Different strokes for different folks

Say you were given $2000 to spend it all within 2 hours, and you can spend it anyway you choose to and with whom you will enjoy this windfall with; what would you do?

I believe some of us would spend it on something we've been wanting to if only we had some extra money; or some will choose to spend a night out with families and friends. There will be some who would expend this on some less privileged people or for a good cause. Whatever the case is; many of us would find ways to spend that money in many different ways.

The same is true on how we spend our time, money, or even our lives. We all have varied ways of fulfilling a particular need and while some may be similar, others can be bipolar. For instance, when it comes to relieving stress; we all have different ways to 'manage' it. Either go for a run, skydive, fix a strong drink, or just meditate. Whatever the case is, we find some ways to indulge in one or a combination of our senses.

In understanding this fundamental truth, we can now begin to explore how this can be applied to one of the most crucial aspects of business; sales. Sales, they say, is 100% emotions. Now, think about all the items you have bought, tangible or otherwise; it very much fulfill the number one underlying factor and that is our need to feel good. Everything that you've bought is, in one way or the other, to make you feel good, whether it is a dress, a watch, a handbag, a computer, or a washing machine. With this understanding, you can now sell anything to anyone, like they say, sell ice to the Eskimos. How can we achieve this? To do this, we will need to understand how people make choices.

One of the easiest to understand is this very concept of familiarity. There are certain items we buy again and again because of familiarity. These are items which fall into two categories; the ones we have tried before and the ones we have not but are familiar with. For example, when you have a headache and need medication quickly what do you buy? You'll probably get a paracetamol. Why, because there were instances in the past when you had a headache and taken one either bought or given to you. You'd taken it and were relieved of your pain. So whenever you are faced with a similar situation, you will go out and get the same thing. You do it over and over again to the point where you almost become conditioned to it, that you can almost link it to the very incident. Think headache, and paracetamol comes to mind. This brings us to the next point of items you have never tried before. Because the conditioning is so powerful, you link a need to that product or service.

For instance, social status for most people is linked to Mercedes Benz. Or when you think of good looking sports apparel, you think of Nike. Fast food; you think McDonald's. It is this element of familiarity with which these companies have so successfully linked their products to that their name will come to mind the moment you mention it. So for this category of products or services, you need to ensure that customers can associate with your brand or product almost immediately. How you can do that is to create such a strong conditioning that its almost natural. You see now why it can be so difficult to convince someone who is successful to drive a Korean car, when the Benz has been so strongly associated with status and class.

Even for Benz, to cater to different category of customers, they need to provide variety like capacities and styles that reach out to the conservatives or the avant-garde. Therefore, another crucial factor is variety. No one enjoys eating the same food everyday, we all need variety sometimes. Imagine going to the same resort at the same location every single year for the next 10 years for your holidays, you'll be bored out of your mind. Or asking ladies to wear the same pair of shoes everyday or the same type of dress everyday, unless of course its a uniform where you have no choice, we will want some form of variety in life.

So if you are in the business of fashion, you'd be out of your mind to only have one type of dress and in one colour, like the Ford-T where you can have any colour as long as its black. And that is because we all want variety in our lives. Which is great news because if you can convince the customers by using your product it can still fulfill the same underlying need but at least you now have a choice, just like in telecommunications where the introduction of another player gives the consumer more options to choose from. And one of the ways to convince your prospect is cost.

Imagine if you can still make the call but at two-third the price you used to pay and what's more you now can exercise your right to choose, who would you pick? It depends. If both provides the same level of service, then more often than not you will pick the one with the lower cost. This is easy to understand. However, if your pricing is not that straight forward, then you'll need to educate your customer that your product is indeed lower in per unit cost even thought it may appear more costly. One example in this category is ink jet vs laser printers.

If the consumer's primary need is to print text in black and white, by telling him to get a laser printer might put him off initially because of the cost of the printer and its cartridge. However, once you understood his needs for a printer, you can now convince him that based on a per-page basis, printing for laser is actually more economical. Not only that, you can also share with him the benefits, which brings us to the next point.

Whenever we make a purchase, it has to benefit us, even if it can kill in the longer run us. There must be some benefits involved. And unless you can convince the prospect of the benefits, you are not going to win him over. Sometimes the benefits can even be perceived benefits, like looking good or feeling good. Not all of us buy a watch for investment purposes, so unless we are convinced of the benefits that it will look good on us or even put us in a different class, we will still revert to the so-called trusted names. Therefore some of these perceived benefits like being in a class of its own is indeed a major selling point.

As human beings, we all want to be accepted. Children may even conform to the friends around them to feel accepted and that's why some kids smoke or have indulge in sexual activities in order to feel being part of the 'group'. Sounds irrational to us adults but we all do it. We all want to feel special, significant and we can do it in many different ways. We drive cars that show that we have arrived, or we dine out at members' only club, or we dress and/or speak in a particular manner to show our alliance with a particular group in society.

That's why people can spend huge amount of money just to belong to a particular club. Because it makes them feel significant. Of course it doesn't have to be in a material sense of the word. We belong to groups in society that have a certain belief/mission or to engage in a particular activity. Whatever the case is, we need to feel accepted. So if your product or service has that exclusivity feel to it then you need to accentuate it. Of course we don't always buy something because we want to be special. There are products or services that we buy because of convenience.

Can you imagine putting money with a special bank that has only one branch that operates in a secluded part of town and opens only for a few hours everyday, would you trade convenience for specialty? Not likely, so the ease of accessibility is also a crucial factor as well. Just like getting petrol has to be easily at reach or very soon you will switch to something more convenient. That is why, especially consumer products where the cost-benefits are few and not easily distinguishable, convenience becomes an extreme key factor. And the issue with convenience is of course linked to the last factor of our discussion here.

Time. It is but one of the most valuable resource and is not replenishable. So time is so crucial that we sometimes feel not being in a position to influence it. You see, there is never a better time than now to buy a product. Because the minute you purchase it, you will reap the benefits quicker. Just like buying an exercise membership, or starting with insurance, or taking nutritional supplements. Perhaps even getting a service. When you are able to distort time in such a way that it can make your prospects feel that starting early has its benefits and what's more, it gives you more time (in the sense that you do not have to spend time looking and trying the suitable product when you so desperately need it) later on.

Just like training. As long as it's seen as a luxury, there will never be a better time to start as there will always be other more pressing matters. By getting your prospects being trained early, it can bring about benefits such as increased productivity and hence place you in an advantageous position than your competitor that when the need arises you'll be more prepared and equipped with to engage the challenge.

Now that we understood the 7 factors that will influence how people choose to fulfill their underlying need, we can begin to bring our sales to the next level. Of course, the danger is to assume that everyone is the same. But once you understand that different people have different ways to fulfill the same need, success will soon follow.