People Buy Almost Anything

Although consumers make their buying decisions based on multiple factors, most experts agree that at the most basic level people buy to either avoid pain or gain pleasure.

  In other words, your customers actually purchase the advantages they receive from your product more than the product itself. If you’ve ever taken a marketing class, you’ve probably been asked that old passé question, “When someone purchases a drill, what are they really buying?”  The answer: a hole.   You see, the drill is merely a means to the end. Now the person could try to get the hole another way… but it would be far more time consuming, less accurate and more frustrating. 

So, what else does the drill do? That’s right… avoid pain.  However, the majority of entrepreneurs and small business people spend far more time communicating their product or service features and often ignore the very reason their customers purchase from them… a huge mistake. So let’s get this clear before we go any further:

1. Features are the things built into your products or services… stainless steel sinks, 400 thread count cotton sheets, dual power exhausts, a 30-gig memory drive, 180-horse power, and four-wheel drive.  

2. Benefits are what your customers gain - a better night’s sleep, a sexier smile, less frustration, and fewer headaches And although the concept is easy to understand, many of our clients find it difficult to come up with – let alone articulate – benefits.  However, it is vitally important that you learn to do this, and do it well. And the reason is, regardless of what you sell, or who you sell it to, the end-user, company or organization that purchases your product is concerned about one thing only: themselves.  And as harsh as it may sound, they could care less about how long you’ve been in business; how many computers you use; or whether you’re “family owned and operated.” Rather, they are asking themselves, “What’s in this for me? (Affectionately known in the industry as WIFM). Your job is to answer this question.

 Sidebar: A while back there was a Home Depot television commercial that brilliantly demonstrated their understanding of why their target customers purchase several of their products.  It went something like this… A man is standing in the tool department holding a drill while his wife looks on dubiously.  He obviously wants to buy it, but apparently expects some resistance from his wife so in an effort to convince her says, “Don’t think of this as a drill, think of this as your new book shelves.”  Well, obviously his ploy worked because in the next scene the same couple is standing in front of the table saws.  He smiles at his wife, points to one and says, “And think of this as your new deck!”  The final scene shows the same couple getting ready to purchase a shop vac.  Only this time the woman speaks up and says, “And I can think of this as my clean garage!”   Not only do they do a stellar job of articulating their products’ benefits but they do so without mentioning one feature!  

 So, the next time you’re tempted to itemize your products’ or services’ nifty features take a deep breath and stop.  Instead, articulate how those features translate into customer benefits.