Buying Motives - What should I be looking for?

What are the different buying motives I should be aware of and preparing for? -realtor

Not clear what you mean here, however there are only three customer motives:

1. Want
2. Need
3. Value from your offering.


Good Selling

Drew Stevens PhD
Split Second Selling -Drew Stevens

I know of at least these four buying motives and there are probably more.

1. Desire for gain
2. Fear of loss
3. Pride
4. Security

-realtor

I have seen these listed.

Desire for Gain
Fear of Loss
Comfort and Convenience
Security and Protection
Pride of Ownership
Emotional Satisfaction

I would add Love of Family, Status...although the may be covered under the last two above. -Ace Coldiron

Customer buying motives are the 'reasons they NEED a product or service'. When looking at it from that point of view, buying motives are:

(1) a 'problem' the are experiencing NOW
(2) a 'worry or fear' of a problem to occur in the future
(3) a 'concern' that a problem they had in the past will reoccur
(4) 'dissatisfaction' with how a current situation is being handled
(5) Interest -Paulette Halpern

I was taught that buying motives are the "why" behind people's actions and are based in the meaning of what they perceive is happening or could happen.

The example I remember was two different people's cars broke down. Both people had the same problem, they needed another source of transportation, but each had their own motives.

One person needed transportation to keep a job and without a job he would face financial ruin and his family would suffer.

The other person needed transportation to get to and from work or would have to take the metro train which he was deathly scared of riding. -realtor

Yes, Realtor, I believe you are much more on the mark. -Ace Coldiron

The 'why' behind the 'what' is the next piece of course ....but too many salespeople present too early and 'present' their solution to someone who 'says they are interested' and their presentation turns them into being 'unpaid consultants' or help their competitors 'get the sale'. -Paulette Halpern

Where does "interest" fit as a motive in all of this? -Ace Coldiron

Call them whatever it is you would like to, they are just needs.

And they get uncovered through conversation - ask questions to get them to talk and then confirm what you think you have understood through another question. Once you have a need isolated or uncovered, your product or service either satisfies the need or it doesn't.

As you go through your career you will find out things that motivate people that are surprising, like NOT having to take the public transit for instance. This one is an "Okay ... " as you mentally scratch your head. But whether or not that person needs a car to keep a job or to avoid their fear of public transit is irrelevant to you!

Your job is to find out what type of car suits them - with what kind of value they perceive is right for their budget. Same with a house.

Why are we preparing for why they want to buy rather than what they need to buy?

A motivated buyer simply means you have a chance to sell, that is it. The selling can then begin with a very high likelihood of a close.

Great, they are motivated, there is a chance to sell them sooner rather than later but not unless you START SELLING! -Gold Calling

Buying motives don't come into play? -realtor

Are needs and wants or needs and motives the same thing to you?

I thought, in addition to other things, our job was to find out what people really wanted and then show them how our product will help them get it. -realtor

People do things for their own reasons. You want to find out what those reasons are. The reasons they readily give out may only be surface reasons and you may need to dig deeper for the true reasons (motives).

As Tony Robbins once said, you don't want a stack of papers with pictures of dead presidents on them (money) just to have it, you want that stack of money for what that money represents to you (freedom, opportunity, lifestyle, etc.).

Also, in the final analysis every reason can be said to originate out of a motivation to move towards pleasure or away from pain.

Connecting the dots; Wanting to buy the dream home in Malibu that will put you at the top of the heap among your wealthy friends (ego - moving towards pleasure) compared to needing to move out of your current home so you're no longer at the bottom of the heap among your wealthy friends (ego - moving away from pain).

It is an excellent idea to learn common motives so that you will recognize them when you see them and be prepared with an idea of what you want to say. -SalesCoach

Customers have Dominant buying motives and Secondary buying motives. You have to satisfy the Dominant buying motive and the more Secondary buying motives you can satisfy the more perceived value for your offering. -Houston

It can't hurt to have a handle on what your target audience is likely to be interested in. Isn't it true that most small businesses will likely have an interest in reducing costs, increasing revenues or improving production? -Frankie

"Interest" isn't a buying motive, which is why I show it LAST....It probably could be last as the #99 buying motive; but MANY salespeople hear...."oh I am interested in your product or service" and then jump into their presentation or as my dad used to say "dog and pony show of their features and benefits".

Prospects that sound 'overly positive or interested' initially are rarely real prospects....but they surely love to turn sales people into 'unpaid consultants'. IF YOU let them do that to you.

