3 Buying Triggers that Always Work

Humans are emotional. Plain and simple. It’s what drives us to make decisions whether good or bad. What that means to you is if you can manage to trigger any one of our more key emotions, you can up your sales and increase your customer base.

Image credit: Depositphotos by scyther5

Though we are a complex species that tend to act irrational many times, we actually are quite predictable. This is a good thing for those of us that market our businesses because we can find and use certain triggers to elicit desired responses most of the time.

3 Buying Triggers

I have found over many years of being in sales that there are 3 buying triggers that always work very well. Each of them tap into the strong emotions and cause a desire to acquire from the customer. They are each listed below…

#1 Anticipation

The core purpose of anticipation is to simply make people wait so that they will want it more.

Movie companies are the kings of anticipation. You know teaser trailers, right? Before the movie is released they market to you with those amazing previews that make you wish the movie was already out.

Sometimes, without even having finished filming, movie studios get the buzz going years before a release. That’s because the more hype they generate, the more people are dying to get their hands on it. This summer alone is proof of its success. Age of Ultron, Fury Road and Jurassic World were all teased, and their opening box office numbers show just how desperate people were to finally get something they’d been told to wait for.

#2 Curiosity

Though not as fun as movie teaser trailers, the Information Gap Theory is nonetheless an important theory to read up on. In layman’s terms, it describes that when there’s a gap between what we want to know and what we know, we actively seek out the answers that are missing.

On top of this, seeking this info activates the pleasure centers in our brains, making it even more addicting to customers. The best case for this trigger are the controversies that pop up around popular brands.

Remember when Harry Potter was called out for promoting devil worship? While many knew people were upset, they didn’t know why, and that drove them directly into the waiting arms of the craze swirling around the brand, making it even more popular.

#3 Scarcity

No one wants things that everyone can have. After all, what status does it give you if you’re not the only one that has it?

Take collectables. To boost the price of something as simple as artist prints, they only make a certain number. Once those are gone, they’re gone. Because of this, they charge double because they can guarantee exclusivity. The less there is, the more valued it becomes by society.

Be careful with this trigger, however, as scarcity marketing can easily backfire. Something that is exclusive initially then floods the market will quickly be tossed aside because you’ve cheapened it’s perceived worth.

To promote scarcity, make the content available for only a limited time. However, stick to that time limitation or you will lose respect and integrity from those who purchased during the limited timeframe.

Be Intentional

Don’t ever assume that releasing something will warrant its purchase. You might get some bites here and there, but if you’re aiming for actual growth, it’s time to implement the tactics used by all the major brands.

Also, don’t just stick with one trigger, either. Challenge yourself or your marketing team to incorporate at least two to create an ongoing sales pitch that lasts until your next big release.