There are 7 buyer decision drivers every business must understand to become successful today. Fail to do these and you will never build the business of your dreams.
It’s critical that you commit these to memory. They’re based on fundamental human nature… and will be as applicable 100 years from now as they were 100 years ago.
BUYER DECISION DRIVER #1 – Everyone wants the “best deal.”
Your prospects, no matter who they are or what it is they’re buying, always want the best deal. That doesn’t mean the lowest price… it means the most value for the price they pay. They will gladly pay twice the price… as long as they perceive they’re receiving four times the value when they compare it to the price.
The key words here of course are “perceived value.” So what exactly do prospects value? They value finding the solution to their biggest problem, frustration, fear or concern. And that brings us to…
BUYER DECISION DRIVER #2 – Always market to the negative.
Never forget that the vast majority of human beings will do anything to avoid pain… but very little to gain pleasure.
One of the biggest mistakes I see business owners make every day is they try to market to the positive… and avoid the negative like the plague. That’s the worst thing they can possibly do. Chiropractors keep trying to market wellness to their prospects.
Prospects don’t care about wellness… they care about feeling pain. They care about the fact that they can’t stand up without excruciating pain shooting down their spine. That’s what they will respond to when it comes to marketing. Prospects don’t want to lose weight in order to feel better and regain their health. They want to lose weight because their doctor told them if they don’t, they won’t live another five years… or they hate the way they look… or the way they’re treated… or the fact that their self-esteem has been damaged.
Show them the solution to these so-called “hot button” issues, and they will buy from you forever.
BUYER DECISION DRIVER #3 – Prospects buy based on emotion.
This is a big one. Human beings make buying decisions based mostly on emotion. They only use logic to justify their purchase. This ties in directly with marketing to the negative. Prospects either want out of pain or they want to avoid pain, and that resonates with them emotionally.
If you were a child psychologist who specialized in helping parents with emotionally disturbed and out-of-control kids, which of the following headlines in an ad would immediately grab your attention? The one that says “I can help you rediscover the joy and happiness your family deserves?” Or… “Would you like a 5 minute solution that will end the yelling, screaming and belligerent attitude of your child forever?” That’s kind of a no-brainer, isn’t it? Market to the negative, and make it as emotionally compelling as possible. Hit your prospects squarely in their hot buttons, and you automatically make an emotional connection.
BUYER DECISION DRIVER #4 – Make your business “unique.”
One of the biggest problems business owners face when trying to make that emotional connection is that different prospects have different hot buttons. That’s why it’s critical that you separate your business from your competition. You must find a way to stand out from the crowd. The best way to do this is to create a “niche” market for your business. That means your business has to stop trying to be everything to everyone.
If you were a left handed, blond haired, blue eyed golfer with a horrendous slice, and you decided to seek professional help to improve your golf game, who would you call? The professional with the ad in the paper that says I help golfers improve their golf game. Or the pro with the ad that says I help left handed, blond haired, blue eyed golfers with horrendous slices get rid of their slice permanently within 3 days or you don’t pay.
That’s what we call a “niche” market… and you will attract every prospect within that niche because you offer what they WANT… not what they need. When you try to be everything to everyone, you’re nothing to no one. When you select a niche market… a niche based on your passion for what you do, you instantly become “unique,” since your competition is trying to be all things to all people.
Prospects are looking for the expert. They demand the best. Positioning your business into its own niche market positions you as that expert. It’s a concept known as preeminence, and it begins to create value for what you do. And speaking of value…
I will share the last three in my next post so you can fully absorb the first 4 I shared.
To Your Success
Scott
