Three basic HUMAN factors for a successful strategy.
Strategy, Innovation and Marketing need to address three different kinds or levels of human satisfaction.
Strategy is all about exploring future potentials for growth.
In business there is only one source for growth – the customer. A customer is defined as someone who pays businesses for doing the job of helping the customer solving a problem or fulfilling a special need. Therefore, superior customer experience is the sustenance of a business as it is the sole source of income!
A customer could be a single person or a group of persons. The latter we call organisation. In any case decision makers are HUMAN BEINGS. This is why EMPATHY is so crucial to STRATEGY, innovation and marketing. Expressed empathy creates a strategic direction which is centered on forging a connection, a link, a positive relationship between the business and a customer. Empathy creates a level of trust and shared identity which encourages the customer to buy from the business rather from the competition.
Applied EMPATHY is the foundation for winning customers and hence Business STRATEGY!
Strategy, Innovation and Marketing need to address three different kinds or levels of human satisfaction. These levels are deeply individual and rooted in the personality of a person. They are regarded as the person`s core values driving behavior – and, important for the business: decision making.
Psychologists distinguish between three drivers for behavior. The fist level is about the fulfillment of human potential, the second about emotions and feelings and the third about rational self reflection.
(1) Fokus on „flourishing“, being driven by a strong meaning in life. This is the most powerful driver. The North Star, the overarching purpose in life.
(2) Striving for a balance between „transit“ and on the „deeply rooted“ emotions (= states vs. traits), both positive (e.g. joy) or negative (e.g. anxiety). Amongst the biological drivers for survival there are three fundamental systems driving a person’s behavior: (a) demand for autonomy (b) pursuing innovation and (c) last but not least the most powerful looking for security. Emotion determine our Default Mode Network (DMN).
(3) Cognitive self-judgements about our life in general and about specific fulfillment of needs, wishes and desires. This level is all about the rational reflection of our perceptions. Amongst others it activates our Direct Experience Network (DEN).
Empathy reveals a customer’s mindset when making purchase decisions. Therefore, all levels are highly relevant for STRATEGY, innovation and marketing.