Why clients buy, and how to attract more of them
by Murray Smith | posted on April 30th, 2008 | Attract More Clients
One of the most basic concepts of economics is want vs. need.
They may sound similar, but they’re as different as day and night. As a small-business owner, it’s important to distinguish between the two in order to attract more clients and grow your business. By learning the specific wants and needs of your clients, you can learn how to better market your product or service in a way that speaks to your ideal client and leads them to buy from you.
A want is something you would like to have. It is not absolutely necessary, but it would be a good thing to have. A good example is music. Now, some people might argue that music is a need but you don’t need music to survive.
A need is something you have to have, something you can’t do without. A good example is food. If you don’t eat, you won’t survive for long. You might not need a whole lot of food, but you do need to eat.
It may sound completely counterintuitive, but the fact is, wants are much more powerful than needs. Even though their needs must be fulfilled for survival, most people make their purchasing decisions based on their wants, rather than their needs.
For example, people need to lose weight for health reasons. A weight-loss clinic might assume that clients would respond to a weight-loss program that is positioned to help them feel better and improve their health. But oddly enough, what most people want from a weight-loss program is not health, but to look better, attract more romance into their lives, to receive compliments from people and gain confidence. Those are all emotional wants versus objective needs.
When marketing your product or service, stay away from focusing on promoting the need for it, because until you identify why clients want your product, you will never be successful selling to them. Here are some tips to help you identify your client’s wants and develop effective marketing messages that will help you generate more revenue.
Hot Buttons — Price vs. Value
Depending on your industry, clients will have different wants and needs, called “hot buttons.” Hot buttons are the problems, frustrations and concerns that most clients consider when they do business with companies. Many business owners feel that price is always the number-one hot button that impacts their clients. In reality, price is one of their last considerations. Most clients are more than willing to pay a higher price if you offer enough value to warrant the higher price.
Unfortunately, most marketing and advertising looks exactly the same and ignores these hot buttons. Everyone uses the same old phrases and platitudes such as, “We’re the fastest, we’re the best, we have the lowest price, we do excellent work,” and so on. And since everyone says this, your clients become desensitized and don’t believe any of it. If you market this way, as most businesses do, your clients can’t determine the true value you provide, so they default to lowest price as a differentiator. Whatever you do, don’t fall for this trap!
Fortunately, the idea that price is most important exists only in the mind of the business owner. All you need to do is provide more value than your competition, and promote it. Your marketing messages should highlight the parts of your business that meet the wants of your ideal clients by addressing their hot buttons.
Below is a short list of industries and their corresponding hot buttons. Select the industry category that your business belongs to and then prioritize your customers’ hot buttons in order. This exercise will help you identify your ideal clients’ wants in order to create the proper messaging that will appeal to them.
Common Hot Buttons for:
Service Industry:
- Fix it right
- Fix it fast
- Be on time
- Provide quick resolution
- Be honest
Professional Industry:
- Expected results
- General customer service
- Price or affordability
- Guaranteed results
- Trustworthy
Retail Industry:
- Product options
- Variety
- Selection
- Product quality
- Product results match expectations
- Customer service
- Advice
- Knowledge
- Price
Opportunity/ Entrepreneur Industry:
- Make money (return on investment)
- Easily transition into ownership
- Validation
- Proof of support
- Resonates with beliefs and values
Wholesale Industry
- Make more money and higher margins
- Less hassle
- Easy to do business with
- Low risk
- Reliability
- On-time delivery
Overall, these hot buttons apply to most businesses in each industry category. Occasionally, other hot buttons may be more appropriate than those listed. If you honestly believe your specific hot buttons need adjusting from those that are listed, make those adjustments now by either rearranging the priority sequence or removing and replacing any hot buttons you feel may be more appropriate for your business.
By using these guidelines, you can create persuasive marketing messages that address your ideal clients’ needs and motivate them to buy from you.
If you do this really well, you will find yourself attracting more clients in a short amount of time.
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May 1st, 2008 at 4:27 am
Great article! Really got me thinking.
I own a small fitness studio in Copenhagen, and we are just know working on flyers, posters and a website to attract more clients.
As a small fitness studio, I think we fall into the “Service Industry”, but what other hot buttons applies for a small fitness studio? Is “socializing” a hot button?
May 1st, 2008 at 10:22 am
Hello Martin, yes you are in the Service industry and the Retail industry. Remember these are guidelines for you to follow. Socializing is a Hot Button for fitness studio’s if it is an important benefit that your prospects are looking for.
May 1st, 2008 at 9:47 pm
For once again I am really impressed by the articles in this blog!I am a dentist in Greece and I strongly want to succeed.How can anyone get personalised training?(I hope my English makes sense)
May 1st, 2008 at 11:31 pm
hi, how about in real estate industry say high-end condominium? what hot button does it trigger a prospect buyer? can you please give at least 3 hot buttons?
Thank you coach
May 5th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Hi Stavroula,
Thanks for complimenting us on the blog. We have clients all over the world who are using best practices, coaching and networking from OneCoach to grow their businesses faster. You can find out more about our Business Mastery program at http://www.onecoach.com.
June 12th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
custom picture framing is definitely emotional and “not necessity”. Quality, selection, guarantee don’t seem to be the hot buttons for my business. Any ideas?
thx, Vickie.
June 13th, 2008 at 4:52 am
This article is a must read for anyone who is in busines or professional sales. I am a auto salesperson. There are very few of us who market ourselves, they let the company do it. I use these retail hot buttons which have helped me to be one of the top salespersons in my community. Thank you for such valuable information.
Larry Volchoff
Brantford, Ontario.
July 24th, 2008 at 6:09 am
Martin,
I seriously suggest that you get into blogging. It will definitely define your expert profile and strengthen your brand locally as well as open you up to publicity in and outside of your market.
I would also suggest that any type of personal contact whether on or offline will be a hot button for you. You are in a very personal industry, your personal and corporate brands are indistinguishable, using the hot buttons expressed in this article will go a long way in strengthening your brand in your market.
Great tips here.
August 14th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Just finished The Answer and I loved it! Wondering if you have some insight to share for my industry, which is pet cremation and memorialization? Although we mirror the human funeral industry, veterinarians typically control who their ‘customer’ will use for the after-care of their pet, whereby the human side is not controlled by the hospital and/or morgue. What is my USP - but more so, what sets me apart? ‘Hot buttons’ in my field would be??
I have been carefully evaluating this and would greatly appreciate your feedback.
August 19th, 2008 at 10:02 pm
Very good article for sure. We have a childrens Science company called
Mad Science. It is all about showing kids the fun and neat things that can be done through and around Science. There are days where sales are thru the roof and then the other ones too. We see attracting more clients to do more is the answer ,howveer ,we wonder how it can be done all of the time.
I do wonder if we are hitting all of the “hot buttons ” as often as we should . Well thats my story for this night. You guys are doing great .and we enjoy and use allot of waht you have.
Best to you all.
Jack
Chief Mad Scientist