked up about basketball. One of my boyfriend's residents on his floor (and also his next door neighbor) was cheering alone in his room at the top of his lungs saying things like, "Let's go (team name here)!!" He chanted this over and over until someone else from the floor went and pounded on the kid's door telling him to shut up.  Then the cycle would just repeat again after a few minutes of silence.  It has been funny to see how these boys have claimed their teams and brackets and taken so much ownership in the madness. It has been interesting to see how Dan Ariely's observations in his book have become evident in other real life examples.

Nike Fuel Band--Brainstorming

Last Thursday I went and listened to the people from R/GA talk about the Nike Fuel Band. Wade Convay gave the most insight about the development and brainstorming process of the Fuel Band.   When they first started the project, they wanted the fuel band to become something that people grab when they walk out the door, “Keys. Phone. Wallet. Fuel band.” He talked about how his team used a storyboard method and put sticky notes on a board to brainstorm the fuel band product. He also mentioned that the team looked to other ideas on how to brainstorm for the fuel band.  Brainstorming creates new ideas, solves problems, motivates and develops teams. Brainstorming motivates because it involves members of a team in bigger management issues, and it gets a team working together. Brainstorming is a crucial part of the development of any product in order to create something that consumers want to purchase and use.

  

The Brainstorming Process.... 

1. Define and agree the objective.
2. Brainstorm ideas and suggestions having agreed a time limit.
3. Categorize/condense/combine/refine.
4. Assess/analyse effects or results.
5. Prioritize options/rank list as appropriate.
6. Agree action and timescale.
7. Control and monitor follow-up.

www.businessballs.com/brainstorming.htm 

The Power of Suggestion---Hypnotism

In Chapter 11 of Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely, the power of suggestion is brought up and discussed in terms of medical placebos (Ariely, 230).  I found this chapter a little concerning because placebos can be unethical in my mind at times. He mentioned the study a doctor did where he conducted placebo surgeries on patients. I think I would be a little ticked off if I found out later that I paid for the doctor to make a small incision in me and not do anything to me but just sew it right back up.  He talked about how in this placebo surgery experiment the doctor discovered that the real procedure did not actually help the patients and they felt the same as the people that underwent the placebo surgery.  When I read the words "power of suggestion" it immediately reminded me of hypnotism. Even though Ariely does not directly hit on the topic of hypnotism in his book I would be curious to see if his thoughts and this topic are somehow related.  

According to one website I found, "The American Psychological Association describes hypnosis as a cooperative interaction in which the participant responds to the suggestions of the hypnotist. Hypnosis has  been clinically proven to provide medical and therapeutic benefits, most notably in the reduction of pain and anxiety. It has even been suggested that hypnosis can reduce the symptoms of dementia". So hypnosis isn't just all fun and games at fairs and in Vegas, it could be beneficial mentally and physically.  After reading about some of the positive effects of hypnotism I started wondering if it wasn't just another placebo. In hypnosis people respond to the suggestion of the hypnotist and with placebos people respond to the feeling (stated on a pill bottle or by a doctor) one should expect from like a pill or operation. For instance, if people know they are going to experience less pain after being hypnotized do they really experience less pain or do they just think they are feeling less pain? Kind of interesting to think about.... I find hypnotism really interesting and I think Dan Ariely should do an experiment about people that are hypnotized.  

The video below is kind of interesting if you don't think it is really real, at least it is entertaining!