“The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less” by Barry Schwartz
February 15, 2011
If you ask people whether they want to have a choice, the answer is a resounding yes. And if you ask people whether they would prefer to have more choices rather than less, the answer is definitely more.
Barry Schwartz’s book suggests that people don’t know themselves as well as they think they do. Schwartz cites research highlighting how the availability of more choices creates a greater challenge for customers and – by implication – for the sales people who want to help customers make buying decisions. For example:
- As the number of choices increase, it becomes harder for customers to make a decision.
- As the number of choices increase, customers become less satisfied with the choice they actually make.
- As the number of choices increase, customers become more likely to experience buyer’s remorse. In some cases, they may experience regret before they even make a decision!
Schwartz draws on a variety of ingenious real-world experiments to underscore his thesis. Although the book is not intended specifically for sales people, it does provide valuable insights to sales professionals who have to guide their customers through the challenges of too many options (TMO) and too much information (TMI).
We work with many organizations that sell an extensive line of products and services, and other organizations which offer complex products with a wide variety of possible selling points. In either case, the challenge is the same. How can representatives determine what information they need to share? How do they help customers buy without overwhelming them with TMO and TMI?
The key is to take a consultative approach. In these situations, the sales person should never start by focusing on the product. Instead, the initial focus always has to be on the customer. By asking qualifying and high-gain questions, the sales person can learn about the customer’s needs, interests, desires, and emotions. In this way, the sales person can help the customer quickly eliminate inappropriate options and avoid unnecessary information. And the sales person can increase the customer’s ability to make a buying decision with a specific, targeted recommendation that is emotional, simple, and personal.