We read about it in many threads here; from real estate to insurance to It consulting and many many other product lines and services. -Paulette Halpern

I agree with that. Both David Sandler and Jim Camp based much of their work in sales education on that point.

Those that are in sales who see through a different lens often are proponents of assumptive closes and assuming the sale. Personally I do not work along those lines. -Ace Coldiron

Have you ever read about Maslow's hierarchy of needs?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow&...archy_of_needs -Liberty

That is why I have been very proud to be a part of the Sandler Selling System, and train people in a process that works, regardless of the industry.

We have lots of ways to deliver our sales training, online coupled with one on one coaching; public training and of course inhouse programs. Regardless of the delivery method, it works for small companies and large Fortune 500 companies.

It is not an easy selling system to learn, nor is it for everyone.

Inquiries always accepted. -Paulette Halpern

Did you see Ace's list? Do you look for these motives yourself?

Nice list Ace. thmbp2;

First class post. thmbp2; -Slick

Many years ago I had the pleasure of hearing Zig Ziglar.It was at this time I really had an idea of the sales process.
What really grabbed my attention the four stages of a sales process when you know the ownership exchange is moving thmbp2; forward. The client has a need,want,can use and can afford. When these four criteria are met you have an ownership exchange.
What drives these four criteria.Value which is YOU
Benefits which makes the clients life easier.
Features what the product or service does. -rich34232

There are many different Emotional Buying Motives and Rational Buying Motives. I'll post examples of each.

Emotional Buying Motives

• pride in appearance
• desire to feel important
• love of family
• desire for comfort
• curiosity
• convenience
• desire for security
• health
• safety
• fear
• desire for recognition

Rational Buying Motives

• economy in purchase and use
• efficient performance
• durability
• increased profits
• ease of installation
• increased production
• availability
• low maintenance cost
• thoroughly researched and tested
• time-saving
• labor-saving

-Johnny Fairplay

Buying motives will differ from prospect to prospect; and getting to understand why the prospect says they want or are interested in talking with you, gets the selling process moving.

How you get them to see your product offers them the value they believe they want to resolve their problem, is next; lets call it your selling process. Then when they believe you give them the value that they need want, it becomes a sale.

People justify (rationalize) their buying decisions. If they don't see enough value over the impact the problem is causing them, the sale probably doesn't happen. -Paulette Halpern

Gold Calling is absolutely right. Broken down in a simple format, every buyer bases a decision on five things:

1. SALESPERSON - Customers decide if they like and can trust you.
2. COMPANY - What is your company's reputation? Is your company a good match for them?
3. PRODUCT - Is your product the right solution for their needs?
4. PRICE - Is your solution competitively priced? Is it a good value?
5. TIME TO BUY - Is now a good time for them to move forward with the purchase?

Within these five decisions, it is the salesperson who knows how to communicate and relationship build with their client to accomplish successfully navigating through this process. My recent facebook post goes into this a little more in depth. -Lisa Grimm

According to Crissey and Cash*, "It is safe to say that success in selling depends largely upon a knowledge of customers' and prospects' motivation... the reasons why they behave the way they do."

*W. J. E. Crissey and H.C. Cash, "Motivation in Selling," The Psychology of Selling -Johnny Fairplay

Hi Lisa,

This is actually the ACTION SELLING format. thmbp2;

You have to first PLAN TO WIN and have a commitment objective for each meeting.

1) The Salesperson is a combination of
a) people skills
b) Asking the best questions
c) Agreeing on need

2) Company
3) Product
4) Price
5) Time to buy

This is followed up with Professional Growth... replay the call.

Of all of the sales programs I've purchased that provides a process, this is the simplest I've seen... for me I need simple. This for me has also become the BEST process, for it doesn't require "personality", sets up the sale for you in a logical manner that gives people like me and my sons the best chance for success... of course you have to "do it" to benefit... :)

Much Aloha... Tom shds; ;bg -rattus58

As is the case with many commonly used terms in selling, "value" is highly misunderstood.

