I’m going to the Olympics! When the money was debited from my account yesterday I knew I was one of the lucky ones that got tickets. The application process has been far from smooth and steady though. A lot can be learned here, let’s take a closer look.
How to get tickets
This is what I had to get through to get the tickets. First I had to register in order to indicate that I was interested in buying tickets. No problem, done online in a matter of minutes. Then I had to wait for almost two months before I could indicate which tickets I wanted. Less amusing!
When I finally got to choose tickets, it was made very clear that I was unlikely to get all of them, if any. So what did I do? I bought loads because I didn’t want to miss out!
Once I had applied for tickets, I had to wait another four weeks before finding out if I actually got any. And if you think that is wrong, wait until you hear this! The money was debited from my account before I even new if I got lucky!
Why I put up with it
Zig Ziglar says “the fear of loss is always greater than the desire to gain” it’s probably one of his most famous quotes and it’s probably the only reason why I (and so many others) put up with this complex buying process.
“We just don’t wat to miss out“
I will never get a better opportunity to visit the Olympics than in 2012 in my own home town. It’s a great opportunity that I just couldn’t afford to miss.
Expenses
I applied for loads of tickets and got almost all of them. No problem because I can invite friends or ask for a refund, but because of the way the application procedure worked I ended up buying more tickets than I otherwise would have done. A family in Northern England spent over £ 15,000 on tickets, which is the equivalent of more than half their annual income!
What’s the lesson?
Two lessons actually:
One: you should make the purchase as easy as possible for your prospect. Remove all barriers and make payment easy by giving options (cash, card, cheque etc.). The tickets for the Olympics were a once in a life time opportunity for me and the organisation holds a monopoly on selling them. If I could have gotten them elsewhere, I would have!
Two: fear of loss is an incredibly powerful motivator. It makes us want to buy because we just don’t want to miss out. Give your prospect a chance at a once in a life time opportunity, and he won’t want to miss out either.
