Friday, February 26, 2010

Keep It Tempting to Be Good

We all want to be good. Well, most of us do. At least for most of the time. Okay, maybe it’s not so much that we want to be good as that we want to view ourselves as intending to be good. In any case, it can be so very tough.
     Make it easier for your customers to pull it off. Tempt your customers into being good, and their gratitude could improve your profitability. Both the challenge to doing this and a straightforward way to meet the challenge were highlighted by researchers at Washington State University and University of Texas-Austin The researchers noticed how consumers who intended to buy animal friendly cosmetics, sustainable wood furniture, and fair trade clothing very often failed to ask about those issues at the point of purchase. The consumers would use the information to make their selections if the salesperson told it to them, but otherwise seemed to prefer to stay unaware of it. To tempt your customers into being good, tell them at the point of purchase about the ethical aspects of the products you sell.
     And tell them how your products can protect the health of their family members. A Wall Street Journal article earlier this week noted how refrigerator manufacturers are designing their products to avoid health risks that range from a little bit of mold to a whole bunch of E. coli. It turns out that people don’t clean out their refrigerators often enough. Remedies include General Electric amping up the ability to spot the crud in the appliance with ten lighting sources instead of the usual three and Whirlpool microscopically etching the shelves so liquid spills are contained.
     But if you’re selling those appliances, it is up to you to point out how it is now easier to be good.

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