I suppose it all started with existentialism. I took a course on modern philosophy my freshman year of college and became fascinated with the more positive aspects of existentialism: values, freedom, faith, responsibility, and so on. I began to see that life was really about overcoming obstacles and transcending mediocrity.
Well, I was married and didn't want to risk the future well-being of my family with a career as a philosopher. So I decided to check out the business college. There I found my second love: economics. Now, I couldn't care less about inflation, monetary policy, GDP, and things of that nature. Microeconomics, the behavior of individuals and firms, is what really got my attention. Economics, to me, was the study of how and why people make decisions. Selecting between alternatives to maximize utility (an economic term for happiness) was existentialism in the real world.
So I got out of school and realized that an undergraduate degree in economics was much like an undergraduate degree in philosophy--there simply was not market for people that just wanted to think. Then I got into sales: the completion of my journey to becoming a customer psychologist.
You see, before I started selling, my interest in human behavior was merely academic. I was a customer psychologist, but the kind that does research and writes papers. Now, I am the kind of customer psychologist that helps people. I am a clinical customer psychologist. Just as a clinical psychologist helps patients deal with mental problems, it is my objective to help my clients deal with market problems.
And that's how I became a customer psychologist.
Of course, there is more to me than this blog and its arguably overdone theme. If you want to know me at a more personal level or interact with me regarding my observations, you can connect with me at any of the "branch offices" listed on the sidebar, email me at doug@smbizstoryteller.com, or fill out the contact form below and I will get in touch with you.