To reap the most from value in a selling situation, a salesperson should always look at the word as a verb. It is what the prospect values that matters most in the equation. It is not a separate free-standing component that a salesperson can always point to with success. -Ace Coldiron

Not every prospect bases a decision on the five items you listed. The items in your list are not Buying Motives but instead categories of concerns or buying conditions. I'll list a few examples:

Salesperson ~ I don't want an interview

• I'm too busy to talk to you now
• I'll let you know when I'm ready to buy
• I want to think this over before I place the order
• Not interested
• I'll phone you when I'm ready to buy
• Send me a sample

Product ~ I don't need your product

• I'm satisfied with the one I have
• We have gotten along without it for years; I can't see any reason for changing now
• That's a good product for a big company, but we don't need it
• We tried that years ago and it didn't work

Company ~ I don't like your company

• I usually buy from another company
• I don't want to change companies; we're doing all right now
• You require too much time for delivery

Time ~ I don't need it right now

• I will buy this later on, but not now
• Business is not good enough to warrant spending the money
• We are making some changes right now; see me later
• We have a large supply on hand. We'll talk it over when we're ready to order.
• We have a contract
• The boss has a friend in the same business
• All buying is done at the main office

Price resistance is a different topic. -Johnny Fairplay

Johnny Fairplay.... :)

First off, you need to have an understanding of what she was actually trying to say. While I agree that not every prospect will be sold your product, the process she was referring to is as solid a process as I've ever seen. And I say this from having spent, thousands of dollars on Hopkins, Tracy, Ziglar, and bunches more. This process is $16. You should buy it... Action Selling.

You have to know your products. You have to know your competion. You have to know your strengths. You have to know your weaknesses. You have to know how well your competition stacks up against you and how people get along without your or your competitions products.

The Salesperson example that you profferred doesn't represent even loosely what she is talking about. The sales person that she is talking about is developing trust. This is through a little chit chat and people skills.

Second, there is questioning of the client and their use of our products, products like ours, or maybe how they are getting along without our products. Action Selling demands good questioning if for no other reason than to discover what it is that you are selling... and that answer might be nothing, otherwise you're just a peddler.

Third, in the trust department with the salesperson, is agreement of need of what was discovered through the questioning.

All of this attempts to differentiate the salesperson from his competition and by the right questioning before you move anywhere.

So, back to your challenge of the young lady..

Salesperson ~ I don't want an interview

• I'm too busy to talk to you now
• I'll let you know when I'm ready to buy
• I want to think this over before I place the order
• Not interested
• I'll phone you when I'm ready to buy
• Send me a sample

In what you've listed here would not even have gotten past the commitment obective stage of Action Selling. The commitment objective would be to seek the appointment and get past objections, if that is what they are... obstacles. It is once you're past this stage that you're objective is met and you move on to the next objective... Trust, and that is accomplished by being a good guy, chit chat etc... but then you need to get down to the clients business.

As for your product challenge...

Product ~ I don't need your product

• I'm satisfied with the one I have
• We have gotten along without it for years; I can't see any reason for changing now
• That's a good product for a big company, but we don't need it
• We tried that years ago and it didn't work

All of this is managed through proper questioning. Questioning requires you discover not only what your client is using today, how he is using it, or how he's getting along without your or your competitions products.

Questioning will uncover needs, and just because someone has gotten along without your product in the past, doesn't mean that they wouldn't find benefit in the future if you know your product well. People get along without insurance all the time, but when they have bills they sure wish they had it. Questioning will uncover the advantage or not with the client. Keep questioning long enough and the sale, if it is there, will uncover itself.

I could go along and provide explanation for the rest, but better you spend $16 and buy the Action Selling book and discover the entire process more thoroughly yourself... since I'm working off of a failing memory here...

Much Aloha,

Tom shds; ;bg -rattus58

The plain simple truth, as I've said on another thread of the same topic (one of several) is that people buy for a lot of reasons. WHY SHOULD THEY BUY FROM ME? is a better question. My goodness, somebody even mentioned Maslow here. I think he's too dead to buy anything from anybody at the present time. -Ace Coldiron

Should salespeople forget about buying motives all together? -Seth

You mean as an act of volition? I would see no advantage in that. Probably a disadvantage. I have never heard of a case where a salesperson decided to do that.

If that is your real question and not just rhetorical, Seth, I would say no. Forgetting something altogether or keeping that something in perspective are, of course, two different things. -Ace Coldiron

Keeping things in perspective, how much energy should a salesperson put into understanding a prospect's buying motive or motives? -Seth

Are you talking about the generic reasons studied that have made up most of the thread, or do you mean the understanding of an individual prospect's motives as part of the sales process?

Which? -Ace Coldiron

Exactly.... How many of us has introduced ourselves to someone and as soon as you mention your business get the "Hey... I was just thinking about that... call me..." ... :)

Actually your right about "why should you buy from me?" Why should they?

