Why do people buy things?

15People buy things not because they want the thing itself, but what it can do for them. People don’t buy a TV, they buy the programmes they want to watch in the best format available. What can your product achieve for your clients? For a successful sale you must ensure your client really understands what life will be like after the sale is made. That is your job. You are there to make absolutely sure the client clearly understands the achieved benefits you, your company and product bring them.




This may seem like a strange question, but let’s consider it for a moment;-

Why do people buy things?

Well, the answer is not because they want the thing itself, but what that thing can do for them.
They don’t buy a TV set because they want a box of electronics, they buy it because the want the programmes it can deliver to their front room. They don’t buy a bigger set because they want a bigger box of electronics; they buy it for the size and clarity of picture.

In the same way, to make sure of a successful sale you must ensure your client really understands what they are getting after the sale is made.

The benefits to them may not be as obvious to them as to you, particularly if you are selling a technical product like a laptop or smartphone. You must carefully explain to the client what all of the features will deliver to them in the way of achieved benefits.


They may not be aware that they can pick up their email on the move on a smartphone, or that they can get numerous apps that can do almost anything or find anything they want. Or that your particular smartphone does all this bigger and better than all the others.

That is your job. You are there to make absolutely sure the client clearly understands the achieved benefits you and your company and product bring them.

What can your product achieve for them?

How you achieve all the benefits are your problem –they don’t care. So don’t waste selling time telling them! They just want to buy the things you can deliver, not the product. That is the just the means to an end. And when you make that clear to them, you will make the sale.

Not all of these things will be tangible; some of them will be to do with their state of mind. Do you offer less stress, peace of mind, quality of life?


Maybe you offer increased income, savings, better value, connectivity?

These will be the achieved benefits.

So analyse your product and define a list of what you offer. Apply that to all your selling points.

So that when you engage with clients and ask them what they are trying to achieve, you can easily relate that to something you can deliver to them.

You can build a colourful picture of what life will be like after they have bought your product-Remember the TV shopping channel example? You need to underline the need for your product, remind them how much they need it.

So don’t sell the product, sell the achieved benefits. What are they?


Exercise

Analyse your product and define a list of what achieved benefits you offer, whether it is tangible or emotional. Apply that to all your selling points. Create a picture of their new life with your product. Construct a paragraph of each of the achieved benefits, aim for at least ten achieved benefits.