Know what you are really selling!
You may think you're selling bonds or homes or hamburgers. But if your answer involves mentioning your product's features, you don't know what you're really selling!
Gillette knows that it doesn't sell blades. It sells clean shaves. Revlon and Chanel know they don’t sell nail polish or perfume. They sell romance and self-image. Betty Crocker knows it doesn't sell cake mix. It sells, "Gee, mom, this cake is great!" To discover what you are really selling, remember that ultimately "You sell satisfaction."
Every product or service has at least one powerful motivator which can be used to seduce buyers into parting with their money in return for the Promise of Satisfaction. From lawnmowers to banks, if you know what you're really selling, and know how to promise the right satisfactions, you can dominate your field.
BUT -- your Psychological Marketing Plan can only succeed if you identify your customers' exact, inner motivations and the exact way your product can satisfy them. Remember -- people don't buy your product because they want it, but because they think it will satisfy some of their needs, wants, fears, or desires.
Even smart manufacturers and business people can overlook the most desirable features of their product for the buyer. Here's an amazing, but true, story. Eighty years ago an inventor tried to sell an "electric flowerpot" which could be lit up at night using a small battery-powered lamp. Only when faced with the challenge of getting rid of all his unsold flowerpots did Conrad Hubert think to remove the light tube from the flower pot and sell it as a "portable light." He sold so many, he founded the Eveready Flashlight Company!
Like the "electric flowerpot," your product or service may have unrecognized opportunities for success, overlooked because you haven't thoroughly psychoanalyzed your customers or discovered what they really hope to buy from you.
"Why Do I Need This Psycho-Mumbo Jumbo? Isn't it simple to just ask my customers why they buy?" History is littered with the wrecks of companies that tried that "pseudo-smart" tactic.
Here's an obvious example. Many men want to own a red Corvette convertible. Ask them why and they'll say "it is a great machine that's fun to drive." Many women buy bottles of expensive perfume. Ask them why and they'll say, "I want to smell good and feel feminine." But advertising campaigns based on those answers don’t move the merchandise very well.
The more powerful answer to both questions is their hidden buyer motivation: "I want to seem more attractive to the opposite sex, to win their attention, their approval, their admiration."
For proof just look at the print or video ads for most any established perfume. You'll see an attractive woman with a handsome man in a romantic setting. These ads work because their message is tightly focused on a hidden, but very powerful, desire motivating women to buy perfume -- their psychological hot button. The structure of the ad’s promise is also clear with few words – wear this and you can have that!
Finding the Hidden Motivators of Your Customers
There are four types of "Psychological Hot Buttons" that motivate your customers to buy: Needs, Wants, Fears and Desires. People buy the Promise of Satisfaction of each type of motivator. The foundation of your Psychological Marketing Plan is anchored in these four types of Satisfactions:
(1) NEEDS are things that you think you must have. If you're hungry, you need food. If you're sick, you need medicine. They are often very basic motivations. Needs are logical.
(2) WANTS are things which you would like, but which aren't really necessary, you can get along without them. You may want an ice cream cone or a new blouse, but you don't need it. It is important to recognize the difference between your buyer's "needs" and "wants." Each requires a different advertising and marketing approach. Needs are deal breakers; wants are not.
(3) DESIRES are like daydreams. They are things you hope for, like romance, wealth, or happiness. Winning the lottery is a desire, as is making every traffic light on the drive to work. Desires are seldom met, but they are powerful motivators. They are NOT logical.
(4) FEARS are things which we do not want to happen. Fears help us make wise decisions by considering negative possibilities, such as "Can I afford it?" or "Will it do the job?" Fears hold us back. A buyer balances needs, wants and desires against fears in making the final buying decision. That is why a psychological marketing plan always takes a buyer's "Fears" into account. You must offer reassurances to the customer that your company can satisfy his expectations, and choosing a competitor can result in problems. Fears are obviously emotional.
As discussed in other blogs, find the most important logical and emotional satisfactions your buyers want. In your message you promise to satisfy them, then use your features to prove you can deliver. Always close with a call to action – whatever their next step should be.
Increased market share and profits are the natural riches of a focused Psychological Marketing Plan. Working with the marketing professionals at the Psychological Marketing Group is the way to seize those riches for your company.
Click here to read Part One of this article.