When you approach a sale secure in the knowledge that your prospect needs your product/service, it can be quite an unpleasant surprise to be met with a rejection. Many times, sales professionals will make less of an effort to influence a buyer’s decision when that buyer has already acknowledged a need for their product/service. This, however, is a great mistake. When you leave the fate of your sale up to the needs of your prospect, you base it on something that does not always get results. The truth is, though people may acknowledge the things they need, they rarely act upon the emotion.
I’m going to let you in on a secret that could increase your commissions tenfold: people do not buy what they need, they buy what they want. If you need further proof of this statement, consider the following, people worry about their needs and spend money on their wants. Consider your own behaviors, how often have you known you need to take care of a project which requires your buying some product and put it off until the absolute last minute? Conversely, how often have you brought something because of how much you wanted it and then, after the purchase, come up with a bunch of reasons why you also needed it?
Take the following example: Simon decides to approach his friend Bob with a vitamin supplement for a healthier lifestyle. Bob leads a very unhealthy life. He has actually told Simon that he is very much aware of his need to lose weight, eat healthier, and exercise more. Simon approaches him with a sales pitch that mentions everything he and Bob have talked about. The health pill will increase energy, suppress appetite and has even been recorded as encouraging a healthy heart. Given that Bob has already told Simon how much he needs these things, Simon is very surprised when Bob says no thank you.
On a later date, Bob actually seeks Simon out. It seems he just got back from a doctor’s visit which renewed his interest in improving his health. You see, this time, the doctor told Bob that a heart attack is imminent. “I would actually rather send you to the emergency room than home right now,” Bob was told. The doctor impressed upon Bob that if he doesn’t get healthy today he could die as soon as tomorrow. Bob’s need to adopt a healthier lifestyle has just turn into a desire to live. He has gone from needing Simon’s pill, to wanting it.
This is all very well and good, but you cannot wait until some third party, or unforeseen circumstances move your prospects from needing what you are selling to wanting it. In your sales presentations, you must seek to convert people’s needs to wants by changing the urgency and usefulness that they attribute to what you are selling.
Action step: Ensure that when you speak about your product/service, your presentation always speaks to people’s wants and not their needs.
There are two easy ways to distinguish between wants and needs. Needs are fact based issues that have future consequences whereas wants are emotionally based and bring with them present appeal. Position yourself, your product and your service as a want and you wield great influence over your prospects’ decisions.
Alvin Day’s Sales Training and Self Improvement Advice have helped many sales professionals and success-seekers reach and exceed their goals. For more of Alvin Day’s FREE resources, visit http://www.AlvinDay4Free.com
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