Inside the Mind of the Shopper - Herb Sorensen, Ph.D. (Part 1)

Unless you are a massive nerd like me, it's unlikely you will ever need (or want) to read books about why people buy what they buy. I, on the other hand, have been excited about this book since it arrived from Amazon and have been waiting to tear it open like a little kid on Christmas.

This is most certainly not my first book on the subject. Paco Underhill's Why We Buy pretty much changed my life, as did Martin Lindstrom's Buy-ology. (Side note: Dave Eyler - if you're reading this I REALLY want my copy back.) Most companies, specifically retail, believe that getting consumers in the door is the hurdle, and they have spent billions of dollars on advertising and other promotions thinking they are accomplishing the goal: get people to buy our product. What they've neglected to understand is how consumers interact with the space one they're in and the impact that has on the purchase decision. (Too academic? Ever walked out of a store because you couldn't find what you were looking for, the sales person was too pushy, or the line to try on clothes was too long? That's what I mean.)

Creating a retail environment that appeals to a wide range of consumers isn't easy. Consider the grocery store: I've run in to grab a bottle of wine on my way to a party, and I've spent an hour roaming the aisles on a trip to stock up. Sorenson knows that shoppers fall into buckets (in the market research world we use fancy words like "behavioral segmentation") and appealing to the various buckets means finding out who they are and what they want.

Now that I've built this up, let's bring it back down. This book is boring. I can't read on the train because the book isn't engaging so I get distracted by every little noise, and I can't read in bed because this book puts me to sleep. I've been "reading it" for 2 weeks and am on page 54. Surely at some point this will get interesting...right?

It's clear I need to live up to my blog's name and pick at least one other book to read so I don't waste all of time playing BubbleLabs on my phone. Please leave suggestions!

Don't worry though, part 2 of this book review is coming...eventually.

It's Called a Breakup Because It's Broken

When my friend "C" told me she was reading the breakup book, I was intrigued. My enthusiasm quickly turned to skepticism. Could there really be an alternative to sitting in bed throwing chocolates at the cheesy romantic comedy on the TV? (Ok, I've personally never done this but ever since I saw it in Legally Blonde it's been on my to-do list.) And finally, my skepticism turned into full-on panic. Would Ben and Jerry's go out of business? What would I do without their delicious chocolate fudge brownie ice cream?!

I decided to see how big of a threat this book really was to the feeling-sorry-for-yourself-in-bed-wearing-pajamas-while-eating-ice-cream-out-of-the-container-with-a-spoon industry and read it for myself. The verdict: If I had recently been dumped, I actually think this book would have been enormously helpful.

The book is empowering in a silly way, but when you've just been broken up with, it's kind of nice to have someone who thinks you're a "superfox", even if they've never met you... The authors, married couple Greg and Amiira Behrendt (if that name sounds familiar it's because Greg is the author of  the now famous "He's Just Not That Into You") share their own break-up stories, answer questions, and remind you that calling your ex is not a good idea under any circumstances.


If you have your rose colored goggles on, there are helpful little exercises to remind you about all the things that were not so great. Great dresser, degree from Princeton, etc... go ahead, list all his/her good qualities. Cheated on you with your boss? That goes in the douchebag column. 


My personal favorite are the psycho confessionals. Think drunk dialing your ex was bad? Reading these horrifically embarrassing stories from girls who...
a) climbed through a window and snuck into their ex's room
b) left their ex by the side of a highway
c) spent hundreds of dollars on a new look and spent hours scheming up a way to run into him
...will make you feel WAY more sane.


Also pretty hilarious are the Dear Greg questions. But Greg, what if he has my CDs?! (Does this remind anyone else of Dane Cook or is it just me?) Dear CD owner, 1992 called... 


I laughed, I felt sorry for some of these people, and sadly, some of their words hit home. Break ups are no fun, but if you follow the book's advice I actually think you might get over it faster. Fortunately for me and the ice cream industry, I'd still rate the threat level as low. 

Curious?

Here's a fun exercise for introverts: carry around a large bright yellow book that says Curious? in giant black letters. If that's not a conversation starter, I don't know what is...

