Chapter 14, Section 14-4, Customers as Decision Makers, presents Exhibit 14.6, the Simplified Model of Consumer Behavior, illustrating the impact that psychological and sociological influences have on the four stages of the customer decision-making process.

1. For your initial post, briefly describe the four stages of the decision-making process. Explain why the first stage is so vital and relevant to consumer behavior.
2. A minimum of 100 words total is required for your initial post. Subsequent contributions (responses to your classmates) should be a minimum of 50 words.