The 7 questions that make people choose you more.

A quick behavioral check list that wins decisions in your favor.

Many years ago, I read a book by Richard Thaler called Nudge.

He went on to win a Nobel Prize in Economics some time after writing it.

What made the book an epiphany for me wasn’t that the ideas were entirely new, I had actually thought about many of them myself. It was more that it gave me that rare and comforting feeling of “I feel seen.”

I’ve had these thoughts before, but I suppressed them. Expressing them felt like I might seem mad or feel mad, especially if I was the only one in the room willing to look at the world that way.

Then I discovered that there was an entire discipline called behavioral economics.

It really was psychology… But by branding it behavioral economics it got taken more seriously.

At its core, behavioral economics is about recognizing certain peculiar and unconscious human behaviors that share two important traits:

One, they defy conventional economic logic.

Two, they are often unconscious, meaning you wouldn’t necessarily uncover them through market research.

If Economics isn’t behavioral, I don’t know what the hell is. But unfortunately, the elegance of theory is often allowed to override the messiness of real world experience.

So I’ve always had this lingering sense, this tension, between economic theory on one hand, and market research (stated preference) on the other (what people say they want versus what they actually do want).

One morning, sitting in a coffee shop and looking over my agenda, I asked myself what my purpose really needs to be today, and the second epiphany I had was this:

Instead of pouring my energy into helping companies accelerate growth and revenue through marketing, by optimizing their digital funnels, tracking conversions, lowering CAC, boosting LtV, be creative on social media... and so on (you know, the usual checklist every brand follows), I realized that wasn’t enough. Any good Growth or Marketing Director can do this and do it well, it will create demand, it will move the needle.

And really, every marketing team (worth their salt) in every company is doing the same thing. Great content. Excellent digital funnels. Hopes of going viral on social. Timely and useful CRM comms. And it’s predictable.

And the worst thing you can be (as any military strategist will tell you) is be predictable.

So I shifted my mission:

To immerse myself (and the companies I work with) in behavioral economics.

Because as marketers and brand stewards, if we don’t get ahead of the curve and understand how people really think before our clients (or companies we work for) learn about this before we do, we’ll just end up being stupid and useless.

And the brands we steward won’t necessarily crash and burn, but they are very likely to end up playing capitalism on hard mode.

So how does a brand play capitalism on easy mode?

By asking the questions most companies forget to ask. Not the what, but the how it feels:

• Where are we adding friction?
  Not the obvious friction, loading times and pop ups, but emotional friction. Embarrassment. Uncertainty. Decision fatigue.

• What choices feel hard but shouldn’t?
  Where are we making people do math, make trade offs, or second guess themselves?

• How can we make the good path obvious?
  Not with logic. With design, defaults, social proof, timing, reassurance. Human things.

• Where are we creating anxiety, even unintentionally?
  Are we making people feel judged, uncertain or afraid to commit?

• What would people do if they didn’t have to think so hard?
  What decisions can we automate, pre select, or nudge toward?

• What are we missing?
  Not in data, but in perception. What are we blind to because it doesn’t show up on a spreadsheet?

I could add at least 6 more. (I’ll give them to you, just reach out)

… Okay, one more:

• What would this look like if we remembered that people are not Homo economicus… but Homo irrationalis: illogical, prone to cognitive dissonance, rationalizes decisions later, flawed, brilliant, lazy, emotional, inconsistent… and gloriously human?

That’s how you start competing on ease, delight and meaning. Not price. Not value.

That’s how a brand then starts to play capitalism on easy mode.

If you’ve read this far and enjoyed my writing, I appreciate it. I’ll also be doubly appreciative if you help me put a daughter through college :-)

Jad AbiAli

The Strategy Playbook - Actionable insights on growth, business and life.