[Piyush_DT]

Those are some good points to consider.

Lately, I have taken some decisions which me and my family are gald and happy about it. Those includes buying a flat, buying a Car and moving back to hometown from Bangalore.

I will share my 2 cents on the process.
1. Give a considerable deadline to yourself- So that it is efficient
2. Utilize your and others experience in making that decision- People tend to learn only when they mistake even though they had examples of others doing it.
3. Value for money (Product) or Worth the effort (Activity)- You have to find VFM product cause our money is hard earned and its intelligent thing to do. Is it worth doing it? Ask yourself?
4. Rely on good source- Discuss with a person who has subject knowledge. Listen to them ask them stupid questions (if any)
5. Sleep on it- Once decision made don't rush it. Sleep on it for sometime. You would anyway be thinking about it so you would know whether it is right or wrong.

I also think sometimes what if I jinx it and make a bad decision. Then I would tell myself it's alright and we are bound to make mistake so accept it and there is no shame in it. The moment you think it is shame to make mistake you would regret it else you won't.

[Rolling_Stock]

Hello BHPians,

Thanks for the overwhelming responses giving different approaches on making the right choices.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

Though it's not an answer to your question, I would urge you (and other readers of this thread) to watch this video:

Thanks for the video links. I did watch them and were quite detailed.

Though the topic seems to be simple, the kind of research being done to through light on the dark side of making choices were explained in detail.

The speaker Barry Schwartz gave references to Sheena Iyengar in his opening remark and that urged me to also watch her TED talk on “How to make Choosing easier” which is quite interesting on how choices impact individuals and business strategies.

https://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iye...hoosing_easier

Originally Posted by @og_adi

Sharing the same
1) Objective view
2) Perspectives
3) Subjective view
4) VFM option
Making the right purchase at the right time and price is difficult, so learning to live with those slight compromises is essential.

No better way to provide clarity on the process. Fully aligned to your view points.

Originally Posted by deep_bang

Finally, one more last advice. When buying an item that's not very expensive, don't spend your time on too much analysis. Look for the best, and don't worry about paying a premium. Your time is more valuable than the small premium you pay.

I certainly overlooked this aspect. I still remember spending days and nights is just buying a Microfibre cloth. Time is indeed more precious than money and one has to spend it for the right cause.

Originally Posted by GTO

- End of the day, once you have processed the information, just go ahead and pull the trigger. Make the decision. Set a deadline by when you have to close the decision.

Bang-on !! I can directly relate this to my Amazon account. Lots of items in “Add to Cart” and “Save for Later” categories, just waiting for weeks and days just for the trigger to be pulled.

Originally Posted by GTO

- Don't ask too many people and don't "over-research" anything. Indians are very, very good at giving advice, even on topics we know nothing about.

The problem is, I don’t consult at all, except for the online reviews. No F2F consultations. Certainly an area for me to improve.

Originally Posted by am1m

5. If you're using an Excel sheet for electronics purchases, consider if you're going overboard. Go for a long walk instead, much better for your physical and mental health!

Another Bang on root cause!!
Comparison spreadsheets are the really stressful. I do not believe in online comparators as they just do lip service hiding the fundamentals. I depend on my own comparison, which is a stressful exercise.

Originally Posted by Poitive

A) There is something called "skin in the game". Going wrong on other's money and one's own is different. Also, the office system might allow one to get away from the consequences whereas the personal one, one has to bear. Not saying this is the case. Just a possibility worth considering
B) Professional decisions are often more from the head and many companies give the broad parameters to base those on. Personal decisions often not so (and also more likely about emotions/heart), and often might mean cutting a sorry figure in the family and friends circle. More than they saying things, it could well be what we imagine they might be thinking - a slippery slope!

I agree, professional decisions are like guided missiles. The risk factor of making an erroneous decision is very limited as it is guided by set processes and gate reviews.

The choice overload reduces engagement, reduces satisfaction, and reduces decision quality. I closely relate this to the experience of buying groceries at a Supermarket vis-à-vis at a Kirana shop and the hole it makes in our pocket.

One thing I understood is “the more the choices are put on table, the less the likelihood of people choosing any”.

It is important to know what is ‘Good Enough Vs Best’, as many in the thread above mentioned as VFM.

Now, moving back to the car buying process, from customer perspective, is it better to have few variants to choose (or) platter of variants, like Seltos, XUV 700 (or) car configurator kind of approach that luxury segment of OEMs offer? What will Team-BHP prefer ?

[Poitive]

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stock

One thing I understood is “the more the choices are put on table, the less the likelihood of people choosing any”.

It is often the case, however at times just the reverse. If I am very clear and specific about what I want, and it is not something too expensive, with many choices that bingo-that's-it moment comes really fast. Often for small items I might order from Amazon or Flipkart.

For something of ample impact (often but not always expensive), not having enough suitable choices can really be a huge pain (as I'm going through in choosing an SUV right now). At such times making a compromise isn't easy.

Making the right compromises in life is an art

[tilt]

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stock

*SNIP*

I agree, professional decisions are like guided missiles. The risk factor of making an erroneous decision is very limited as it is guided by set processes and gate reviews.*SNIP*

I was about to post the same "skin in the game/consequences" but someone else already posted that.

