Today I’d like to share with you something very important about your prospects and potential buyers. This also applies to your life, too, and it effects the mood of everyone you come into contact with.

What is it? HALT. It is an acronym for hungry, angry, lonely, and tired. Now, what does this have to do with your marketing in your business? Well, people are normally put in a poor mood or a less receptive mood – or sometimes an increased mood to your marketing messages — depending on what you are selling. I would also add, ‘hot’ to the acronym.

You see, when someone is in a state of being hungry, angry, lonely, tired (or hot) then they are emotionally more apt to do certain behavior. This is why, from my understanding, AA (alcoholic’s anonymous) tells people to get assistance when they get into one of these moods–because in that case they are more likely to drink because of the negative state of mind and emotions he or she is in. Does this make sense? If you are lonely you are more likely, in general, to turn to alcohol — which is certainly bad for alcoholics.

Now let me ask you this. Are you taking this into account in your business? Are your customers or prospects generally preconditioned to be in one of these frames of mind before you are marketing or selling to them? And, if so, how can you overcome these negative conditions up front. How you pre-position yourself, your company, or your messages is certainly important.

I’d like you to do something very important, if you can. Do some self-monitoring on your mood. I find when I myself am hungry, angry, lonely, or tired my mood shifts and I tend to look at things differently. I believe almost every person is like this. It is “wired” into us. Our chemicals in our brains and bodies shift, and we become more resistant or open to certain ideas and things.

Want an interesting fact? The murder rate goes up when more ice cream is sold. Yup, ice cream equals more murders. Actually, it doesn’t. There is no cause and effect there. What actually happens is that in the summer it is hotter than in the winter, so people have shorter tempers and are more likely to explode in anger. That is one factor, and I imagine also that people are put into situations to where there is more violence. So ice cream sold doesn’t affect more murders, it is just more ice cream is sold in summer when it is hot, instead of when it is cold.

So what can you take from this? Pay attention to what is influencing your customer’s or prospects. Colors, shapes, temperatures, music, sound effects etc. There is a reason why movies spend a lot of money on the soundtrack to accompany the movie. It’s because without that soundtrack the movie, generally, would be a whole lot less stimulating.

Just one little nuance sometimes can throw off your customer’s minds from buying your product or service. And, here’s the thing. And lots of times great businesses are built upon shifting the customers emotions to a desired state.

Disney provides imagination, joy, and excitement.
FedEx provides relief from anxiety
McDonald’s (yes, McDonald’s) provides instant gratification and consitency
Staples has tried to produce, “That was easy.”

So stop, analyze your current customers, and figure out the moods people are put in before they come to your business. If you are a mechanic it will be sometimes fear of being ripped off (especially for women.) If you are an attorney it might be intimidation. The same goes for accountants, at times.

And remember, monitor yourself when you are hot, hungry, angry, lonely, or tired. See how this effects you. Because if it effecting you — it is probably effecting your customers too.

-Matt