Deciphering the Treasure Map

The “Treasure Map” is the decisional process that people use before they make a purchase. This applies to both products and services and if you understood this decisional process you would indeed have a treasure map.

Like most treasure maps, the “Decisional Calculus Treasure Map” is in code and traditional research will not break it. This is because asking people for their “reasons” is not very effective and “emotion” is an important component.

How do we break the code? First we must assume that asking direct questions “pollutes” the process. Oftentimes, people make purchasing decisions based upon emotions but when asked they likely explain it in rational terms. To truly understand, the researcher should “catch” the emotion as it occurs.

The best way to understand the decisional process is to “re-create” the buying scenario using “pictographs.” Why does someone buy a certain car at a particular dealership? How does one decide to take a cruise with a certain cruise line? How does one choose a bank? Each of these buying scenarios can be understood by using pictographs.

It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words but, in truth, words cannot substitute for pictographs. Pictographs tend not to lead the respondent in the way that words do and they do a better job at capturing emotions.

If you want to decipher the decisional calculus treasure map for your product or service consider using a pictographic approach. For more information e-mail me at AllegianceResearch@gmail.com.

“Oh, I Hate Those Bastards!”

I suppose the first time I realized how insightful and powerful Cartoon Sequence Research really is, was when I was investigating car-purchasing behavior. There I was at a Chrysler dealership on a Sunday morning to do some market research for the dealership.

I decided to do some preliminary research on our twenty-or-so “cartoon-pictographs” to see how they would work. I was there on Sunday morning, when the dealership was closed, because I wanted to interview individuals who desired to look at cars without being approached by a salesperson.

I was giving away boxes of candy to encourage people to look at the pictographs. Along came a well-dressed octogenarian lady. She was carrying a bible and I assumed that she had just come from church. She told me that I didn’t have to give her a box of candy to participate, but being the magnanimous researcher that I am, I insisted. Clutching the candy with here bible, she told me about here attitudes toward car shopping.

When we got to the pictograph showing a car salesman opening her car door, she blurted out, “Oh, I hate those bastards.” Now the whole purpose of this non-directive approach is “not to lead the witness.” Therefore, I simply said “Madam, do you want to go that?’

Needless to say, she provided considerable insight. But I also learned something more important. Cartoon Sequence Research oftentimes elicits strong emotional responses and this is extremely valuable because I believe that most often consumers make decisions on the basis of emotion first and rationality latter. In fact, I believe you learn more about purchasing behavior if you assume that people are emotional creatures who rationalize rather than rational creatures who become emotional.

So to that oft-asked question, “What do I have to do, draw you a picture?” the answer is “Yes you do.”

If you have questions, e-mail me at AllegianceResearch@gmail.com

What The Hell Is This?

This rather simple cartoon or pictograph is from a set of thirty pictographs that was used to understand car purchasing behavior at a Chrysler dealership. This was before the current crisis where people now tend not to go into any auto dealership.

Cartoon Sequence Research(tm) involves showing people a series of cartoons that depict a buying scenario. In this instance the cartoons showed scenes from when people first considered buying a new car to them driving off the lot in their “new car.” People simply tell us a story. We learned a considerable amount from the auto buying cartoon set, but this particular cartoon stood out.

One advantage of Cartoon Sequence Research (CSR) is there are no leading questions and it taps into emotions. We learn information even if we don’t have the right questions.

Here is one thing we learned from this particular cartoon. Don’t put on a separate sticker on the car. Interestingly, you can add to the existing sticker even with a higher price and people tend not to mind.

Who knew? Well actually the customer knew, but, oftentimes the researcher doesn’t know enough to ask.

For more information email allegianceresearch@gmail.com