Utilitarian and Experiential Buyers

One way to categorize consumers is as utilitarian and experiential.

	Utilitarian Decision Makers
		Utilitarian consumers are task-oriented and directed at efficiently completing specific goals.  They are rational, deliberate and completion-oriented.  They are time starved and seek time-saving conveniences.  Utilitarian shoppers do not want to be delayed and will seek to combine multiple tasks and to reduced mental and physical effort.  The want easy accessibility and information availability.  These buyers want to minimize social interaction.
		These individuals are frustrated by the perception that their time is being wasted.  They are less likely to engage in small talk.  They are more likely to want to know about successful outcomes than how a person learned from mistakes.  They are more likely to want concrete, rational information on which to base decisions.  They do not want to search through irrelevant fluff for pertinent information.
	Experiential Decision Makers
		Experiential consumers are socially oriented.  They value the experience and want to feel like they are involved and participating.  They value surprise, excitement, uniqueness, and social interaction.  These decision makers are more likely to be in a positive mood and are more likely to make impulsive decisions - just because the decision "feels" right.
		These individuals are put off by a "get right down to business" approach.  They feel a need to get to know someone before making a decision.  They are very likely to engage in small talk about non business matters. They are more likely to want to know about how a person made decisions and learned from poor decisions (learning from the journey) and less concerned with specific successful outcomes (the destination).  They are going to what to know more about a candidate on a personal level in order to make a decision.  They will want to know that a candidate is a "whole" person, and will expect to see more on a resume than just a string of academic and business related data.
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