Much Aloha... Tom shds; ;bg -rattus58

I mean understanding of an individual prospect's motives as part of the sales process. -Seth

It's crucial, Seth. Much of our energy should go into that.

Most of the discussion here (not all) on this thread has listed fundamentals that a newcomer must know--must get under his/her belt. Almost any basic sales text will provide that knowledge.

We have people here on this forum trying hard to get a script right. They don't need Maslow. -Ace Coldiron

The replies in this discussion seem confusing to me and not just because some go off topic. Understanding what buying motives are and where they comes from seems like something important to know. Understanding which buying motives are motivating each prospective client seems like something important to know. -Seth

The former is basic knowledge--easy to obtain.

The latter is application of basic knowledge which requires skill development. Not so easy.

Both important. To me it makes sense to get the easy stuff learned and then work on getting better at the skills to apply what you've learned.

When it takes several threads to dwell on the basics, it's no wonder so many never achieve an advanced level of selling.

As Tom has put it, questioning skills are at the core of applying what we learn about "buying motives." -Ace Coldiron

When you have one thread and so many different replies it can get confusing.

• however there are only three customer motives...
• buying motives are reasons they NEED a product or service
• why are we preparing for why they want to buy rather than what they need to buy?
• …people buy for a lot of reasons. WHY SHOULD THEY BUY FROM ME? is a better question.

Add in the off topic comments about PRODUCT, PRICE, etc. and it gets even more confusing. -Seth

The fourth bullet was mine.

The other three I don't acknowledge. You have to decide for yourself whether they make sense to you. Draw from your own experience, for instance. Does your experience in the field substantiate what is being said here? If not, I would harbor doubt if I were you.

Nothing I have ever said on this forum has not been tested and substantiated belly to belly in thousands of sales situations that I've been involved in. And by the same token, I take full responsibility for my own learning. Nobody owes me knowledge but me. -Ace Coldiron

I wasn't complaining. I was showing why I felt confused. Thank you for sharing your experience. thmbp2; -Seth

I never felt you were complaining and I do understand your confusion which I wanted to help you with. -Ace Coldiron

My message to Lisa, and now my message to you, is that "Buying Motives" are something different than what you've posted. -Johnny Fairplay

You're Right... Motive might be different than process, but process identifies motive, IN MY OPINION.

It's not hard for me to understand something clearly... I only have to miss a word.

Much Aloha,

Tom -rattus58

Your process is a course of action intended to achieve a result. The result may or may not be the identification of a prospect's or client's motive or motives.

Lisa wrote that, "every buyer bases a decision on five things" - Salesperson, Company, Product, Price, Time to Buy."

I think of it like this: "The salesperson as a problem-solver recognizes that the buyer must make five decisions before the problem can be solved. These concern:

1. The need to be fulfilled.
2. The product to fulfill the need.
3. The source for the product.
4. The price to pay.
5. The time to buy.

Be aware that everything is dependent upon the first decision - the need. A need is defined as a lack of something, a feeling or a state of inadequacy, a dissatisfaction with things as they are, or a desire to have something more or better." -Johnny Fairplay

I like the five that you list, but I disagree with "everything is dependent upon the first decision-the need."

The reason I disagree is that you have left out a 6th item that is related to all of the other five--yet still stands alone. It is this:

6. The level of comfort.

It is that which "everything is dependent on." -Ace Coldiron

About what/whom? -Johnny Fairplay

Trust... without trust there is no sale... generally speaking. The process that Lisa was referring develops trust throughout the first three steps incorporated in the "salesperson"....sn;

Aloha... :cool: -rattus58

The result of her process is designed to specifically elicit responses that identify the clients activities and use of products that we might offer. Now, whether this describes a motive or not, the questioning draws out what the client does. This in turn allows for discovery of areas that one can see opportunity of where your product might offer solution. Continuing questioning will uncover further areas that you might benefit the client. Ideally you will seek 3 or more positive aspects of the discussion of where you can benefit the client and it is during this time you will seek his understanding of where your products might benefit him.

If you have uncovered three or more areas that the client might benefit with your product, you and he/her have come to understanding that your products would save him (you choose... time, money, or inconvenience) and that in some way HE BENEFITS DIRECTLY (for example if you can drop ship, he doesn't have to worry about shipping saving him time,expense and logistics... giving him time to play golf... :)) you have giving him a reason to let you move forward to the next stage of the process. Is this considered motivation?

Aloha... Tom shds; ;bg -rattus58