Your User is not your Customer

I spent years working in healthcare. One thing you figure out real fast working with pharmaceutical companies: the person using the product isn’t the one paying for it. And they sure as hell aren’t the one deciding to use it.

Healthcare is this weird love triangle between patient, doctor, and insurer. If you ever wonder why medication is so weirdly priced and distributed, well, this is partly the reason for that. But don’t be fooled – this dynamic isn’t unique to healthcare. The same plays out across all industries. The difference? In most cases, all three roles exist in the same body: your customer.

So, who exactly are you selling to? Let’s meet the voices inside your customer’s head one by one.

The Decision-Making Unit (DMU): The Three Faces of Your "Customer"

Forget the simplistic “buyer persona”. A real customer is an internal boardroom full of competing interests, each pulling in different directions. The Decision-Making Unit (DMU) is the power struggle between:

1. The User (The Consumer): They use the product. They care about instant gratification. They don’t care about price, long-term impact, or consequences. They want what they want—now. This is your impulse shopper, your “I need coffee before I talk to anyone” buyer.

   
   

2. The Payer: They foot the bill. Their mantra? Value for money. Not cheap, but efficient. They’re looking at the cost-benefit analysis, making sure the numbers add up. This is the CFO, the insurance company, the parent saying, “Do you really need another pair of sneakers?”

   
   

3. The Decider: The ultimate gatekeeper. They analyze the data, weigh the options, and make the call. They don’t get emotionally attached. They are the doctor prescribing your treatment, the procurement officer greenlighting a deal, the adult deciding which brand of cereal actually makes it to checkout.

   
   

How to Communicate with Each of Them

1. The User: The Impulse Machine

• Cares about: Satisfaction. Cravings. Convenience.

• Ignores: Price. Long-term effects. Complexity.

• How to talk to them: System 1 communication—fast, emotional, symbolic. This is why McDonald’s doesn’t give you a nutritional breakdown but slaps a juicy burger on a billboard with “I’m Lovin’ It.”

  
  

2. The Payer: The Bean Counter

• Cares about: Price. Efficiency. Stability.

• Ignores: Features that don’t impact cost. Emotional fluff.

• How to talk to them: System 2 communication—logic, numbers, transparency. Think Excel sheets, ROI, and financial justification. The Payer isn’t looking for the cheapest option, just the smartest one. Prove your value or lose their business.

  
  

3. The Decider: The Boss

• Cares about: Problem-solving. Longevity. Risk mitigation.

• Ignores: Emotional appeals. Subjective opinions.

• How to talk to them: Objective data, long-term results, and reliability. They need proof that your solution works better than alternatives, not just that it “feels” right.

  
  

Who Else is in the Room? The Audience Effect

Your audience isn’t just actual buyers for your product. It’s everyone impacted by your product—whether they use it, pay for it, or just have to look at it.

This is where externalities come into play. Consequences felt by those not directly in contact with your product. And they come in two forms:

• Positive: You get vaccinated. Now your grandma doesn’t get sick. Win-win.

• Negative: You buy a Cybertruck. Now I have to see it every day. Lose-lose.

  
  

Your brand exists in an ecosystem. Understand who else is watching and reacting. Perception shapes reality and makes or breaks your reach. And your reach is all that juicy sales potential.

How Close Are You to Your Customer? The Levels of Separation

The rule of thumb here should be: the more personal the product, the more intimate your messaging needs to be. But how do you measure closeness? Two factors: Emotion and Time.

1. Emotion: The stronger your Customer’s emotional tie to the product, the more influence the User has. That’s why luxury brands lean into feelings over function.

   
   

2. Time: The more frequently a purchase is made, the stronger brand loyalty becomes. If I buy toothpaste every month, I’m more likely to stick to Colgate than research alternatives. High-frequency purchases = high inertia. That’s the Decider’s realm – longevity. You need compelling System 2 arguments to get these Customers to switch to your product.

   
   

Understanding these dimensions lets you map out how to engage customers at the right level of intensity. Sounds complicated? Well, it’s your lucky day. We just have a tool for that: our Levels of Separation.

Graphic 1: The Levels of Separation

Want to hear more about how to implement this sweet dessert of strategic analysis and emotional awareness? Just reach out and let’s talk about your brand’s relationship with its customers.

The Takeaway: Say It Like You Mean It

At the end of the day, it all comes down to this: know who you’re talking to.

• Are they buying on impulse? Hit them with emotional, fast messaging.

• Are they managing a budget? Show them the numbers.

• Are they making a lasting decision? Bring data and a long-term view.

  
  

When you look at your customers, you’re not seeing one person—you’re seeing a boardroom of competing interests. Your job? Silence the noise. Make the decision easy.

Because if you don’t? One of those voices will talk them out of it.