Most psychologists, direct marketers, and anyone who per-
suades for a living will tell you there are only two basic motiva-
tors: pain or pleasure. You either go toward what you want or
away from what you don’t want.
The standard argument is that pain is more powerful. I’ve
tended to agree but also have stated I would not focus on pain
for idealistic reasons. I simply don’t want to spread pain in the
world. Focusing on it causes you to feel it. I don’t want to con-
tribute to the misery many feel. So my stance has been to fo-
cus on pleasure as a motivator in my sales letters and web
sites.
Most marketing experts agree that pain is the best trigger to
focus on in any ad or sales campaign.
They love to find a prospect’s basic problem and then rub
their noses in it. They figure the pain would make the person
buy or change.
The most common example they give is the insurance sales-
person who tries to sell you home coverage. If he focuses on
pleasure, you will put off buying. If he tells you your house is on
fire, you will buy. Pain causes immediate action.
So, like everyone else, I “knew” pain was the greater motiva-
tor. I simply focused on pleasure because it is a more noble
route.
But then I saw Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler in their
new movie and suddenly I felt awakened, energized, and vali-
dated.
Here’s the film’s plot in a nutshell:
Adam is in love with a woman who can’t remember anything
from the day before, due to a head injury in an auto accident the
year before. Every day is a new day. And every day Adam has to
win her over again. Every date is new. Hence the title 50 First
Dates.
At one point in it, as Adam is again wooing Drew, I suddenly
realized what I was really seeing.
I saw that pleasure was the greatest motivator of all.
Adam is pursuing Drew every day, despite the pain and the
Two Ways to Cause Action