One more thing about professional vs. personal is that in professional settings the buyer (company) has way more power over the seller and therefore has recourses when a purchase is not up to expectations or commitments. The seller suffers the conequences.

When it comes to individual/personal investments, such recourse is not available to the individual. Threats have no meaning, there is no proper and quick support to the consumer here, the seller has zero consequences for unsatisfactory product/service. The buyer suffers the consequences.

And that, is the crux of the matter as to why professional decisions are way easier.

It is very easy for people here to say ask known trusted people knowledgeable about the thing, but let's take two recent cases right here on TBHP - the water softener case and the PPF case. Would any of the suggestions made by everyone here have been possible at all before purchase?

Cheers

[charanreddy]

Personally , thankfully I have not had a tough time making decisions , both personally or professionally in the past few years (touchwood). A few reasons are as below.

1. I try and outline my requirements and why I am trying to make a decision. If possible i abstract myself out and see if this is reasonable / passes the common sense test.

2. I ignore factors not important to me or atleast rank them so I know the top 3. For example , for cars this is 1. Budget 2. Interiors quality and 3. Driving pleasure. Things like a non obscure brand are constraints i.e don’t go for a brand that does Less than 5K cars a month total, but anything above is fair game.
Once I take a decision I check if it sits well with me in totality or if I am missing the woods for the trees.

3. Realise that once a decision is taken, there is always an element of uncertainty and nothing is ever 100% fool proof. So take decisions with a bit of faith , do the best you can under the circumstances and never say never.

Information overload is true but the opposite of it i.e. lack of information is even worse. The ability to distill and massage the data into a format that makes it easy to take decisions is a fast growing competency and industry. It starts with data Visualization, simple descriptive Analysis and more advanced topics like predictive Analytics and beyond. It’s a competency which will be in increased demand as the quantum of data and information grows.

[PrasannaDhana]

Originally Posted by Rolling_Stock

Also, what Team-BHP can do better to unclutter at least the car buying process?

I can throw some light here

* Stop reading much about the cars you are interested in

* Stop viewing every YouTube review videos(even a few if not all) of the cars you are interested in

Now comes the hard part

* Visit each and every dealer and brand of the cars you like

* Test drive them, multiple times

* Be very mindful while doing so (refer the test drive guidelines thread posted a few days back)

* Don't seek approval from other car enthusiasts, friends, family, TeamBHP members etc for your choice of car. You like it? You loved driving/traveling in it? Fits in your budget? Meets your needs? Buy it! Even if it is the most unpopular car amongst others



We are all bombarded with so much of digital noise, specially those which are cleverly calibrated to steak away our focus and attention.

Every YouTube/Fb short, Instagram reel does nothing but take our minds from one topic to another, aimlessly, wasting our time so easily and effortlessly.

Any decision for that matter, will be better if the influence of digital noise on it is lesser.

Let's just dial back a decade or 2 while making big decisions in life

[Jaisalmeriya]

Wow!! Amazed at the wealth of ideas and perspectives shared here by fellow forum members. Surely a lot to ponder upon.

However, One KEY aspect of decision making missing from the list and something that I have fallen back on numerous times - Your GUT Feeling! Sometimes all the information, discussions, reviews, et al won't be able to do what your instinct will do when it comes to decisions.

In addition to all the research I could do and suggestions/discussions I had with friends/relatives/experts with hugely more experience than I had, I have made significant choices regarding my life decisions on what my instinctive feeling was in that scenario with rarely a scenario of regret.

[Rahulkool]

Originally Posted by PrasannaDhana

* Don't seek approval from other car enthusiasts, friends, family, TeamBHP members etc for your choice of car. You like it? You loved driving/traveling in it? Fits in your budget? Meets your needs? Buy it! Even if it is the most unpopular car amongst others

I go by the same set of rules when buying stuff like car. I test drive whichever car i like, from a showroom or from a friend if someone owns one. I take opinions also but dont give much value to them, as the things which matter more for them might not be useful for me, if something i feel is matching our both requirements then it will be valuable. I will look at the reviews to get to understand the product but again will not give much weight to the opinions.

In the end i will buy whatever i like, i dont care about what others think of the car as i will have to use and live with it.

Same goes for the electronics , I will watch the reviews etc but only to understand the product and not go by their opinion.

Although i end up giving a lot of opinions on the matter of automobiles and electronics. Lots of friends and family discuss with me and i try to suggest them by understanding their requirement and being neutral, without any bias toward brand/product.

[adisan]

Personally I follow the below guidelines when researching for information:

[1] Information and intelligence are different things. Do not expect information to take the place of intelligence. In other words, do not expect that the decision will come ready-made from the source of the information. Collect information, use own intelligence to comprehend it, and then make a decision.

[2] It becomes an overdose of information because one does not know when to stop. To know when to stop, one must know what s/he is looking for. Be open to new information that arises and changes the scope of the search, but always be clear on what information is sought.

[3] When consuming others' opinions, remember that they could be biased. Glean useful information from the opinions.

[4] When considering reviews, specifically look for the bad reviews also. Specifically search for "issues", "problems", "complaints" with each of the options being considered.

[5] Do not be in a hurry. Spend time, have as many iterations of search and refine as needed to find the required information.