Power Marketing

This photo surprised me.

The two men on my right were the greeters at this restaurant in Yazd, Iran. It was an Iranian restaurant. The food was terrific.

What surprised me?

When I entered the restaurant I was first greeted by the smaller man, then the larger man.
My memory recorded the second man as a giant.

But looking at this photo you can see that I'm noticeably taller than the giant. Curious how our brain plays tricks on us. I would have sworn that the giant was at least 7 feet tall and 300 pounds.

I'm about 6 feet tall and weight (still) less than 200 pounds.

Why did my brain record the facts differently than the camera?

Contrast.

The brain records new information in relation to existing information. When we learn something new our brain first searches for a way to relate that new information to the existing database within our brain cells.

Upon entering the restaurant, I first saw the smaller man, then I saw the larger man. The larger man was ordinary by himself. But the smaller man was so unusually small that my perspective was changed so much that the second man appeared massive in comparision.


George Torok

Keynote Marketing Speaker

Is deception normal in your industry?

The menu listed the wines available with dinner. My wife selected a glass of wine while I chose a beer.

The meal was delicious and the service was prompt and friendly.

But, when we received the bill we noticed that the charge for the wine was double what we expected.

Naturally we asked for a correction.

The waiter “explained” (in a haughty tone) that the price shown in the menu was for one deci litre but it was common practice to serve two deci litres.

He suggested that if you only wanted one deci litre you should have asked for that.

We pointed out that that we were not aware of this practice and not given a choice - and that practice seemed deceptive.

He responded, “That is normal” with a dismissive wave and a shrug.

Apparently it was normal to deceive the customer. Instead of remembering the delicious meal, enchanting setting and attentive service we remember being deceived.


George Torok