Leadership
Sales PerformanceMoving past products to what customers really buy.
Customers don't buy products they buy what products give them. Cosmetic companies don’t sell lipstick they sell beauty. Automotive companies don’t sell cars they sell mobility, status and fun.
What are your customers buying when they buy your products?
Most sales people have a sense of this, but haven’t explored it as far as they could. But you can bet the best sales people have. The answer will be different for every customer in every situation. What is the customer’s role, age and preference? Are they a product user, owner, manager?
When you know about your customer, the bottom line becomes: What problem does your product solve, or what desire does it fulfil? This forms a need and when connected to what your product can do – by the customer not you – you can call it a vision. And that is what customers really buy.
Instead of selling features like details of a car engine’s efficiency, sell a vision like saving money at the pump. The only caveat is the customer must want the vision otherwise it is of no value.
Advanced Tip:
If you listen carefully, a prospective customer will tell you about their needs so you can build a vision with them. All you need to do is simply learn to listen for a gap between where they are now and where they want to be. Try thinking about the gaps you have when you are going to buy something and you’ll soon learn to hear problems or desires that sales people will solve for you with a vision that you value.
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