Predicting Client Behaviour : Who's going to buy what you're selling?

Carver and White (1994) put forth that there are two key dimensions of personality:

- anxiety
- impulsivity

These two qualities represent differences in sensitivities of two neurological systems in their responses to environmental cues.

One system regulates aversive motivation.

One system regulates appetitive motivation.

Aversive motivation is regulated by the behavioural inhibition system (BIS) that controls the experience of anxiety and is sensitive to signals of punishment / non reward and as such inhibits behaviour that may lead to adverse consequences.

Appetitive motivation is regulated by the behavioural activation system (BAS) that is sensitive to reward and non punishment and leads to goal directed behaviour with observable positive feelings of hope for example.

People with high BAS sensitivity respond to cues of reward compared to people with low BAS.

High BIS individuals are responsive to punishment cues.

Gray’s (1975) original reinforcement sensitivity theory attributes behavior to the relative strength of these two motivational systems.

So assuming that these systems do indeed operate to regulate motivation to either take risks towards achievement of goals or the reluctance to take chances that may risk jeopardising the status quo : what can you do about it when engaging your clients to utilise your services?

The keys are tapping into and individuals neurological systems and ensuring that you match your pitch in the way that will most resonate with them.

This means for the individual wanting to escape risk : you need to to highlight the risks inaction actually delivers and the consequences (punishment) that may await should they not implement the solutions you recommend.

It's a discussion about statistics, case studies and stories of the what if and adverse consequences of inaction.

For those clients with high BAS, who are looking forward, can visualise a better state of being and ready to take action for the pursuit of a reward : it's all about positive achievement and what people have achieved by implementing your solutions. All they need to do to reach a better state is move forward with you.

The trick of course is identifying which clients have high BAS or high BIS sensitivities.