Feeling VS. Thinking: The Boxing Match for Revenue

In the red corner, wearing the black trunks, coming from up north skullville, weighing in at an average of 1400 grams. They call him the smarts, the doom from the dome, the reigning champion of logic: THE BRAIIIIIN!

And now, the challenger, in the gold trunks. Weighing in at an average of 310 grams, standing as tall as a human fist. From the chest training camps. He comes in ferocious, keeps going, doesn’t skip a beat. Known as the Slicker, The Quicker, The Ticker!!!! The ever valiant…. Thhhhheeee Heeeeart!!!

Both fighters move around the ring, anxious to get this underway. Their theme music has them pumped up upon entry. The crowd is going wild. Every single person is on their feet. Finally, we get to see these two duke it out after millennia of so much despise from both corners. Even the corner men are frothing at the mouth, waiting for the chance to watch their opponent get laid out on the ring floor.

The announcer grabs the microphone. Everyone stops speaking. “This is the part where the announcer tells us to get ready to fight! Just like the pay per view!”

“Let’s get ready to collaborate!!”

Everyone looks around dumbfounded. “Is this guy new? He doesn’t know what he’s doing!”

Another spectator shouts “I’m going to leave a negative review if the announcer doesn’t tell the fighters to rip each other apart!”

6 rows in front of the Yelper, another attendee yells “Pizza doesn’t belong on pineapple. Just the same as these two fighters don’t belong in any sort of collaboration!”

The referee grabs the microphone, “Ok, you two. You’ve been at each other’s throats for too long. It’s time to end this. I want a good, clean, and admirable collaboration. Let’s put this rivalry away in the best interest of the consumer and show everyone watching that you two can dance in the ring of business, and that one doesn’t have to leave the ring. Ok, enough blabbing. LET’S GET IT ON!”

DING! DING! DING!

“It’s not personal, it’s business.”

How many times have you heard this statement in a movie where the recipient of the statement has his or her luck turned upside down by force from someone else?

What percentage of heist movies have a scene where a person involved gets squeezed out because “It’s the right move,” even after it’s been established that this person was a loyal friend?

Now.

Do you think Pixar just magically makes good movies?

No, they don’t. They take their audience on this roller coaster of emotion that always arrives safely in Feelsville, USA. I swear they leave traces of chopped onion on the silver screen of every movie theater I attend. They don’t make movies, they make visual dopamine, and they are able to by connection with their audience on a very human level, speaking to our experiences and emotions.

In business, we live in spreadsheets and slack messages and measure everything: revenue, profits, overhead, margin, inventory, shelf life, impressions, clicks, click-through rate, conversions, return customers, KPI’s, cost per click, bounce rate, and certainly last but not least, return on investment. These numbers logically explain what is happening with your business.

Using logic all the time will only keep your guard up and shoot down potential opportunities because “it’s not the right move”. This will only allow you to see everything from a business perspective and completely lose the human element, and we can all agree there is more nuance than just numbers in business.

There is a metric for everything that moves in business. We know that in this day and age consumers have various options available in their palms with a quick Google search, so we have to keep our finger on the pulse at all times.

However, there is a metric that is just as important if not more than all of the buzzwords you’ve read in every magazine or book from guru authors: Feeling.

How does your customer feel when they do business with you?
How does your consumer feel when they walk into your place of business?
What’s the ROI on making them feel incredible?

Get your head out of the spreadsheets. The two organs, brain and heart, CAN coexist in business. This debate shouldn’t have a blindingly polar resolution. Remember, where these two meet is real intelligence and connection and can bridge the gap between where your business is now and where it can be.

The human element is the magnetic pull that binds your clients to your business. This is why your clients will tell anyone who has ears about you and your business. Prospective clients and customers can go anywhere else on the internet for cheaper prices, for quicker turn-around time, for a larger selection, but they chose you. Do not lose sight of this. The future of your business relies heavily on it.

Studies have shown that customers with an emotional connection with a brand have a 306% higher lifetime value and have a higher referral rate than those without. (Motista)

With this in mind, don’t resort to your spreadsheets to help you make business decisions.

Making people feel good IS the business decision.

The brain and heart can live together in the business arena and they should. Don’t take advice from Hollywood when they say “it’s not personal it’s business.”.

Business. Is. Personal.

The more personal you allow your business to be, the more feedback your clients and customers will give you. Their feedback will help you stay miles ahead of the metrics on the spreadsheet. Allow your clients to tell you what they need.

Focus on making people feel good and watch what happens. Send your clients on the same roller coaster Pixar does with its audience. Let your heart meet your brain and let them sing tunes for your clients to dance to. They shouldn’t be at odds.

Create a feeling.

Create an experience.

Create a community, not a commodity.

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