“The consumer isn’t a moron; she’s your wife.”

Sales resistance lies between two types of purchasing intent:

High and low.

Low-intent transactions are the commodities and accessories we don’t think twice about before purchasing.

For most, they’re usually around or under $20.

If it’s great, cool; if it’s shit, you’ll survive and know not to buy it next time.

Learning about the product or service is minimal, nonexistent or even based on blind faith.

As for high-intent purchases, more information is needed.

Granted it’s a necessity—like a car and not a luxury bag—you’re going to do your research.

You’ll learn all about the bells-and-whistles, reliability, ratings and pros and cons.

Because a $20K mistake stings slightly more than a $20 mistake.

If you’re selling something expensive, you’re going to need to provide every detail about it.

The father of copywriting, David Ogilvy, has been quoted saying:

“The consumer isn’t a moron; she is your wife. You insult her intelligence if you assume that a mere slogan and a few vapid adjectives will persuade her to buy anything. She wants all the information you can give her.”

Which was entirely accurate 80 years ago.

There wasn’t internet to read reddit, watch YouTube reviews or see thousands of consumer-written testimonials on Amazon.

No; back then, entire commercials were scripted with plots, character development and conclusions just to sell simple items like condensed milk.

Today’s advertisers have dropped the act and simply pasteurized ads down to a rhetorical question.

No, todays consumers aren’t morons.

They do, however, require less information to make their purchasing decisions, I’d argue.

A thousand four-and-a-half stars on Amazon will suffice for most.

Today, Ogilvy’s quote rings true mostly for expensive products and services.

If you’ve $20k and need of a car, you’ll look at all the cars within your price budget that are sold in your area.

You’ll do your research, looking for the facts that matter.

Imagine the car you liked was missing the MPG on the website advertising it?

It would be much more difficult, if not impossible, to make a buying decision then.

Anyway, there’s caveats and context to everything sold.

A rule of thumb: give her all the information you can give her.

— George