Are you selling something? Are clients unsure of its quality?
Use the Effort Heuristic
People use the effort it takes to make something as an indicator of its quality
More effort - more quality
Low effort - low quality
Here's how to use it for better sales
Use the Effort Heuristic
People use the effort it takes to make something as an indicator of its quality
More effort - more quality
Low effort - low quality
Here's how to use it for better sales
If you are selling art
1. Make videos showing how much work goes into it
2. Use time-lapse and sped-up videos to show progress
3. Describe the resources you use and what they cost
4. Show why those resources are worth it for quality
1. Make videos showing how much work goes into it
2. Use time-lapse and sped-up videos to show progress
3. Describe the resources you use and what they cost
4. Show why those resources are worth it for quality
If you are selling food
1. Show the work that goes on before you start cooking
2. Depict timers and alarms that show the wait is over
3. Show your team and what work they do - including cleaning, prep, and raw material preparation
1. Show the work that goes on before you start cooking
2. Depict timers and alarms that show the wait is over
3. Show your team and what work they do - including cleaning, prep, and raw material preparation
If you are selling content
1. Speak about the time it takes to research and edit
2. Describe the tools you use to offer value
3. Show how much work is discarded to maintain quality
4. Explain the testing or iterative phases of your work
1. Speak about the time it takes to research and edit
2. Describe the tools you use to offer value
3. Show how much work is discarded to maintain quality
4. Explain the testing or iterative phases of your work
If you are penetrating the market with new consumer goods
1. Show ads about the manufacturing process
2. Show your team
3. Describe the innovation and design process
4. Show all the improvements you've made before selling the final version
1. Show ads about the manufacturing process
2. Show your team
3. Describe the innovation and design process
4. Show all the improvements you've made before selling the final version
Whether you are freelancing or in a startup trying to improve sales, showcasing the effort will help you, especially when your client or buyer doesn't know if it is a good or bad purchase.
Effort indicates quality when quality cannot be evaluated (yet).
Effort indicates quality when quality cannot be evaluated (yet).
Why will someone listen to you showcasing your effort?
When people want to buy, they want to reduce uncertainty about their purchase.
They will engage in all sorts of uncertainty reduction behaviors.
When people want to buy, they want to reduce uncertainty about their purchase.
They will engage in all sorts of uncertainty reduction behaviors.
Exploring reviews
unboxing vids
judging others' comments
verifying online presence
looking at the creator's credibility
creator's transparency
are common uncertainty reduction behaviors.
But that's not enough or possible in most cases.
That's when you showcase the effort.
unboxing vids
judging others' comments
verifying online presence
looking at the creator's credibility
creator's transparency
are common uncertainty reduction behaviors.
But that's not enough or possible in most cases.
That's when you showcase the effort.
The effort heuristic also describes why we often think custom clothes and local handicraft is better than factory-made goods.
We are more aware of the human effort that goes into custom and local items.
We assign more value to "hand-crafted" than "precision-machine-made."
We are more aware of the human effort that goes into custom and local items.
We assign more value to "hand-crafted" than "precision-machine-made."
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