Understanding Why People Buy, and Why They Buy from You

Ah, the age old questions: Why do people buy? And why do they buy from me?

If we could just figure that out, we might be able to sell more stuff.

Well, it turns out it’s usually not as complex as you might think. People buy because they see the value in having whatever it is you have to offer. And they buy from you because they feel like they have a relationship with you, no matter how small. In fact, unless you’re willing to lie, cheat, or steal, you can’t get anyone to buy anything they don’t want, don’t need, or can’t afford. And unless they can’t get what you have to offer anywhere else, they won’t buy from you if they don’t like you and trust you. 

People buy products and services because, to them, it makes sense to buy. They believe that those products or services will bring them a benefit that they wouldn’t otherwise have.

Focus on the Benefits

Most salespeople focus on sharing the features of what they have to offer. Think about why you bought your last car. Was it because of the features? Nope. Tires are a feature of a car, but you didn’t buy your car because it has tires. You bought a car because you wanted to get from point A to point B without having to walk. And if you want to argue that you bought the specific car you purchased because of some of the wonderful features, I’d argue right back that you didn’t want those features—you wanted the benefits those features brought you. For example, a premium sound system feature benefits in a more fulfilling driving experience. Customers make purchases because of the benefits those purchases will bring to their businesses and their lives.

Why is this concept important to those of us that sell? Because if prospects become customers when they see the benefit of what we have to offer, but we focus on the features instead, we’re making it more and more difficult for our prospects to buy from us. And that, unfortunately, it was most salespeople do: they focus on the features of what they’re selling rather than what their customer will buy—the benefits. This is true in both b2b and b2c sales.

Too often, we salespeople don’t want to listen, we want to talk. But the best salespeople are the best listeners. In my opinion, if you ask the right questions and listen carefully to the answers, people will tell you everything you need to know in order to sell them.

©iStockphoto.com/ramihelim

Always Be Likeable

Your customers buy from you because they like you and trust you. And if they don’t like and trust you, they won’t do business with you unless they absolutely have to.

Once, I had a clerk at a pricey men’s clothing store suggest, “Perhaps you’d like to take a look at our discount rack,” because, I assume, he didn’t think I could afford the $600 overcoat I was looking at. (It was a day off and I was in jeans and sneakers.) I left the store, got into a taxi, went to another location of the same store, and bought the coat there. The thought of putting a commission into the pocket of a snobby salesperson was offensive to me and it was worth the $16 taxi ride to me to not give him the satisfaction of the sale.

Want to increase sales at your company? Work hard on understanding the benefits of each feature of your product or service. Ask questions and listen carefully to your prospects so that you learn how those benefits will help them, and then be able to clearly articulate the appropriate benefits to your customers. Do the things that all good relationships are based on: communicate openly and honestly, listen carefully to the other person, and come from a true desire to help. When you come from wanting to truly do what’s best for your prospects, they often turn into customers. Zig Ziglar said it best: “If you help enough people get what they want, you get what you want!” Stop selling and start helping.

This article is part of NY Report's Accelerate 2012 series. To read more, click here.