The Hidden Forces Behind Why Your Customer Buy (It’s not what you think!)

People don’t buy based on logic.

They buy based on psychological shortcuts, and then recruit logic as legal counsel afterward.

You know what they say about hindsight?! It’s BULLSHIT!

Marketing isn’t about persuasion.
It’s about alignment with how decisions already happen.

So instead of:

“What’s our marketing strategy?”

The better question is:

“Which psychological forces are already at work in our audience, and are we helping or fighting them?”

A Framework You Can Use To Help Your Organization….

The IRRATIONAL BUT PREDICTABLE™ Framework

Step 1: Start With the Human, Not the Funnel

Before channels, tactics, or content calendars, ask:

• What fears do they have?
• What do they want to avoid?
• Who do they trust?
• What feels risky to them?
• What would make them feel smart for choosing us?

This reframes marketing from broadcasting messages to reducing psychological friction.

Step 2: Diagnose the Dominant Psychological Drivers

Cialdini (from Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion) gives us the ingredients. Your framework decides which ones matter most for this organization.

Here’s a usable lens:

Principle	What People Are Really Thinking
Reciprocity	“They helped me first, I should respond.”
Commitment & Consistency	“I already said yes once. I can’t contradict myself.”
Social Proof	“People like me are doing this, so it must be right.”
Authority	“They know more than I do.”
Liking	“I trust them because I like them.”
Scarcity	“If I don’t act now, I’ll regret it.”

Key insight:
Most organizations try to use all six.
Strong brands usually lean on one or two relentlessly.

Step 3: Replace “Messaging” With Psychological Signals

This is where your framework gets dangerous (in a good way).

Instead of asking:

“What should we say?”

You ask:

“What signal are we sending to the brain?”

Examples:

• Testimonials → Social proof
• Case studies → Authority + consistency
• Behind-the-scenes content → Liking
• Free tools/insights → Reciprocity
• Deadlines → Scarcity

Marketing becomes signal design, not copywriting. Maybe, just maybe, Mr. McCulan was right!

Step 4: Accept the Uncomfortable Truth

People often:

• Decide emotionally
• Act quickly
• Justify retroactively
• Defend their choice publicly

Your framework should normalize this, not shame it.

Humans don’t think → decide → act
Humans feel → decide → explain

Good marketing doesn’t fight this.
It respects it.

Step 5: Measure the Right Thing

Not:

• Impressions
• Reach
• “Brand awareness”

But:

• Did trust increase?
• Did hesitation decrease?
• Did people repeat the story for us?
• Did they feel confident recommending us?

This ties beautifully into our theory: Start a Movement > Marketing Strategy.

The Differentiator (This Is Important)

Most agencies say:

“We build strategies.”

Our framework says:

“We decode decision-making.”

That’s a massive shift:

• Strategy is what you do
• Psychology is what they do

You’re simply choosing to start where reality actually lives.

People don’t need better marketing. They need to understand the invisible forces already shaping their decisions.