The four forces model - how customers justify purchases

Behavioural change has to happen for a reason.

There needs to be a causal set of events that drive the customer towards making a switch.

Customers switch with the expectation that they'll get their job done better than the way the previous solution did it before.

For this purpose, the Re-Wired group has a four forces model that shows you how each one interacts with the other.

The forces are:

Pushing Forces

• F1: Push of the Situation (What I am doing isn't working)
• F2: Magnetism of New Solution (This new thing sounds excellent)

Dragging Forces

• F3: The anxiety of the New Solution (Changing could make it worse)
• F4: The habit of the Present (Allegiances to the current situation)

If the pushing forces (F1 + F2) are less than the dragging forces (F3 + F4), no one switches.

If the pushing forces (F1 + F2) are more significant than the dragging forces (F3 + F4), you have a new customer.

For example, I am currently looking to buy a Fujifilm x100v that'll help me take photos on the move. I now have a Sony A6000 that I purchased three years ago, but I'm finding myself reaching out for it less & less.

Albeit this exercise would be better to try out if I had bought it already. But it's better to try out even to understand your own purchasing decisions.

If you think why not just take pictures from my phone, it's because I like the feeling that a dedicated camera gives me when I take a picture.

Here are my forces.

Push of the situation

• When I am struggling to take pictures of my daily life
• When my a6000 camera is too big for the camera
• When my a6000 has too many options that take me away from the moment.
• When my a6000 has multiple lenses, and I don't know which one to use.
• The a6000 takes time to switch on. It's not fast enough to snap something. That lag makes me not want to use it.

Magnetism of the new solution

• It has a fixed 35mm focal-length lens, so I don't have to think about lenses & I love how 35mm focal length looks.
• The camera is lighter, so I could carry it around daily without taking a bag or extra gear.
• The black version of the X100V hits the sweet spot of a modern-vintage aesthetic, so I'd pick it up way more often (assumption)
• The fuji faster. It doesn't get in the way of capturing a moment.

Anxieties of the new solution

• I can't find a local dealer to try out the camera for myself.
• I am not exactly sure how fast the camera turns on/off.
• It's difficult for me to choose between the x100v and the x100f. They're both excellent, with a significant update to the lens and other minor updates elsewhere.

Habit of the present

• I'd have to sell my a6000 to afford to buy an x100v.
• I've taken a lot of great pictures & had beautiful moments with the a6000.
• I'd have to sell my vintage lenses because I won't have a use for them.

Right now, the most significant reasons why I haven't switched is because I can't find a local dealer to try it out & the fact that I'd have to sell my a6000 to buy an x100v.

But I am actively looking to solve the struggle. I've invested time finding if local dealerships have one available, and as soon as an option opens up, it'll help me progress towards switching.

Now it's your turn. First, try out the exercise yourself. Think about the last time you purchased something. Then move on to understanding what your customers' forces are. It'll help you make the product & marketing better!