Many people don't know this, but the deepest drivers of human behavior are a sense of "inadequacy" and "inferiority," and a the desire to overcome it...

Everybody... even the most accomplished and wealthiest people, feel inferior in some way, to someone. And nowadays, everyone is always trying to impress someone or "one up" someone else. Think about it. It's a big reason behind the mortgage meltdown in the US. Many people over-leveraged themselves to buy houses they really couldn't afford.

For what? Because they needed more space? Or because they needed  to feel adequate? Or, perhaps, because they needed to feel like they "one upped" their friends or co-workers?

Here's a better example of this human behavior in action: let's say Johnny buys DVD's, gadgets, and lessons to fix his swing so he can hit the golf ball harder and straighter. Is he working this hard to hit the ball harder and straighter? Doubt it. He desperately wants to stop being embarrassed. He is sick of his buddy Harry hitting the ball perfectly when he can't. He's even sicker of Harry's arrogant superiority about it...

Johnny at least wants to hit the ball harder and straighter than someone else in his foursome. But of course, harder and straighter than Harry. Therefore, his purchases are all about Harry, not about himself. If Johnny played golf all alone on an isolated golf course in the middle of no where, for his own pleasure, why would he care how hard he could hit the ball ??

You may be tempted to think this kind of psychology doesn't apply to your product or service. You'd be dead wrong. Resist the temptation. Not catering to the deepest drivers of human behavior leaves you vulnerable to commoditization, price-based competition, and average positioning...

People don't pay for average.

How can you weave this into your marketing or your sales presentation? This applies to every business ya know. Resist the temptation to think it doesn't...

Best,

Andrew J. Cass