People Buy Based on Logic NOT Emotion

People Buy Based on Logic

No doubt you've heard that tired old line:

“People buy on emotion and justify with logic.”

You can't get five seconds into most marketing advice without hearing it (probably for the 1,000th time). Problem is… it's wrong. Or, at the very least, incomplete. And, frankly, not knowing how it's incomplete is the missing link for a lot of marketing and marketers.

So, let's start at the beginning…

Why do most advice-givers say people “buy on emotion”?

Well, because emotion IS a part of the decision to buy. A critical part. Maybe the most important part. In fact, neuroscientists have studied it and found that people whose brains are damaged in the area that generates emotions are incapable of making decisions.

“Um… I thought you were telling me buying decisions aren't based on emotion? Not really helping your case here, Johnny Boy.”

As with anything, details matter.

What the research actually says is “Decision-making is a complex process that requires the orchestration of multiple neural systems.” Patients who have damage in certain emotion-related parts of the brain have “difficulties with decision-making”, but they're not fully incapable.

That is, emotion is a critical piece of the puzzle, but it's not the only piece.

In fact, Aristotle identified three components of persuasion: pathos, ethos, and logos.

Today, you might hear those referred to as emotion, believability, and logic. Which brings up an interesting point…

Why does believability matter?

Pretty much everybody agrees that believability is important. In fact, you've likely heard the same advice-givers who go on about “people buy on emotion” rail about the importance of believability.

But, believability isn't emotion.

Interesting.

The point I'm making isn't that emotion doesn't matter. It absolutely does. It's that there's more to it… and I argue that logic is actually what pushes people over the edge to buy. It's that critical missing piece for most marketers.

So, enough of me playing coy. What am I actually saying here?

I believe there are three things that go into buying decisions:

  • Desire
  • Believability
  • Rationalization

Think about any buying decision you've ever made. It's actually pretty rare that you see something, want it, and just immediately buy it. Maybe the king size Snickers bar at the grocery store checkout, but anything more than the occasional (or not so occasional) impulse buy?

There's more to it.

If emotion is all that mattered, hype would work. You'd see some amazing claim that you'll instantly lose 30 pounds in five seconds just by taking this pill and you'd buy it without thought.

That's not what happens.

The moment you hear a claim like that, you think “yeah right” — and you don't buy. The emotional appeal is there, it's believability that's missing.

So, how do we get to logic as the basis for buying?

It's that moment of uncertainty… when you've heard the emotional appeals and you do kinda want the thing. You've been given some evidence and the thing seems credible. And you're sitting there, finger on the mouse, debating if you should go through with it.

What pushes you over the edge?

Probably something like this:

  • “Well, I can always return it if I don't like it.”
  • “I've gotta do something because what I'm doing now isn't working.”
  • “I better just get it while it's half off.”

Sound familiar? Those are rationalizations. They are logical appeals. They are the justifications we use to say “screw it” and go for it. So, the saying “People buy on emotion and justify with logic” is close.

But, it's really that “People desire based on emotion and buy based on logic”. The justification comes before the purchase.

Why does that matter?

As a marketer, you want to provide those justifications. In fact, I'd argue that's what a sale is: “Well, it is half off right now” and what urgency is: “I better just get before the price goes back up”. Limited-time offers provide a built-in and compelling justification.

Again, notice those are logical appeals not emotional ones.

Aristotle had it right all along.

Yes, you need emotion. You also need believability… and you need logic in the form of justifications that push people over the edge and get them to click that buy button.

Give it a shot the next time you sit down to write some sales copy. I'm confident you'll see a jump in the results you get. I mean, it can't hurt, right?

Speaking of boosting the results you're getting… can you imagine what you'd learn if you had a bird's eye view of over 110,000 membership sites? How much bigger you could grow your membership?

That's the position we're fortunate to be in and we created a free video training that'll teach the five most impactful marketing secrets we've learned from all that experience. Surely, there's a thing or two you'd pick up that'd help you increase your results. Get free access below:

Watch the 5 Marketing Secrets Video

From over 100,000 membership sites, the 5 most impactful marketing secrets we’ve learned.

You might also like...

Rolodex directory against a black background with the title "How to Build a Business Directory on Your WordPress Membership Site".

How to Build a Business Directory on Your WordPress Membership Site

Discover the essentials of how to build a business directory in WordPress, enhancing your site’s value and member engagement. Our step-by-step guide walks you through selecting the perfect directory plugin, integrating it with membership tools like WishList Member, and customizing it to fit your brand’s unique style and needs.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Pinterest
Reddit

Leave a Reply

"We’ve tried a couple of other membership tools that were part of packages that we’d invested in. But nothing can compare to WishList Member. I know that there’s a lot of cool stuff out there that people have been building over the years. But when it comes to customization, if you use WordPress, you can’t touch this. Obviously, I’m super biased, but we’ve made millions of dollars because of this product."
Tristan Truscott
Satori Method
I have moved [WishList Member] into my top list of options for people. The new WishList Member packs a punch! And the price for WishList Member makes it a fantastic offer.
Chris Lema
LiquidWeb
WishList Member integrates with the tools I use TODAY. And they’re so eager to integrate with tools that are coming out. It’s amazing how they do it actually. If I was going to be buying a membership plugin, today… for me, I would go with WishList Member.
Adam Preiser
WPCrafter