Reasons Why Prospects Buy

Buyers buy for a variety of reasons. They do so not only for logical reasons, but also for emotional ones.  When you market any product or service, you must always be aware that you are dealing with human beings and all their moods and peculiarities.
 
A buying decision is always made up of two main elements -

Needs - clear rational reasons why a prospect should make this purchase. 

Desires -  feelings, moods and emotions.

We all tend to think that customers buy something only when they need it. Not true. Why would anyone buy jewellery on need alone?? In study after study, it has been found that business buying decisions are twice as likely to be based on emotions as they are on logical reasons. 
 
A very useful exercise to convince yourself of this is to list all the possible reasons why someone should buy your products or services. The list can be very long and every time you think that you have listed them all, a new reason pops into your mind. Usual ones include - obsolete, the old one was broken, newer technology, sets a good appearance to visiting clients, good investment, item at sale price, good value for money,  more efficient, reduces staff costs, improves customer service, etc. etc.
 
All the above reasons are good, logical reasons why you would think that someone should buy your product/service.  These logical needs can and do apply, but most purchases are made not just because the customer realises an immediate and pressing need. A number of other things can, and do, influence the buying decision. These alternative explanations usually carry more weight in the customers final decision. Motives, whether they be a desire to gain or a fear of loss, are twice as likely to be the deciding factor. Think of all the reasons that influenced your buying decision over your latest car. Where colour/style/feelgood came into it and just how much of the decision was based on pure logic.
 
So when designing your next fax flyer, remember that as well as listing your products, or services, usb’s (unique selling points) you should also aim to get across your ucb’s (unique customer benefits) and appeal emotionally to your target as well as logically.

Socrates, the ancient Greek philosopher, once stood in the marketplace of Athens surveying all the goods for sale on the stalls around him for quite some time.  At last when he moved on he was heard to remark  "I'm amazed at the large number of items that I don't need".  As a philosoper he was only thinking - 'needs' - and as a philosopher his emotions did not come into it.  Moral - ancient Greek philosophers make lousy customers.