There are a lot of books that promise to help you find the key to happiness. There are a lot of books that don't deliver. Curious? by Todd Kashdan, is not one of those books. Over and over again I found myself nodding, wanting to highlight things or make notes in the margins. Kashdan blends years of scientific research with everyday stories readers can relate to, and the end result is a highly engaging, fun, and interesting read.

The idea behind it all is that we need to feel like we're "seeking the new" to feel fulfilled. But obviously we can't spend every moment seeking out new experiences, so we need to learn to be curious and explorers in our daily lives. From our intellectual pursuits to relationships to mundane chores, Kashdan offers in depth look at how to expand our curiosity to become a more fulfilled (and yes, happier) person.

This is a must read!

We now interrupt regularly scheduled programming...

A disclaimer: I promise to do this no more than once per year.


Dear Blog Readers,
I would like to take this opportunity to blog about something a little bit more personal: breast cancer. Did you know that nearly 1 in 8 women are affected? I didn't. But that means 39 of my female friends will have to battle the disease in their lives. Or maybe it will be me.

I've decided to take a stand against cancer and do my part to be part of the cure. On July 9th and 10th I'll be participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, walking almost 40 miles with thousands of other women to raise money for medical research, education and early detection programs, clinical care, and support services. 


If you are able, please consider making a tax deductible donation to help me reach my fundraising goal of $1,800. You can Donate here or visit the page to view my progress and see fun facts as I begin training.

Thanks in advance for your support!

Another double feature: Looking for Alaska and Bursts

Let's begin with Bursts: The Hidden Pattern Behind Everything We Do by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi. I was excited about this one. His first book, Linked, was extremely well reviewed so I was expecting to really enjoy Bursts. Boy was I wrong...

The book begins with a story about an artist named Hassan who has trouble getting through airport security because his travel patterns are suspicious. About one chapter of the entire book actually discusses the subtitle attempting to cover how human beings don't in fact move randomly, but in "bursts" of activity followed by long periods of nothing. The remaining 90% of the book is a story about a 3 month period in Hungarian/Transylvanian history, which, while interesting (note the sarcasm), has NOTHING to do with the topic of the book. It's as if he wanted to write a book about this war but knew that no one would buy a book about an obscure political uprising in the 1500's and decided to trick people into reading about it by hiding it in a book about human behavioral patterns. The only reason I continued reading was because I was sure at some point it was all going to connect and I'd have a moment of clarity. That never happened. Instead I was left blinking at the pages in confusion, trying to guess what he used to bribe the people who wrote the endorsement blurbs on the back cover.

This is the worst book I've read all year.

Onto better reading: Looking for Alaska by John Green. The cover art of this book is vague and without reading the back, I assumed this was a book about explorers looking for Alaska. (You know, that state way up north that looks like it should be part of Canada? What has Alaska given us anyway? Sarah Palin and a nice view of Russia? I say give let them have it.*) Well it's not.

Our story is told through the lens of Miles, affectionately nicknamed pudge because he's so skinny, who leaves his "noneventful life" as a 16-year old in Florida to attend boarding school. He immediately falls in love with our book's namesake, Alaska Young. Alaska is the epitome of what you hope your daughter never becomes. She seduces Miles into her world of drinking, smoking, sex, drugs, cutting class, and pranks. From the beginning her mood is unpredictable, her behavior reckless, and yet her adventurous spirit is lovable, maybe even cute. You want to root for her.

Adding to the mystery, the book's chapters are marked by 138 days before, 42 days before, etc... leading up to an event you know is coming, but can't quite put your finger on. If there's one thing I love in a story it's surprise, and this book definitely delivers. Just when you think you know what the tipping point is, it's not.

Overall, this is a beautiful coming of age story that will leave you thinking about it for days. The writing isn't very sophisticated, but then again neither are high-schoolers, so the voice fits even if at times it feels a touch simplistic. I'd definitely recommend this one, particularly for a younger audience.


*Just kidding! My family and I went on vacation to Alaska when I was a teen and actually it was very pretty.

