I picked up tennis during MCO. Like any recreational player, I wanted a better racket after playing for a while.
I typed 'Shopee' into Google, clicked on the first result, and searched for 'Babolat tennis racket'. Then I picked and bought a tennis racket called 'Babolat Pure Strike' from a seller with good ratings.
Few days later, the racquet arrived. I took it to the courts the very next day.
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What just happened?
Out of hundreds of rackets, why did I pick the Babolat Pure Strike? Was my purchasing decision purely original?
Let's rewind.
When I became interested in tennis, I started following pro players on Instagram. My feed was constantly filled with reels of match replays, analysis, and tips.
I admired Roger Referer. What a class act! The way he dances around the court. His mannerisms. Then Rafa Nadal, with his never-say-never spirit to chasing every ball and playing like it's the last match of his life.
Little did I realize, I was getting influenced.
I'm not original.
So it was time to buy a racquet. I chose to purchase Babolat. Why?
Let's see.. Ahh, because Nadal uses Babolat.
I Googled "What racket does Roger Federer use?" Federer doesn't use a dampener? That's interesting.
But wait, I'm an original guy – so buying the exact rackets these pros were using, would make me unoriginal and boring.
With some reading, I learned about a particular model, the Pure Strike – a racket by Babolat, built with a dampener technology, which meant I didn't need to use a dampener (just like Roger Federer)
- Babolat = Used by Nadal
- Dampener tech = Just like Federer
Perfect! It's the racket I need.
But wait, do any pros use the Pure Strike? Is it worthy?
A quick Googling showed me, Dominic Thiem, a world #3 tennis player (at peak), using the Pure Strike.
Done. I'm sold.
Only that my purchasing decision wasn't original. I was subconsciously influenced by the people I admired. What an illogical purchase.
You'll never die an original.
Nobody will. Each of our purchasing decisions is influenced by something or someone.
That's why marketing gurus shout, "people buy through emotions, not logic". Our purchasing decisions are subconscious.
The challenge as a business owner is to figure out what (or who) your ideal customers are influenced by.
Once you figure that out – go directly to the source of influence.
