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Imagine this…

You bolt upright in bed, trying to shake off a nightmare.

You peek at your alarm clock and see it’s only 3:33 a.m.

“Noooooo,” you think as you fall back into your mattress and stare at the ceiling.

But it’s no use—you can’t fall back asleep.

A few minutes later, you grab your phone off your nightstand, open up YouTube, and look for a meditation video that’ll hopefully lull you back to a (nightmare-free) sleep.

~10 minutes in, you feel more awake than ever.

You lie there for a few more minutes. But you can’t stand doing nothing.

So you get up, walk like a zombie to the kitchen, and grab a snack.

~12 minutes later, you’re back in bed…staring at the ceiling.

So you say “f*ck it,” discard the advice of every sleep expert in the world, and start doom-scrolling through Instagram until the sun comes up.

Why couldn’t you just lie still and go to sleep?

In today’s edition of Why We Buy 🧠 we’ll explore Action Bias—why we prefer doing something over nothing.

Let’s get into it.
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🧠 The Psychology of Action Bias

In 2000, Harvard researchers discovered 3 rational reasons we seek action:

1. It helps us create value in our lives.
2. It provides a way to gain greater rewards when we’re acting on behalf of others.
3. It offers opportunities to learn (and grow).

And this happens even when the outcome may *not* necessarily be better than if we had done *nothing.* 😬

That said, making a choice that feels positive or rewarding triggers a dopamine release in our brains, which drives us to act.

And if the activity *does* lead to a positive result, we’ll get another dopamine rush that reinforces that behavior and makes us more likely to do it again.

But buyers’ need for action can cause them to make *any* choice without much thought, which often leads them to Disappointment Land.

That’s why the smartest marketers craft messaging that flips buyers’ pain into a promise. This frames the offer as a motivating action, and it starts buyers’ action high.

But the key here is they *aren’t* buzzkills.

Then they deliver a delightful experience that creates happy customers who buy on repeat.
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🤑 How to Apply This

Ok. So how can you apply this right now to sell more?

eCommerce​
​Give buyers a rewarding post-purchase action to take

Cross-selling alone can increase sales by 30%.

So it’s no wonder Amazon often includes a “Customers Who Bought Items in Your Order Also Bought” section in order confirmation emails to encourage buyers to keep shopping.

This cross-selling (AND upselling) strategy frames buying these items as the obvious (and enjoyable) next action.

Bonus points: Amazon taps into the Bandwagon Effect by saying customers with the same taste as you are buying these items.

This makes you more likely to buy them, too.

​

Products​
​Deliver helpful purchase-related emails

Plot twist: Sometimes buyers aren’t ready to spend again right after purchasing—especially if they just dropped serious cash. Paying is painful, after all.

So instead of pushing for another sale, another next-action option is to give buyers helpful purchase-related content to read.

Branch Basics does this by sending a post-purchase email that tells buyers how to use the products in their homes.

Not only does this build know, like, and trust factors by being genuinely helpful, but it also builds anticipation of receiving the product.

That way when it arrives, buyers are more likely to start using it immediately…instead of letting it sit unused under the kitchen counter for 3 years so they never re-buy. (IYKYK. 👀)

​Newsletters​
​Use action highs to get instant insight

After readers open your newsletter, you’re in the perfect position to get juicy insights from them that can help improve it.

Neal O’Grady, my UNIGNORABLE co-founder, leverages this prime opportunity at the end of every Demand Curve newsletter issue.

​

Neal taps into their action high (clicking to read his newsletter) *and* emotions (which *hopefully* includes delight because they loved it). Then he tells them the next action to take.

Each option (even the unsubscribe one) makes the newsletter even better and valuable.

After all, never assume you’re always right. Let your buyers tell you whether you’re on the right track.​
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💥 The Short of It

Action Bias is like the hungry, hungry caterpillar: It just keeps wanting one. more. bite.

But it’s critical to use this psychological technique for good—not evil.

Leverage Action Bias to help buyers make purchases and decisions that are beneficial for them—not harmful.

Your buyers (and bank account) will thank you.

​Until next time, happy selling!​