Today's double feature: The Compassionate Instinct and Made to Stick

The Compassionate Instinct is actually a collection of essays from the magazine Greater Good which despite being in Berkeley, I had no idea existed. I may actually start reading it based on this book. The writings together take a really interesting look at human compassion (also known as positive psychology to those in the academic world) in all of its forms. The book begins in section one: The Scientific Roots of Human Goodness, with the question of how to define compassion, how we display it, and whether or not it can be taught. This part of the book mostly talks about case studies in monkeys/apes/chimps and any other primates human beings evolved from. For the 40% of you who don't believe in evolution, you might want to skip this part. Although noticeably absent is a creationism chapter on why God might have created some humans with so little compassion....volume 2 maybe?

The second section of the book attempts to address how to cultivate compassion with people we interact with, specifically those we have complex relationships with such as spouses/partners, family, and coworkers.
The essays in this section I felt were a little bit scattered, perhaps just ordered poorly, and I felt that the story was not as cohesive as in section 1. I really enjoyed some of them, particularly, given my current situation, Are You a Jerk at Work? and Compassion Across Cubicles, and others, like Stumbling Towards Gratitude and The Choice to Forgive left me inspired. On the other hand, Paul Ekman's conversation with his daughter about trust was boring. Feel free to skim it but if you don't read it I don't think you'll be missing anything.

Finally, in the last section, they broaden the scale to society as a whole. Again, the essays were a tad disjointed and particularly those on heros felt out of place. However, the first 4 are without a doubt the highlights of the book and the lessons have stuck with me all week.

If everyone read this book, the world would be a more compassionate place. So here's my contribution to a better world: read it.

Made to Stick: Some things stay in our mind forever. I can still recall the way my high school science professor Mark Stefanski ended each class* but I can't remember the Spanish word for clam. Companies spend millions trying to create a memorable brand, a memorable ad campaign, etc... yet we rarely recall the billboards we pass on the highway. Enter this book. If you're looking for the tell-all secret handbook on how to create a winning message, you're not going to find it here. What you will find are suggestions on how to make your message simple, credible, concrete, emotional, unexpected, and some other adjectives I already forgot (irony at its finest). Teachers share tips like "make it a mystery that the class unravels with you", ask questions in an "imagine if you..." way. CEOs of corporations and head military officials offer suggestions on creating a one liner that defines your objectives so that all decision making will lead to the same goal.

Is this a little bit fluffy? Yes, yes it is. But I actually think it could be helpful and I definitely recommend it. Of course, even the best, stickiest message won't stick if no one sees it or understands it. I'm talking to you crazy homeless guy with the sign in Wingdings...


* For those interested, here's how he ended each and every science class: "Be good to yourselves, be good to those around you. Go forth and multiply your knowledge and understanding, but keep your DNA to yourself, at least for the time being."

Why Men Marry Bitches - Sherry Argov

From the manipulative mastermind behind Why Men Love Bitches comes this equally manipulative sequel, Why Men Marry Bitches. In the book's defense, the goal is noble: be a woman a man can respect. Their methods...not so much.

Let's say your boyfriend, who normally calls at 5:44 when he gets on the train after work, doesn't call you one day. Logical conclusion: he had to work late, his phone battery died, he ran into an old friend on the train, etc... The book's conclusion: he's losing interest! Sound the alarms! You need to take drastic action and NOW. Don't answer the phone or call him back next time he tries to call you. According to the book, "this keeps the relationship reciprocal and balanced." Really? I'm no expert but if you're feeling that insecure about his interest in you, your relationship has bigger problems.

Another gem from the book: feel free to invite him over for dinner, but just reheat the leftover chinese food from your date the night before. According to the book, this shows you don't feel the need to "overcompensate"and will earn a man's respect. Next time you invite a friend over for dinner why don't you try serving them your leftover takeout and see what they say. Your date might not say anything out of politeness, but your friend will. That's just gross.

And finally, if he brings up marriage, don't act like it's something you want, he's only testing you. Be sure to brush it off with a "no thanks, not on my radar." Again, really? Maybe it's the men I've been meeting lately, but they all have 5 year plans that involve getting married. They're not asking to see how desperate I am (as the book assumes), they're asking because they don't want to waste their time either.

Am I living in a fantasy land where people are actually honest about their feelings? Or is this book just assuming that all men are deceitful players who are only interested in trying to get us into bed, and it's up to us to outsmart them with our bitchy trickery that will make them want to marry us?

Not to be too harsh, there's some good advice in here too. But if it's an honest, equal partnership you're after, skip the games and stick to The Rules.