Like it or not, your vote is an emotional decision

It's interesting seeing all the commentary and pundits, all the analysts, "in depth" interviews and negative, baiting ads. Oh, I'm as fed up with it as everyone else in the country, but it's interesting as a marketer to watch. I know most people can get into heated discussions about why their team is the best, the answer, the hope for America. I submit that it all comes down to emotional connection alone.

What we're looking at is a national SALES campaign. Obama brought in $150 million last month alone… he's outspending McCain by 3 or 4 times in key markets. Both sides use half-truths and fear, and try to maximize soundbytes to explain the differences. Who's really the most qualified?

How the heck should we know? How could anyone know? There's nothing in living memory anyone can relate the current economic meltdown to, so who's the "best" to handle it all? All the economics are theory, and somewhere inside me is a little voice saying, "you can't just throw money at a problem and expect it to go away!" More than that, I can't even imagine how anyone expects to create effective oversite over a trillion-dollar bailout overnight.

So when the curtain pulls behind us, which one do we select? The way we decide every sales pitch: emotion. There's nothing logical in being sold. We can collect all the data, sort it into columns, look at the blues vs. the reds… but in the end, we're going to vote for the one we "like" or the one we "think" will be "better." Even "change" is an emotional word. For some it evokes a positive turn, even when it's non-specific. The grass has to be greener; it can't get any worse than it is; been down so long anything looks like up to me. For others, change is threatening. Generally, people resist change in their lives, their relationships, their careers. In both cases, the whole concept is emotional.

As a sales and marketing professional, I know every sale since the dawn of time has been an emotional one. This is like Sales 101. Features don't sell, benefits do. Sell the sizzle, not the steak. We use the right brain, the emotional brain, to make the decision. Here's how it works:

Let's say we're looking at a car. Ooooh, it's hot! Beats the heck out of the old dog we've been driving. And it's got a sunroof! Our right brain just swells up thinking about it! Juices are starting to flow.

Left brain (logic) starts right in. My God, look at the price! They sure are proud of this one! There's no way we could afford that! Besides, our old car gets us where we need to go, and it's got a few years of life left in it. Plus, it's almost paid for, and the insurance would be a lot lower, too. Besides, if you want a car, it wouldn't it make more sense to check out that little used compact over there?

Right Brain: Man! Leather seats! It smells like I'm sitting in a wallet when I slide in! Wow! It sure drives smoothly… did that girl just look this way? This is the kind of car I deserve to be driving, as hard as I work.

Left Brain: Why are we even looking at this? It's nuts! It'll take moonlighting a second job just to make the car payments! People who drive these kinds of cars are compensating for something… and trying to impress. Bottom line: don't need it, can't afford it, not interested. Let's leave.

And that's the end of it. Unless you're determined. Because at that moment the Right Brain starts going off on Leftie:

Look, I want it so stop telling me why I shouldn’t get it! Why SHOULD I buy this car? Tell me! NOW!

Left Brain. Oh. OK, let's see, it does get 5 more miles per gallon… we could probably even save a bundle on gas. And you never know when an older car might break down. 100,000 mile warranty is really good… all we've got now is 30 feet or 30 minutes, and all the repairs on our old car come out of pocket.

And so it goes. The logic either convinces us -- emotional us -- that we shouldn't, couldn't, can't… or Left Brain takes the lead and the sale is made. No sale takes place based on logic. Only on emotion. Logic supports the emotion or creates doubt and fear (more emotions). Either way, emotion makes the final call.

On election day, we're going to vote for the person we think, feel, believe in most. Or against the one we dislike the most. Truth is, nobody has a crystal ball, nobody can tell who will make the "better" president, whatever that means. We're going to vote based on how well the words and messages used in their sales approach resonated within us. And logically, that's the only way to go.