Switching Paradigms

Our products and our services, in whatever business we are involved with, become so familiar to us that we often forget that not everyone is as passionate or knowledgeable about them as we are.  Ultimately, we want to be successful in business, and in order to do that it is imperative that we deliver a clear message to the target customer that will prompt them to get excited about our products or decide they need our services.  If that message isn't conveyed in their language and triggering those internal pivot points, then we need to change our perspective to parallel our consumer.

Customers make decisions based on first what they need and second on what they want.  This movement is full of gray area as that is often not a black and white process.  Sometimes as consumers as in life, we find ourselves justifying the want before the need even though we know it isn’t the most practical thing to do.  The best thing you can do in business is to meet that need by delivering on a want as well – make sense?

In my book, I elaborate on the psychology of customer choices, but to summarize, remember at the end of the day, the customer wants to feel good about what they have purchased.  If you can hit on three or more out of the five influence areas below for a consumer with a message that will make them feel good and inclined about doing business with you…you will find your customers happier and your business growing:

1)      Price – We want to spend as little as possible and get as much or the best that we can because we then have more money to spend on the other things that we want.

2)      Quality – We know the difference between good and bad quality.  We want to invest our money into purchases that will last and bring us results.

3)      Convenience – We are busy people.  We want things that will help us multi-task and make life a bit easier.  The process of purchasing also has to be easy or we will opt for an alternative method that is easy.

4)      Uniqueness - When we are able to have something first or have a one-of-a-kind product or service it makes us feel privileged and special.  We want others to admire what we have.

5)      Trends – We have a natural inclination to replicate those around us and “keep up with the Joneses” so we are very likely to choose items that are similar to our friends, families and peers.

Remember, these motivators all lead to the goal of making the consumer feel good about the transaction and doing business with your company.  So as you look at your advertising and marketing collateral, are you tapping into the psyche of your target customer by clearly communicating these drivers for commerce? 

Switch paradigms, put on the shoes of the customer and ask yourself what they want and what they need.  Then decide how your product or service can deliver.  More important though, make sure your marketing efforts, whether it is through your website, a brochure, your packaging, a social media web post, a billboard, an ad in the local newspaper or even your business card, conveys the persuasive message about how your product or service will deliver through price, quality, convenience, uniqueness or trends!