Website design By BotEap.comDo you think you know what it sells? Think again!

Website design By BotEap.comDid you know that there are only 5 reasons why people buy something? Basic needs, convenience, peace of mind, ego, and fun. That is all. Understanding these motivators is the key to successful marketing. Big marketing companies know this and make millions leveraging their knowledge. For any business to be truly successful, internal people must understand why people want their products and services.

Website design By BotEap.comIn my youth I did some backpacking tours around Australia. One day I traveled to Brisbane Australia arriving at midnight on a bus from Sydney. I was alone, had nowhere to stay, and had very little money. I needed a place to live for the next 6 to 8 hours. I was looking to satisfy my basic needs. Without any real knowledge of the city, I started looking for a bridge to sleep under. It turned out that I ended up meeting a taxi driver who took me to a nearby shelter where I slept on the couch at night. If he had tried to sell me a trip to the Grand Hyatt, I would have had to refuse. He wasn’t looking for comfort; I was looking for a basic shelter. He had traveled as a backpacker in his youth and understood where I was coming from. He correctly assessed my situation and offered me a solution that worked for me. The taxi driver understood not only what he was looking for, but also why he was looking for it. I needed shelter, but I just wanted to meet my basic needs, nothing more. If I found it again, I would appreciate it and buy two of whatever it was selling.

Website design By BotEap.comUnderstanding why people buy is just as important as understanding what they buy. Just knowing that I am looking for a place to live is not enough information to solve my problem. Do I want basic shelter for a short time (basic need)? Do I want to be closer to work (convenience)? Do I want to feel safe letting my children play outside (Peace of mind)? Do I want a home where I am proud to entertain (Image or Ego)? Do I want a pool table and a (fun) big screen TV? Understanding the reasons why I want a new place to live is critical to solving my problem. This applies to all purchasing decisions.

Website design By BotEap.com1. Basic needs

Website design By BotEap.comThe basic needs are easy to understand. These are the things we need to survive. We have a personal level that includes food, shelter, and the like. At the business level, these are basic elements necessary to do business, such as materials and labor. If you are addressing a basic need, you can expect price to be a big factor. People don’t want to pay more for their basic needs; they want to save that for more interesting things. When I slept on the sofa in the hostel in Brisbane, I felt lucky to have done business with that taxi driver. The taxi driver had exactly met my needs.

Website design By BotEap.com2. Convenience: Saving time and effort

Website design By BotEap.comWe all like to save time and money. Any comfort that saves us time and effort is a great advantage. On a personal level, we often make purchasing decisions for convenience. Why do people buy dishwashers? Couldn’t we really wash dishes by hand? Sure we can, but we don’t want to be disturbed. If we are looking for a place to live, we would like a dishwasher or a housekeeper. It is not a basic need. It’s a time and effort saving convenience. Paying for convenience is common. We want to dedicate our time and effort to doing the things we love.

Website design By BotEap.comIn a business environment, time and effort savings are money in the bank. I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t want to pay someone $ 20 an hour to cut wood by hand if I could pay them $ 20 an hour to cut it with a chainsaw. If I need a lot of wood, buying a chainsaw makes business sense.

Website design By BotEap.com3. Peace of mind

Website design By BotEap.comPeace of mind is something we all want. It’s about buying security. Motivation is very similar for personal and business situations. We want to know that we are safe, which is why we buy smoke detectors and fire extinguishers, maybe even a sprinkler system. We want to know that our families, our employees, and our homes and businesses will be fine if the unexpected happens, so we buy insurance. Everyone has a certain level of fear of the unknown and the uncontrollable. Peace of mind is a powerful motivator.

Website design By BotEap.com4. Appeals to image or ego

Website design By BotEap.comNever underestimate the power of the ego. People are vain. We all love to look good in the eyes of other people. We like it when people get a little jealous when they look at our lives. We certainly don’t want to be looked down on or pity on us. We make and buy a lot of things because we like them (our own image) or because we think others will like them. Decisions based on image and ego are decisions based on emotions. Logic has no place here, it is about how something makes us feel. Tell your parents or friends that you just bought a house in the right neighborhood and you’re sure to get that friendly “Wow, good for you.”

Website design By BotEap.comSo image and ego definitely motivate personal purchasing decisions, but do they affect business decisions as well? Absolutely! At all levels, business is personal. A business owner wants his business to look like the best. A department manager wants his department to be the envy of other managers. The seller wants to be recognized as the best seller. The engineer wants to be seen as the most innovative designer. Ego and image continue to drive decisions. Remember that a company is just a collection of people. Personal relationships and feelings are still what get things done. Entrepreneurs continue to buy with their emotions. The only difference is that they then (sometimes) apply logic to justify the decision. If two solutions are similar, you can be sure that the one that best satisfies the ego will be the winner.

Website design By BotEap.com5. Fun

Website design By BotEap.comYou don’t need to look beyond the multi-billion dollar entertainment industry to know this is true. We love our free time and are willing to spend, spend, spend for fun. That big screen TV or the pool table in the basement serve no practical purpose, they’re just plain fun. Businesses are no exception. Companies spend millions each year on employee events, sports tickets, and the workplace. This is where we like to spend our money. It’s fun.

Website design By BotEap.comThe desire to save or increase money

Website design By BotEap.comAlthough your growing personal wealth is not one of the main reasons people buy, financial freedom is a burning desire within many of us. In today’s Western society, money is a powerful means of ensuring that we can meet all of our main goals: basic needs, convenience, peace of mind, ego satisfaction, and fun. Therefore, it is not surprising that people invest their money in things that allow them to save or generate money. We all want to be free. For people, financial freedom means securing their retirement, increasing their leisure options, leaving something for their children, and the ability to help others. For businesses, financial success is the ability to keep doors open and continue to help customers, employees, and owners. This is what it’s all about. Ultimately, business success equals the personal success of everyone involved. It is important to remember that making money is not the end goal. It is a means to an end. It is also important to remember that without money, it is impossible for a business to help anyone.

Website design By BotEap.comSummary

Website design By BotEap.comTake a look at the solutions you offer your clients and find out which core motivators you are targeting. Take some time to find out. Now take a look at your existing marketing materials and see if they are clearly addressing that basic motivator. If they are, great, you’re on the right track. If they are not, better yet, you have a great opportunity to make some changes and see your sales grow.

Website design By BotEap.comUltimately, providing the right solution improves people’s quality of life. The better you understand people’s reasons for wanting something, the better equipped you are to help them with a great solution.