This document discusses the importance of marketing being linked to sales. It introduces the concept of a "Change Chain" to help persuade people to buy. A Change Chain needs to address the desire (emotional) and permission (rational) factors for a buying decision. It should shift what people think, feel and do by presenting the driver (benefit), point of difference (vs competitors), and urgency (why now). Developing a strong Change Chain with these three links can effectively move people from their current position to the desired position of buying a product or service.

1. WHAT’S ALL THIS MARKETING STUFF ABOUT ANYWAY?
Marketing’s job is leveraged sales. Boil it down, add spices, bake however you like; but if our clients stop selling then so do we. So it’s surprising that so few
advertising and marketing professionals embrace the link between marketing and sales. Because if we can successfully leverage the magic of sales into the
mass market then we’d have to have a much better chance of winning than just producing expensive 3D rendered, singing kittens riding bikes and playing
the ads on TV and hoping - right?
THE CHANGE CHAIN
SO WHAT MAKES PEOPLE DECIDE TO BUY… REALLY?
The great industry legend (and my mentor) Dave Trott talks about two things needing to be present to make a buying decision:
1) Desire (the emotional bit)
2) Permission (the rational defence to yourself or others). And like most things Dave says it’s pretty much on the money.
!
So when we look a bit closer at communications generally it’s about making a shift in what people: Think, Feel, Do
So if we imagine point A (as where they are now) and point B (as their desired position) then what we need to do is form a messaging ‘Change Chain’ that’s
strong enough to affect the desired shift and pull them over. And it’s worth noting that the required strength is defined by:
1) Entrenchment - how entrenched position A is (indicating the requisite weight of the chain)
2) Distance - how far away point B is (indicating how long the chain needs to be).
THE CHANGE CHAIN
To construct a ‘Change Chain’ strong enough to effect a mind move we need 3 elements working together:
1) The Driver - what’s in it for them? The higher order gain or the avoidance of pain (noting pain is actually twice as motivating - as proved by research*)
2) Point-of-Difference - vs competitors or other solutions, why would the benefit sought be nowhere near as sweet from any other source?
3) Why now? What’s the hidden and insidious costs or effect of inaction? Why can’t this decision be avoided? What barriers need to come down first?
Now as with any chain, you’re only as strong as your weakest link. And the combination of three strong links pulling together that makes it so compelling.
*Josh Kaufman - The Personal MBA, 2012
CONCLUSION
Now the rules of effective communication as outlined by Dave Trott (a genius worth quoting twice) is always: Impact - get noticed. Communication - be
clear. Persuasion - move somebody. And that doesn’t change. But if we’re serious about moving somebody then thinking in terms of The Change Chain is
a neat way of making communication powerful. So let’s give up esoteric ‘brand building’ and let’s start selling products and services in a more appropriate
(and effective) way.
AMODEL FOR MOVING MINDS
www.stepchangemarketing.com