People do not really want choice. We want the right to make a choice. But we do not want to actually have to exercise that right. We want you to make it so damn obvious that whatever it is you’re offering is the only possible thing for us that no choice is required.
This is true in our personal lives, it is true in our relationships with brands and it is true in our relationships with employers.
I don’t actually want to have to choose which woman is right for me. There are billions of women out there. The choice is impossible. Now of course I also don’t want to live in a traditional society where my partner is chosen for me. I want the right to make the choice. But I don’t want to actually have to make the choice. I want to find a woman who is so incredibly awesome that it would never occur to me that there could be another woman out there as good for me or better. I have such a woman in my life thankfully. I don’t ever spend time wondering whether there’s someone out there that’s better. It’s not that I don’t have a choice to move on and try and find someone better. It’s just that I’m so completely fulfilled by my relationship that I would never have cause to even think about – let alone execute – a choice. And assuming she wants to be with me, this arrangement is mutually beneficial. I don’t want to have to make a choice and she doesn’t want me to enter a choice-mindset ever.
Same goes for our relationships with brands. If you own or manage a brand, you do not want me making choices. You want your brand to be so obviously the only one for me that I would never make a choice. You want to completely satisfy me so that I never even think about what brand to buy. If I’m in the mode of evaluating your claims against the claims of another brand, that’s a sign that you are not doing a good job. You have not created a value proposition that is compelling. As soon as I start to wonder, to think, to evaluate, you’ve already lost.
And yes, the same goes for employers. If you want me to work for you, you do not want me to be in evaluation mode. You want my employment experience to be so satisfying that it never occurs to me to even think about where I should be working. You do not want me to be in a choice mindset. You do not want to get into a debate about the compensation or benefits you offer versus other companies, the type of career development you offer versus other companies, the nature of the work… You just don’t want this. If this conversation is going on, that’s a sure sign that something is lacking in the experience you provide.
Bottom line: When people are fully satisfied, they do not make (or think about making) choices. They are carried along by the inertia of satisfaction. When people enter a choice-making mindset, it is because there has been a trigger of dissatisfaction. Something is not right for them. And then, the debate begins. You might win that debate, but you’re much better off if it never takes place.
