Confirmation Bias 🧠 Why We Buy

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Imagine this…

A friend from high school messages you on Facebook out of the blue.

You’re excited to hear from her, but it’s been 10 years since you last talked. You’re a little surprised.

After a few messages back and forth, she reveals her real reason for reaching out: She’s selling some kind of Keto tea.

“I tried everything to lose weight, and nothing worked for me,” she says. “But the keto diet is amazing. I’ve lost 30 pounds already, and these teas make it so much easier!”

While you’re a little annoyed she only messaged you to try to sell you something, you’re also intrigued.

You click through to your friend’s Facebook profile and scan her photos. She’s lost a ton of weight—you barely recognize her.

Then you do a quick Google search and type in, “Does the keto diet actually work?”

You click the first article listed and find it reinforces what you already hoped to hear—keto does work.

You click back to Facebook and see a new message from your friend.

She says, “No pressure, but do you want more info about the keto tea?”

What do you do?

In today’s edition of Why We Buy, we’ll explore the Confirmation Bias—why we seek out information that confirms what we want to believe.

Let’s get into it.
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🧠 The Psychology of Confirmation Bias

“The customer is always right,” is something your customer wears like a badge of honor.

Even if they don’t realize it, they tend to seek out information that validates their existing beliefs or supports choices they already want to make.

Psychologist Peter Wason described this phenomenon as “Confirmation Bias”.

Our desire to confirm that we’re right is often stronger than John Cena—to the point that even when presented with new information that contradicts our beliefs…

We often dismiss it or search for evidence that “proves” it’s incorrect.

That’s why it’s much easier to sell to someone who already believes—to some degree—in what you’re selling than it is to change their mind.

But to sell more regardless, you have to learn to leverage Confirmation Bias rather than push against it.

Because when it comes down to it, the hard truth is…

Your customers would rather miss out on your product’s potential benefits than admit they were wrong.

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🤑 How to Apply Confirmation

Alright, so how can you apply this right now to sell more?

Ads​
​Showcase benefits clearly and simply

James Dyson spent five years on 5,127 prototypes before he invented the first bagless vacuum cleaner that worked: the DC01. There was just one problem.
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Everyone believed vacuum cleaners needed bags to effectively contain dust and dirt. And major companies knew Dyson had a good idea, but the bagged vacuums were too lucrative for them.

So Dyson ran TV ads with the slogan “Say goodbye to the bag.”
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These framed the DC01 as superior to traditional bagged vacuums thanks to its unfaltering suction power. (Bonus points: Consumers would also save money by not buying replacement bags.)

The DC01 rapidly became a best-selling vacuum in the U.K.
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Market research​
​Determine what your customers *actually want*

Febreze was almost discontinued because Procter & Gamble *thought* customers would use it to eliminate nasty odors.

But turns out, the people with nasty-smelling homes didn’t smell anything foul because they had become desensitized to the odors. So in their minds, Febreze wasn’t needed.

P&G dug deep into their market research and found the people who were using it used it as a reward to spritz on their freshly cleaned rooms.

So P&G repositioned Febreze to match what customers actually wanted.

The result? Today, Febreze is one of this ginormous company’s best sellers.
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Digital products​
​Validate your customers’ buying decisions

Show your buyers they’re making the right decision while they’re actively in the process of purchasing.

Using facts, data, and/or success stories helps customers push past their Confirmation Bias (that you’re another snake oil salesman) and feel confident in their buying decisions instead.

This is exactly what we do on the cart page for Clarity Call Cheatsheets.

Testimonials from happy customers validate the buying decision by giving prospective customers insight into what the experience of having this product will feel and look like.
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💥 The Short of It

Everyone—especially your customers—likes being right.

It makes us feel good about ourselves and, by association, makes us feel good about the brand that reinforces our perspective.

It’s much easier to sell to people who share your views than it is to convince them to change their perspective.

But if you find yourself in the latter situation, try clearly and simply highlighting how your product is superior to your competitors’ product(s).

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Until next time, happy selling!

With ❤️ from Katelyn​
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Katelyn Bourgoin Why We Buy 🧠 Helping 260,000 smart people learn buyer psychology Advertise with us > Follow me on Twitter & LinkedIn

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Psssssst: Steve Sheiner used 2 science-backed copywriting techniques when he wrote this 5-star review for Wallet-Opening Words.

Do you know what they are? Hit reply to share your guess.