The concept of "Situational Satisfaction" is not a new one but it's not usually explained with care. Let's take a practical, familiar subject: adult beverages.
- Times are tough, money is short, no time to drive far - I'm happy with the best tasting six-pack under 4 bucks at the corner shop
- Romantic date at a pricey establishment, a special event (anniversary perhaps), credit cards are handy - I'm only satisfied with the best wine bottle under $xxxx.xx
- Business dinner at the same pricey restaurant - want to show good taste but also not look extravagant, wasteful - I go for a bottle in the mid 40's
- Business dinner with a colleague I don't like much and who never gives us much business - I'm more than happy with a cheap, house bottle and just to get out of there
- At home, drinking alone, have a very small bar full of choices - I'm happy with the best drink I can mix under the circumstances and don't want to drive
- House-sitting and given carte blanche - know what bottles are very expensive and pick something reasonable and kept in quantity - happy it's all free
- Worked really late - it's 2 AM and the grocery stores around here at closed - settling for the best, microbrew six-pack at Quickie Mart I can get for $9.59
- At my local Beer Tasting Party - we have 43 very top microbrews to pick - I go with 2 certain to be great and enjoy trying a couple of others - new experiences satisfy along with familiar, proven ales of the very highest rating. Anything less would be unthinkable. My taste and expertise are on display for all to see.
- Feel like a nice good beer - nothing in the house and it's late - I take the cheap six-pack and mix with a lone bottle of Guinness to blend my own tasty amber lager - Inventive fun, cheapish but quality is very high.
- At neighbor's snobby wine tasting - not a good microbrew in the house - I don't recognize any of the labels - go with a recommendation from a friend - and he's right, maybe. Can't stay one so I try just one more. Leave.
- At the hotel, it's very late - mini bar in room is priced for a millionaire - take a cheap mini wine and use my remaining orange juice to make a nice sangria - frugality with compromise.
- At a wedding and the free drinks are thin and watery - a cousin offers me from shot of his bottle. Too strong. I let him "turbocharge" my free cranberry something.
- Invited to a friend's home for a Super Bowl party - the brews are their pick - I'm satisfied with just 1 of their 3 picks - best I can do - happy to be there with friends and anything cold. Game is awesome, going my way, girls are pretty, snacks are awesome, and the beer's flavor is not on my mind unless it's a watery Bud Lite.
- On a cruise ship - beverages are free and comped in all price ranges - I go for the best I can name, repeat, and repeat. Will try anything and loved most of it. Repeat next day. Try not to fall overboard. Go overboard but only in my cabin.
- On a cruise ship - beverages are very overpriced and I'm a little green in the gills - I'm happy with any low-acid, not too strong, soothing concoction followed by some small pink Pepto tabs.
Here are 15 different scenarios when I'm happy and satisfied with far different types, qualities, prices, and classes of drink. Do I always go for the best? No. Price and convenience count. Opportunity and practicality count. Ability to shop, drive, and have more options count. Must avoid offending folks. Need to be seen as reasonable at times and successful/price no object the next day/ Sometimes experience and adventure count for fun. Sometimes I demand the best and "splurge". Anything to numb the head and fuel the celebration is more than good at other times. Other times I optimize my situation and am creative to get a fun, enjoyable drink. Other times I worry about excess and money and go a more conservative route. Other times I'm not feeling so well or rushed. Yet other times I'm happy, hardy, adventurous, and not rushed. Sometimes the environment and occasional are paramount. People, place, and time affect my well-honed decisions. Most of us have similarly built-in rules when it comes to clothes, food, friends, cars, and other acquisitions.
Free wine always tastes better.
Expensive wine tastes best when someone else is paying
Humans are complex creatures. We have our own complex, built-in rules and calculations. Our spending habits often involve unique patterns of "situational satisfaction". Some of us tend to fall into ruts and always buy the same thing. Others have regular favorites but like to experiment. Some of us carefully save on a tight budget so we can treat ourselves to something special and more expensive later. Others overspend all the time. Some are cheap and underspend. Sometimes like to be creative, hybridizing and blending, endless customizing. Some of us like quick decisions and other times we make more slow, complex, considered ones, taking time to gather more facts. Some of us don't know what we're missing - we hardly read ads or shop. Some of us hate being forced to spend little and find every opportunity for freebies, upgrades, coupons, and deep savings.
Use of "situational satisfaction" in the business world involves understanding the situations your customers are in and 2) how they react to each situation and how much their response varies to it. Consider:
- Under which circumstances does your customer really have or want to spend big bucks? Perhaps only for special family events, business dinners, vacations, etc.
- Under which circumstances do they really need watch the spending? Perhaps when they are paying, boss is watching carefully, their customer has a small budget, end of the month and budget is already shot, etc.
- Under which circumstances do they demand more choices? Perhaps when wanting to look important with their customers or when trying to fight off a major competitor A
- Under which circumstances do they want things familiar, simple, and regular? Perhaps when too busy to make choices or when it costs them to make complex decisions
- Under which circumstances do they not care about the price:value ratio? Perhaps when they can pass on the costs to others or when needing to create a prestigious image. Perhaps it's a new budget and they can splurge a bit in the early part of the year. Perhaps they just got a big bonus check.
- Under which circumstances do they want a highly customer, hybridized/blended product? Perhaps when they have demanding customers and have time to experiment a bit
Copyright 2013. Laurence C. Hatch. All Rights Reserved.
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