McDonald’s is annoyingly good at selling you stuff.

Because they know human emotion is the key to brand success.

They successfully use emotional selling by marketing the moments, feelings and memories around their food rather than the products themselves. They blend behavioural science, nostalgia and human experiences like family traditions or a tired parent at a drive-thru to forge deep customer loyalty.

And I was thinking the other day you can pop in just to grab a coffee & emerge seven minutes later carrying a hash brown, two McMuffins and something that apparently “makes a meal” for an extra 40p.

This is not an accident - this is McDonald’s psychology.

And I’m lovin it! 🤣

They’ve spent decades understanding how humans make buying decisions, then designing their entire business around making those decisions ridiculously easy.

And while I’m not suggesting you install a drive-thru window in your home office, there’s a surprising amount solopreneurs can nick from them.

You can walk into a McDonald’s almost anywhere in the world and know exactly what you’re getting.

Predictability feels safe. Safe makes buying easier.

Meanwhile, solopreneurs are forever renaming offers, adding packages and inventing another “exciting new way to work with me”. YAWN!🥱

Just stick to between one and three clear, recognisable offers and market the shizz out of them!

And don’t forget to check out my blog post about how to package your expertise.  (If you’re a new subscriber, I’m on a mission to help solopreneurs stop trading time for money but even if that’s your bag you can still earn extra passive income from selling your intellectual property aka your brain!🧠 )

McDonald’s is obsessed with removing friction: drive-thrus, kiosks, contactless, delivery.

Ronald won’t ask you to “jump on a quick discovery call” to establish whether you’re the right fit for six chicken McNuggets.

Yet buying from some small businesses feels like applying for a mortgage.

DM for details. Wait. Book a call. Fill in a form. Request a quote. Find the invoice. Lose the will to fecking live!

Every unnecessary step is another opportunity to lose the sale.

If somebody has decided they want to give you money, HELP THEM GIVE YOU THE MONEY FFS!

McDonald’s basically claimed two colours and the letter M.

Greedy bastards.

But repetition creates recognition. Recognition creates familiarity. And familiarity creates trust.

Your version might be a colour, phrase, framework, visual style or recurring newsletter feature.

Pick a few distinctive things and keep using them.

Ask yourself:

Is it currently easier to buy a Big Mac than it is to buy from me?

If the answer’s a BIG FAT YES then you need to simplify your sales process and make buying easier.

But if you answered a WHOPPING NO then treat yourself to a Happy Meal coz you deserve it! 🤣

By the way, if you want the lowdown on all 7 of McDonald’s buyer psychology tricks + how to nick them for your own business, I’ve turned them into a handy one-page cheatsheet which you can download below. 👇

And for a deep dive into how McDonald’s uses neuroscience & psychology to influence customer behaviour & perception, check out McDonald’s Neuromarketing Masterclass.

Tra for now - off to buy myself a McPlant! 😋

Your Solopreneur Bestie,

Annie🥰

P.S. Did you know McDonald’s monetises its IP? 👀 On that note, I’ll have a little update on my Solopreneur Growth Machine for you next week.

I’m an SEO Copywriter and tech-savvy/creative Virtual Assistant based in the UK. I write magnetic words to to boost your sales AND slay your tasks to save you time.

I’m building The Solopreneur Growth Machine & created my custom GPT CopyBuddy to help you build a successful solopreneur business without the faff and nail your messaging.

I’m back on LinkedIn if you want to connect there.

P.S. if you want to boost your productivity & sales today - ping me an email: [email protected]