How to: Sell More, AKA the Surprising Thing That Helps Get Customers

Why emotion—not pure logic—drives decision-making, consumer loyalty, and revenue growth.

Most people make about 10,000 decisions a day with a significant percentage being buying decisions. (Don't believe me? Try not to buy anything for two days.) We're led to believe that decision-making is a rational process and that emotion hinders sound judgment. Discard emotion; acquire logic. Logic, of course, is supposed to lead us to the best choices and the best solutions.

But what really goes on when consumers make decisions?

To find out, you have to look deep into the orbitofrontal cortex—the region of our brain active in decision-making, completely separate from the emotion-ridden limbic system. Think of reason and emotion as two horses pulling a chariot in opposite directions. But then, neuroscientists Antoine Bechara and Antonio Damasio met Elliot. And everything changed.

The Story of Elliot

Elliot was a successful accountant at a major corporation—happily married, smart, and financially secure. That is, until doctors discovered a benign tumor located in his orbitofrontal cortex. The tumor was successfully removed along with surrounding damaged tissue.

Post-op, Elliot aced every assessment, scoring in the 97th percentile on IQ tests. His memory, perceptual, learning, and language abilities remained completely intact. Yet soon, his life spiraled: he was fired, suffered two divorces, lost money in a failed business venture, and lost his home.

When studying Elliot, Damasio realized two critical anomalies:

1. Elliot had no emotions. Whether discussing the weather or his divorce, he remained stoic and unaffected.
2. Elliot couldn't make simple decisions. He over-analyzed every single detail for hours—struggling to decide whether to sign a document with a blue or black pen, which cereal to buy, or what to eat for lunch. He would carefully consider every restaurant's menu, seating, and lighting, drive to each location to inspect how busy it was, and still fail to choose.

What happened? Neurons in the orbitofrontal cortex normally connect with the limbic system (the emotional center). When making decisions, these neurons pull feelings from the limbic system and integrate them with the logic processes in the orbitofrontal cortex. When Elliot's damaged tissue was removed, that connection was severed.

The takeaway: A brain that can't feel can't make up its mind.

The Science of Emotional Purchasing

Elliot's case revealed that emotions are essential to choice. Research across neuroscience, economics, and consumer psychology confirms this role:

• fMRI Brain Imaging: When evaluating brands, consumers primarily rely on personal feelings and experiences rather than features or raw data.
• Purchase Intent: Emotional response to an ad has a far greater influence on intent to purchase than content alone—by a factor of 3-to-1 for television commercials and 2-to-1 for print media.
• Ad Performance: The Advertising Research Foundation concluded that "likeability" is the single metric most predictive of whether an ad will increase sales.
• Brand Loyalty: Positive emotional associations with a brand have significantly more influence on long-term consumer loyalty than rational judgments based on product attributes.

The Takeaway

The key to a consumer's wallet isn't located in pure rationale, but in their emotions. To sell, you have to move people, connect with their feelings, and build a genuine relationship.