Why they buy: Knowing How To Sell To Your Customer

Today, more than ever, it is important to know not just how to sell but how to sell properly. Crazy notion I know; there is proper and improper selling as if it were some sacred art form that required very specific rules to be adhered to or something. Sarcasm aside, it is. The art of selling is a sacred and ancient art form that has been used as a tool to not just make profits and keep your plush Madison Avenue directors job while you drink yourself into a divorce, but some men and women have used this fine art to win over an entire nation for multiple generations. The biggest mistake people make in selling is thinking it has anything to do with the act of selling. A true master salesman knows that the proper way to sell is in understanding why your customer buys.
1. They Like Who They’re Buying From
Sounds pretty obvious at first but surprisingly, this is one of the greatest weaknesses of salesmen today. Due to the influx of technology, AI precursors, and chat bots, the salesmen of today no longer connect with their customers and because of that, their customers no longer know who they are. When majority of the sales interaction is based on social media engagement and online transactions it is artificial, and the customers know that. Without a true interaction made, customers won’t like you, if customers don’t like you they won’t be loyal to you, and customers that aren’t loyal make business very difficult.
2. They understand what they’re buying
A customer who doesn’t understand what they’re buying will not be a customer you can count on. Without understand there opens the door for fear in the need of purchase the good or service. Without understanding what they’re buying the customer will then think of every reason not to buy as a natural defense mechanism.
3. They perceive that the product or service will increase their productivity as well as profits.
Why do you sell? The self righteous may say because the world needs their goods and services in order to improve the ways of society. The truth is, you sell to make money. A salesman sells to make a profit. That truth is also the same truth for a customer. A customer purchases so they can have an advantage to increase their productivity and ultimately their profits. Take the modern cellphone as an example. A device no longer purchased for its simple means of telecommunications, but for its calendar features, its camera, its note taking, its mobile payment abilities, its access to the world via the internet and its access to even more tools of productivity through the App Store. Do you really believe the iPhone has customers paying $1,000 a phone because of “its design”?
To be a great salesman today, it requires one to take a step back and study the art of salesmanship. The art of salesmanship is not based in appearances and vanity, but in techniques, in effective communication, and personal connections. When you understand the three main reasons as to why a customer buys, you’re able to sell properly. When you sell properly, you not only increase value for yourself, you increase value for your customer. That is the art of salesmanship in its highest form.
