The Personal MBA

Master the Art of Business

A world-class business education in a single volume. Learn the universal principles behind every successful business, then use these ideas to make more money, get more done, and have more fun in your life and work.

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What Is 'Visualization'? (Marketing)

The most effective way to get people to want what you offer, is to encourage them to Visualize how their lives would be if they accept it.

The best way to help your customers visualize is to expose them to as much sensory information as possible.

The goal of Visualization is to guide the customer to stop comparing and start wanting.

Josh Kaufman Explains 'Visualization'

As soon as you step onto the lot of a car dealership, the salesperson you work with has a single, clear objective: convince you to get behind the wheel of a vehicle for a test drive.

The test drive is used to sell cars all over the world for a very good reason: it works. The test drive is the most effective tool a salesperson has to convince you to purchase a car that day.

Until you're actually driving a car, it's much easier to treat a potential purchase in a detached way. You're capable of rationally comparing makes and models, features, and prices. You can convince yourself that you're "just looking," with no intention of purchasing anything just yet.

Once you're actually behind the wheel of a car, however, the emotional parts of your mind take control. You start to imagine what your life would be like if you owned this vehicle. Instead of dispassionately comparing horsepower and acceleration metrics, you can actually feel the power of the engine and the ease of handling, and you can imagine the respect (or envy) of your neighbors as you pull your attractive new vehicle into the driveway.

You've stopped comparing and started wanting. Once you start wanting, you'll probably buy-it's only a matter of time.

B&H Photo Video uses the same strategy in a different market. Roaming the aisles of their Manhattan superstore is an intense sensory experience. You can feel the weight of the camera, watch how quickly it focuses, and hear the snap of the shutter. Better yet, you can compare the feel of each camera to hundreds of others, all within hand's reach. It's little wonder B&H is one of the most successful photography retailers in the world-after test driving a few cameras, it's extremely difficult to resist the urge to take one home.

The most effective way to get people to want something is to encourage them to Visualize what their life would be like once they've accepted your offer. Our minds are designed to automatically imagine the consequences of our actions, via Mental Simulation.

You can use this natural tendency to your advantage by helping your prospects imagine the positive experiences to enjoy if they buy.

If you encourage your prospects to visualize what their life will look like after purchasing, you increase the probability that they'll purchase from you. The best way to help your customers visualize is to expose them to as much sensory information as possible - the information their mind uses to conclude, "I want this."

Questions About 'Visualization'


"When your work speaks for itself, don't interrupt."

Henry J. Kaiser, pioneer of modern shipbuilding and founder of Kaiser Permanente


From Chapter 2:

Marketing


https://personalmba.com/visualization/



The Personal MBA

Master the Art of Business

A world-class business education in a single volume. Learn the universal principles behind every successful business, then use these ideas to make more money, get more done, and have more fun in your life and work.

Buy the book:


About Josh Kaufman

Josh Kaufman is an acclaimed business, learning, and skill acquisition expert. He is the author of two international bestsellers: The Personal MBA and The First 20 Hours. Josh's research and writing have helped millions of people worldwide learn the fundamentals of modern business.

More about Josh Kaufman →