Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory and consumer engagement

This blog describes how to use Herzberg’s 2-factor theory of employment as it relates to consumer engagement and business acquisition of customers and clients. This depiction simplifies how people connect and respond to offers or services or products. So, the thought is that when you are a business owner, and you’re offering a product or service, the product has to motivate the customer to purchase. The customer, to become motivated, has to be inspired to action by your product or service. This inspiration happens when your product or service can answer the questions that the customer has about their challenge while also having a price that resonates value that encourages the purchase.

A motivated customer does not require selling for your product. Because the purchaser has identified that your product or offer answers to their questions, your offer motivates the person because of what they think they can achieve with it. Herzberg’s motivating tenets are achievement, recognition, responsibility, the work itself, and the possibility of growth. For a person inspired to purchase your offer, they envision that your product will provide some combination of the Herzberg’s motivation tenets for themselves. Although they may not be aware of the Herzberg motivation tenets, they have an intrinsic connection to your offer and a vision of how they can use your product or service.

The downside Herzberg’s 2-factor theory is the hygiene tenets which are the parts of the offer or service that may prevent dissatisfaction, or meet a need. Still, it doesn’t necessarily lead to satisfaction for a potential customer. These hygiene factors, both real and perceived, may cause a person not to purchase your product or service. Generally, these factors relate to cost, complexity, and personal ability to use the offer. These are the hurdles that you must navigate to increase the motivation tenets to connect people to your offer and decrease the hygiene tenets that cause displeasure with the proposal.

An inspired person is a motivated person. Motivation causes a customer to decide that your service is something that they need to have to accomplish their goals. That is when you have hit the sweet spot between the potential and the value of your service. The hygiene side is where you must nuance your offer and have an option to answer any hesitation with the product. When you think about the hygiene side as it relates to business, Herzberg observed from an employee standpoint that the employee hygiene items are usually things that do not relate to the job. So it is with a customer relationship with a product or service. The hygiene tenets for them not moving forward with your product or service have little to do with the offer. Still, they influence the perceived value of your offer.

Be wary of a potential customer who feels they are in an OK place in their business. For them, they are operating in a hygiene state because your product your service has not necessarily tipped the scales for them to the place where they are inspired to purchase. A business owner will find themselves dealing with the hygiene tenets of Herzberg’s theory with a client when the business owner presents their services and a customer is on the fence and does not have an emotional reaction to your offer. These potential customers are likely to have some factors, beliefs or unspoken insecurities that keep them from moving forward. These fears are not product-related, and more about their ability to use your product and produce the influence that your product would have on their business. Whether your offer is a plus or minus they may not be sure but because they have the other underlying fears you, as the business owner, never get to the point where you’re demonstrating or talking about your product. You may believe you are, but those hygiene aspects of that customer are the ones that you must hurdle, get over, or leapfrog over before you can get that customer to take an interest in your product. They can’t hear anything about your product because they’re so busy thinking about the cost, perceived workload, required technical know-how, or their lack of understanding about what they need and what you are offering.

Here are some hygiene questions that interfere with the presentation of your offer, product or service:

· How much? Can I afford it?

· I don’t do the Internet, social media, or advertising.

· It’s probably just like that other thing.

· What if I’m not able to do it?

· What if I don’t use it? Then its wasted money.

· How easy is it?

· I’m good.

How do you determine what types of things that the potential client or customer is considering when looking at your product or service? Their primary concern is the impact of the purchase on their business. And even if they are not currently using any product or they have something else in that place, people become fiercely loyal to their other choices and decisions. So, the one thing you don’t want to do is diminish their previous business decisions because that impugns their decision-making, and you never want to do that with a customer. You wish to attempt to understand their thought process.

Then you want to segue into your product that you’re doing right now. By reinforcing their current choice, you can ask if they wish to take their business to another level. This question, or call to action, will determine which tact to consider concerning the customer. Based on their answer, you can move forward, demonstrating what your business can do for the client, or you can move on. Those are the hurdles or hygiene items that you must overcome to help a potential customer or client to invest in your offer emotionally and to trust your offer enough to spend their time, energy and money.

You must be able to leapfrog the hygiene hurdles and lessen the fear enough to such a degree where the customer can hear the potential benefits of the product or the offer that you’re making. Until that is done you will exert excessive time and energy and may still not convert the customer. Motivated customers do not require selling. You provide the information and they see the benefit of your product and how your offer will benefit them. They’ve already made the emotionally motivated decision to invest in your product or service. Then there are those customers who are content with their current situation and have no desire to invest in your business. You must be able to discern the satisfied customer, cut to the chase and put out the call to action regarding your product and not spend a lot of time on people who are not going to purchase your product.

Once you can identify the comfortable customer who may some Herzberg hygiene factors that are impacting their decision, it will save a great deal of time and energy. The most beneficial lesson to learn is that not everyone will want your product or offer. The fun comes with people who are not happy with their product and are seeking to invest or change. That is my whole concept of how you use the Herzberg 2 factor theory of motivation and hygiene. Satisfaction and dissatisfaction from a consumer level with the business and product.