Last night, after a long but exhilarating day, I was sitting in a wonderful steak restaurant in Newtown, Sydney.
I caught the manager’s eye as I took a seat at a table next to an open window that let in a refreshing breeze.
The manager waited on me at once. I could see in his face the love for his job as he expertly made me feel at home.
My medium-rare ribeye came out soon after my perfectly suited Shiraz Cabernet and I devoured my meal. Every once in a while the manager or another staff member would check in to see if I was happy with everything. I was.
My table was cleared as soon as I’d finished my meal and the bill was delivered to my table upon my request. The price was by no means outrageous and I was happy to even leave a tip.
So what did they do wrong?
As humans we naturally conform to group norms. We see it in teenaged social sub-cultures, in financial market movements and in consumerism. The Emo, the Mum & Dad Stock Trader and the Fashion Victim all follow their herds.
For example: When you decided on your Internet Service Provider did you base it solely on Bigpond’s homage to the dumb Aussie Dad; on Optus’ footage of African wildlife; or, on Dodo’s tight t-shirt wearing blonde models? Chances are you asked a friend, “Who do you use?” (and, if you’re male, chose Dodo anyway…)
Group Mentality (or, as I prefer, Bovine Mentality) is a part of human psychology that makes us feel more secure in making decisions when we know that someone else has made the same decision.
What if you could use group mentality to your advantage in your business?
What if you had your own herd?
The reality is that if you’ve had one happy customer you already have a herd. It’s now up to you to show this to your prospects. Group mentality will naturally kick in if you can show your prospects how you’ve helped other people.
The easiest way, of course, is to collect testimonials and ensure that your prospects see them. The best testimonials identify the problem that the customer faced and then explains how you solved that problem for them. Here’s an example: