Buyer Motives for Salespeople

Knowing buyers’ motivations means making an effective sales strategy would be easier.

This would also result in more deals being closed by understanding their:

• Motivations
• Interests
• Inclinations

There are ways to find buying motives that drive most purchases.

So in this blog post, we will learn essential buying motives you need to know for your sales efforts.

Let’s dive right in.

What is Buyer Motivation?

Buyer motivations are elements of influence on customers’ buying decisions.

If a customer makes a purchase or not, comes down to certain:

• Thoughts
• Feelings
• Instincts

You need to first understand the three main stages in the buyer’s journey, which are:

• Awareness: Buyer becoming aware of a need or problem
• Consideration: Buyer gathering information about solving their problem
• Decision: Consumers making a buying decision or moving to another product to solve their needs

After learning this, you can guide consumers through each stage in their buyer’s journey to increase the chances of closing a deal.

Buyer Motivations

• Need
• Acceptance
• Fear
• Health
• Impulse
• Pleasure
• Financial Gain
• Aspiration

Need

Need is the most immediate buyer motive.

If you can solve a prospect’s problem, they’ll consider your offer.

Usually buyers aren’t fully aware of issues from their situation.

So don’t approach prospects assuming they understand everything they need.

And if prospects feel they don’t have a need, inspire one.

Meaning some buyers know their problems, your product or service and potential solutions but others need guidance so:

• Raise awareness of their issue
• Explain how it applies to their situation
• Walk them through how you can solve it better than others

Acceptance

Acceptance as a buyer motive, is when prospects want to buy a product or service because everyone else is buying it as well.

This motivation affects people of all ages and is the buyer motive behind most fads.

This is why certain products or services:

• Generate quick interest
• Develop rapid expanding followings

Prospects want to be part of the movement and don’t want to miss out so they buy in and show off.

Fear

Fear is powerful at making people take action in sales.

That’s why many companies use scare tactics to create urgency.

This buyer motive tactic seems cheap or unethical, but it’s very effective.

This involves highlighting fears that prospects might be ignoring.

Health

Consumers want to protect their well-being.

So informing prospects of ways your product or service can help them live better or longer, will make them want to learn more.

Remember when it comes to selling based on health, offer legitimate demonstrations to prove your claim.

That means having concrete, compelling evidence showing your product or service’s benefits to consumers’ wellbeing.

Because showing that your offer helps a relevant, urgent health concern, will help you sell effectively.

Impulse

Not everyone gives purchases a lot of thought before making them.

Impulse buying is based on excitement so if you want people to buy based on this motive, create excitement around your product or service.

For example, a compelling deal using promotional pricing tactics like flash sales can start potential impulse buys.

Acceptance and impulse can work together.

For example, if buyers see others buying a product or service, they will join them without thinking if they need what they’re buying.

Pleasure

Consumers make purchases that aren’t essential as well because they want to enjoy themselves

Sometimes buying products and services they want and don’t need.

So only try to sell luxury products or services using this motive.

For example, buyers are shopping for pleasure when looking for home decor or designer sandals.

But if a buyer is looking for insect repellant for an ant problem in their house then it’s not for pleasure.

Financial Gain

Prospects spend money to make money, mainly in B2B sales.

Their motive is to buy your product or service to improve business operations, like:

• Boost employee productivity
• Generate more revenue
• Reduce unnecessary expenses

So selling to prospects using this motive, you need authority and actual results.

Do this by showing businesses or customers that gained financially from using your product.

Remember these prospects have more at stake, so you need to build trust before they invest in your product or service.

This can be done by showing:

• Legitimate results
• What they can expect from doing business with you

Aspiration

Consumers also buy products or services based on aspirations for self-improvement, like:

• Purchasing gym memberships
• Subscriptions to online courses

So to sell to a buyer motivated by aspiration, tell them about the results they can obtain after their purchase.

For example, if you’re selling online coursework or paid online certifications, tell prospects:

• How your product can bolster their resume
• The benefits for their career development

Self-improvement needs determination and to use this motive, show prospects what they need to be determined about.

Emotional vs. Rational Buying Motivations

Buying motivations are split into two categories, emotional and rational:

Emotional Buying Motives

Consumers are motivated to buy because:

• It might bring comfort
• Boost their status with peers

So these motivations are based on personal satisfaction which often ends in impulse buys.

Rational Buying Motives

Rational buying motives are based on logic and reasoning.

Consumer think about certain factors before making buying decisions, like:

• Durability
• Safety
• Price

The above mentioned are only a few examples of certain buying decision factors.

Conclusion

When you understand buyer motivations, it can help take your customers towards buying your product or service.

And you can better target your audience in a meaningful and engaging way.

Now it’s over to you.

Tell me how you find your buyers motives and use them to close for sales.

Let me know in the comment section below.