Emotions in Business
Interesting question on the LinkedIn Consumer Insights discussion group today: “How do you do a better job of giving clients an emotional reason to retain you?”
Here are my thoughts on it:
We need to be clear on what we really mean by emotion. The emotional bond a client feels toward an agency isn’t the emotional bond you have with your girlfriend. They may not even think of it as emotion, because it feels rational: it’s the confidence and trust they have that you’re going to solve their problems. It might be ROI, but more likely it’s guiding them to the right ideas, making things happen for them as marketers.
That might not seem like an emotion, but ultimately as a client, if you save my butt and my job, that’s a huge emotion. If you give me a crystal vase for the holidays, and buy me Super Bowl tickets, and tell me I’m wonderful, those are emotional reasons too. But they’ll never rise to the level of those big, butt-saving emotional moments.
Of course, it’s a lot easier to snag a pair of tickets, so do what you can.
