How often do we underestimate the power of social norms? Let’s face it, just like many animals, humans learn by imitating the behaviors they observe, and they continue this learning process through adulthood. Modeling, if you will, is widely accepted, even by us corporate types. Modeling is one of the pillars of sales training. By watching and imitating others, we learn to act in ways that make us effective at activities such as sales, surgery, sports, and even complex social behavior.

Numerous times, my firm has been given the task of marketing products that should succeed on a rational level, but are simply adopted slowly. What’s wrong with them? What’s wrong with people? Most of the time, for us, it’s the doctors’ behavior we are questioning. This is where the mob mentality comes into play, but it is the REVERSE of what we would normally think. This is how it seems to work: “Because I don’t see or know many people using this product, I won’t either. Even if I feel it may be a good product, I must be wrong or everyone would be using it.”

Few of us want to be the early adopters or the first to do anything that might embarrass us. Think about it: doctors did not always wash their hands before surgery or create a sterile environment to work in. Somewhere along the line, people caught on and the mob turned in our favor. Imagine the first time clinicians were told that bloodletting was not effective. They probably thought the suggestion was preposterous! The way that others respond to or perceive a particular situation or product significantly impacts our actions and attitudes.