Why Do People Really Buy ?
If you’ve got the guts, ask one of your customers why they buy from you. The answer may surprise you. Or scare you. Or disappoint you.
The reason I mostly hear is - No reason.
Can you believe that ? Somebody just bought over $100,000 worth of product from me for no reason. Me neither.
There’s usually an obvious reason and a real reason.
I just heard one of you ask why I would even care why they buy. I’ll answer that, before we go any further.
A wise young man named Stephen Pierce said it better than I’ve ever heard it explained.
” Knowing what they buy will make you a living. Knowing why they buy will make you rich. “
Unless you take time to analyze the sale and find the real reason behind the purchase, you’ll never reach your full potential as a salesperson.
Check on Amazon for any sales books by Donald Laird and you’ll find some great sales advice written by someone who looks at it from the psychological angle.
Laird once noted that in selling, it’s fundamental that you get to the reason behind the reason. You have to get down to what drove the purchase.
His case studies get to the bottom of the purchase. For instance - when we buy a car, we say we want to get from here to there. What we really want is to get there fast, while everybody looks at us and wants to be us.
We buy a Bowflex, saying we want to improve our health. We really want to stay attractive to the opposite sex and make the other men who see us quake with fear from the rippling of our giant muscles.
There are millions of reasons for you to find out why people are buying from you.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
It seems to shock clients sometimes when I ask why they do business with me. They get a look kind of like my dog does when I ask if she wants to go for a walk – “Did you just ask what I thought you asked?” But after they think it through, I usually get some great answers – not one ever about price.
I’ve always liked Jeffrey Gitomer’s methods of looking at why people buy (maybe because he has cartoons to illustrate it :). I tend to come back to - people do business with people they like and trust. For example, the place I take my car for service is more expensive than others in the area. But I know I can trust them, and I like the owner.
100% spot on Mike. You’ve no doubt heard this one before: people buy on emotion then rationalize it later with logic.
Real sales success is all about feeding the dream at that very moment.
And Knowing Why (or what that dream is) is the holy grail - get that right and you’re half way there.
Hey Tony,
A LOT of the places I do business are nowhere near the least expensive.
I’m no different than anyone else, I want to be taken care of and will pay more for that service that makes me feel special or spoiled.
As usual Martin, you’re right as rain.
Knowing why is the key to maximizing your revenue.
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