Selling is not selling, it is solving problems and satisfying needs

You will find six different definitions for the word “sell” if you look up the word in the dictionary. Six. However, none of them will give you the actual meaning of the word you need if you really want to maximize your sales efforts or those of your staff.

So what is selling?

Selling is solving problems by satisfying someone’s needs.

Regardless of the product or service you sell, your customers and clients come to you in the hope that you can solve their problem. Of course, they don’t always see it that way, and all too often you or your staff don’t recognize it either.

If you really want to fully understand the sales process, one of the best ways to do that is to look at it from the buyer’s perspective. What problem (need) do they expect you to solve? Where does it originate? And what are the main motivating factors that drive the need for that particular buyer?

To do this, it would be helpful to have at least a basic understanding of Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs”: self-actualization, esteem, love, security, and physiology. Maslow writes that all human behavior is motivated by unmet needs that fall into one of these general categories. Therefore, the purchase is motivated by a need based on one of the previous elements of the Maslow hierarchy.

For our purposes, we can group most, if not all, of your clients’ needs and Maslow’s hierarchy into two different categories:

Physiological needs: basic needs like air, water, food, sleep, etc. For the most part, these are needs one cannot live without.

Psychological needs: love, esteem, self-recognition, recognition of others, acceptance.

Think about the products you sell and which of Maslow’s categories motivates the need for your product.

For a deeper understanding, I suggest you check out Maslow’s “Hierarchy of Needs” on Google and read more. The theory is not that complicated and should be a “must read” for anyone who makes a living selling.

Sell ​​benefits, not features.

Well, now that you understand that your customer has needs, you need to know how to meet them. You satisfy their needs (solve their problems) by giving them (selling) the “benefits” of your product that go directly to solving their problems, not trying to sell them “features” that have little or no value according to your customer’s needs. .

For example, if you sell cars and your prospect is a young married couple with carpet rats in tow, you probably don’t want to show them all the fancy features of that really fancy two-door two-seater. sports car. This feature-packed beauty can mean a good commission for you if you can get them to do it. But it probably won’t be of any benefit to the couple if their needs are a family sedan or minivan to take the family to and from the neighborhood kids to school when it’s their carpool week.

We often see sellers trying to sell something to their customers because it meets more needs of the seller than the customer. A higher commission, old merchandise that needs to be moved, does not have the right product, or any other reason will motivate a seller to try to sell something that does not solve the problem the customer was hoping to solve. This, all too often, ends up with a dissatisfied customer.

The next time you’re waiting for a customer, think of yourself as a problem solver. Try to solve your problems by matching your needs with the product with the best features that provide real benefits to meet your needs. Solve your customers’ problems and it will be beneficial to both of you.

Remember this and you will close more sales.

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