Week 43 - Navigating the Emotional Landscape of Customers: 29 Powerful Feelings and How They Influence Buying Behavior🧭💡
Quote
"Understanding customer emotions is not just a skill, it's a gateway. A gateway to deeper connections, memorable experiences, and lasting success in product management."
Poll
💯 Framework // Concept // Mental Model
Introduction
At the heart of every transaction lies a maze of emotions😌😔😥😤 that lead customers towards or away from a product. As product builders understanding these emotions becomes a powerful capability🔍💪. Legendary advertiser and copywriter, Clayton Makepeace, offered a comprehensive framework of customer emotions that every product builder should consider. This article explores these emotions and illustrates how product managers and product builders can leverage them.
Addressing the 10 Universal Fears😱
Fear, a primal emotion, is an efficient catalyst in decision-making processes. It can either immobilize or compel action, and understanding its power can significantly influence your product’s narrative. Here are ten common fears and examples of how you can address them:
Fear of the Unknown: Products with clear instructions and user-friendly interfaces reduce this fear. For example, Apple's intuitive interface design makes even their most advanced technology approachable.
Fear of Embarrassment: Products that help people master new skills privately, like language learning app Duolingo, address this fear.
Fear of Failure: Products like Grammarly that assist in tasks where errors are likely, help alleviate this fear.
Fear of Poverty: Investment and budgeting apps like Mint play into this fear, offering solutions for better financial security.
Fear of Loneliness: Social media platforms, online gaming, and digital communication tools counteract this fear by facilitating connections.
Fear of Dependence: Products that promote self-sufficiency, like home gardening kits or DIY tools, can alleviate this fear.
Fear of Betrayal: Secure communication platforms like Signal address this fear by ensuring privacy.
Fear of Illness: Telemedicine platforms, such as Teladoc, address this fear by offering virtual consultations with healthcare professionals. This gives users reassurance and easy access to medical advice from the comfort of their homes, helping them proactively manage their health.
Fear of Death: Life insurance products directly address this fear by offering financial security for loved ones.
Fear for Loved Ones: Safety products, like child GPS trackers or home security systems, alleviate this fear.
Understanding and addressing these fears create a connection with your audience beyond the product's functional utility.
Tapping into the 8 Common Desires❤️
Desire motivates actions and decisions. Aligning your product with these desires can significantly enhance its appeal. Here are eight universal desires and ways to integrate them into your product:
Justification or Forgiveness for past mistakes: Fitness and health apps like MyFitnessPal tap into this desire by helping users correct past unhealthy habits.
Freedom and Control: Home automation products, like Google Home, provide users with control over their environment.
Happiness: Products that encourage leisure and enjoyment, like Netflix or video games, deliver on this desire.
Feeling Alive, Excited, and Exhilarated: Adventure gear or travel platforms tap into this desire by facilitating exhilarating experiences.
Fulfillment in all dimensions: Lifelong learning platforms like Coursera provide intellectual fulfillment, while fitness apps cater to physical fulfillment.
Acceptance, Respect, Admiration, Need, Desire, and Love: Social media platforms, particularly Instagram, leverage this desire by offering a platform for self-expression and approval.
Success: Professional development tools, like LinkedIn Learning, tap into this desire by offering paths to career advancement.
Optimism about the Future: Sustainability-focused products, like electric cars or solar panels, play into optimism about a cleaner, greener future.
Crafting products or messaging that resonate with these desires can significantly enhance your product's appeal and user satisfaction.
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Addressing the 11 Universal Frustrations😖
Frustration, a potent catalyst for change, is an emotion product managers should keenly address. Here are eleven common frustrations and ways your product can alleviate them:
Inadequacy: Educational platforms like Khan Academy or skill-based platforms like MasterClass help users overcome feelings of inadequacy.
Feeling Inconsequential or Unimportant: Customer engagement features, like those used in Starbucks' mobile app which allows customers to customize their drinks, can make users feel valued and significant. This personalized approach acknowledges the user's preferences, contributing to a feeling of importance and individuality.
Feeling Unappreciated: Reward programs in apps and services can counteract this frustration by acknowledging and rewarding user engagement.
Feeling Powerless or Trapped: Apps that foster new skills or offer new opportunities, like language learning apps or freelance job platforms, can address this frustration.
Feeling Used or Taken Advantage of: E-commerce platforms like Etsy address this feeling by offering clear and open communication between buyers and sellers. This transparency, along with customer protection policies, assures users that their interests are safeguarded, counteracting feelings of being taken advantage of.
Feeling Oppressed: Platforms that give voice to underrepresented groups can help alleviate this frustration.
Feeling Deprived: Loyalty programs in retail, like Sephora's Beauty Insider Program, address this frustration by offering rewards, exclusive access to sales, and special birthday gifts. This creates a feeling of being privileged and counters feelings of deprivation.
Feeling Demeaned: Products that promote self-confidence and individuality, like personal fashion styling apps, can address this frustration.
Guilt: Eco-friendly products, like reusable shopping bags or bamboo toothbrushes, can alleviate consumer guilt over environmental impact.
Feeling Life is Passing By: Experience-focused platforms, like Airbnb Experiences, combat this feeling by offering unique life experiences.
Difficulty with Simple Tasks: User-friendly design and functionality, as seen in apps like Google Maps, can alleviate this frustration.
Your product, by easing these frustrations, can become an essential part of your customer's life.
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Deciphering Your Customers with 14 Key Questions📝
To deepen your understanding of customer emotions, consider these essential questions. Your product's alignment with the answers can significantly enhance customer connection and satisfaction:
What do they dream about?
What do they desire?
What do they love?
What do they fear?
What frustrates them?
What angers them?
What do they hate?
What arouses their skepticism?
What embarrasses them?
What are they most thankful for?
What are their sources of shame and guilt?
What are their secret self-doubts?
What are they proudest of?
What makes them happy?
These questions can serve as a foundation for user interviews, surveys, and customer persona development, guiding you to a deeper understanding of your users.
Conclusion🎯
In conclusion, the realm of product management is not solely about functional utility; it is deeply entwined with the emotional landscape of the customer. Understanding and responding to the fears, desires, and frustrations of customers not only enhances product development but also fosters a deeper connection with the customer, leading to improved satisfaction, loyalty, and ultimately, product success.🚀
references
🎧 Podcast
https://www.bcast.fm/blog/best-consumer-trends-podcasts
😎 Meme
🌟 Some of our popular newsletter editions
👩💼 Week 22 - How to create a customer persona for your product
🧠 Week 24 - 14 Behavioral Psychology Concepts Product Managers Should Know
📊 Week 27 - 📈 How to Develop and Write KPIs: A Guide for Product Managers 📋
📚 Week 6 - PM 101 (Books, Articles, Podcasts and Newsletters)
✍️ Week 29 - 💡 A Step-by-Step Guide to Crafting Killer 📝 Problem Statements
🤯 Week 16 - 6 Most Effective Problem Prioritization Frameworks for Product Managers - Part 1
🤯 Week 17 - 6 Most Effective Problem Prioritization Frameworks for Product Managers - Part 2
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