I should have known better.
But I didn't.
After all I’d seen this psychological test with the bear before. And yet here years later I fell for it again.
(By the way, taking this test will help you with your customer experience strategy. As you’ll see below.)
Here's what happened.
The psychological test measures your Selective Attention.
Selective what?
Here's the long definition:
"At any given moment, we are subjected to a constant barrage of sensory information. The blare of a car horn, the chatter of your friends, the click of the keys as you type etc.
But in most cases, we don't pay attention to each and every one of these sensory experiences.
Instead, we centre our attention on certain important elements of our environment while other things blend into the background or pass us by completely unnoticed."
The short definition:
"It measures how well you can shut out everything else except what you’re focusing on."
So while doing research on human behaviour and how we act, I came across a link to a video that said it would test my awareness.
Here’s the video below if you want to do the test (don’t read anymore until you’ve done the test). If you don’t want to do the test, read on.
The test has two teams one in white T-shirts the other in black. You’re asked to count how many passes the team in while make.
Now it’s not as easy as it seems because the teams are running around, ducking and diving, all while passing the ball. So you have to concentrate.
And I mean really concentrate.
So I did, with my eyes fixed on every move the team in white did.
I guessed they made 10 passes and thought I'd done quite well. The right answer was 13.
Then while waiting to see what that score meant, the narrator drops the bombshell and says:
“But did you see the moonwalking bear?”
Bear? What bear?
A moonwalking bear?
So I watched the video again and sure enough – there was the bear, moonwalking away.
So how does this help your customer experience strategy?
Today, if you want to get people’s attention and get them to take notice of you when you contact them. You have to use powerfully persuasive tactics to cut through the noise.
In other words, you need to start doing stuff to stand out or you’ll just disappear like the bear.
Because as the video shows, people have an amazing ability to block things out without even realising it.
And if you’re not doing something different from other companies, you’ll blend into the background.
So how do you cut through the noise?
One of the best ways is to tell a story. Because psychologist have found humans can’t resist hearing stories.
And if you craft the story the right way, your customers won’t forget you or your message.
Hope you found that useful and if you have any questions simply drop me an email.
Thanks for your time.
Ronald
Co-Founder of Epok.com