Twenty-Three: The Architecture Metaphor
The authors turn to the shopworn analogy of construction to describe the way in which a strategy is formed (likened to a blueprint) that serves as a guideline for action, but one which may be modified along the way when obstacles are encountered of better approaches are discovered.
They provide a quote from a famous architect, who saw that a building is created to create an environment in which people will live. The process by which it is constructed is less important than the way in which it will be used when it is complete.
In that sense the methods and procedures for interacting with a prospect are less important than getting them to make a purchase. We cannot be rigid and inflexible in our approach, and damage success for the sake of sticking to a plan.
It's also worth noting that customers want their problem solved, and are not enamored of the process they must undertake to get there. As such the persuasive system should be designed to have as few elements as possible, in order that it might deliver the solution the customer needs with a minimum of time invested in the process.
Regardless of the channel, there are three components to consider:
- The Selling Process. What are the objectives of the firm and how does it go about attempting to achieve them.
- The Buying Process. What are the objectives of the customer and how will he go about attempting to meet them
- Time. How much time is the customer willing to invest in pursuing his objectives, and how much can this be stretched without discouraging him
Dragging back to the architecture metaphor, the authors speak to the layout of a building, the number of rooms a person has to walk through to get from where they are to where they want to be, what obstacles and affordances are in the way. If the plan is good, it will result in a structure that enables the customer to get where he wants to be with a minimum of time and effort.