My mom used to tell me, tongue in cheek, that I never wanted anything in my life- all I asked for was something I needed!! Think about it. We say, "I need a new car." "I need to go on vacation." "I need someone to clean my house." When was the last time you heard someone say, "I want a new pair of shoes." I bet even Amelda Marcos said, "I need a new pair of shoes."
As consumers we expound our purchases, at least in our own minds, as being something we need. As business owners, selling our products or services, we have been lulled into believing that customers are buying from us because they need what we have to offer. We are trying to meet the needs of our customers instead of focusing on meeting their wants.
If customers made purchase decisions based on need we would all be driving Model Ts and Henry Ford would have been right, "The buyer can have any color he wants so long as it's black."
People may buy a product kind due to need. However, they purchase a exact brand or from a obvious business based on wants. In other words, needs define the total market and wants define the market segments. For example, habitancy buy a watch because they need to know what time it is. One someone buys a Rolex because they want the status and reputation associated with owning a Rolex while someone else buys a Timex because they want dependability inexpensively.
It is often much easier to see the role wants play in purchase decisions when we're talking about consumer products. However, the idea is equally at play even in the business to business environment. Decision makers in the business world are the same habitancy that are buying based on wants in the consumer world. And no matter how logical the outside justification for need is, the factor(s) that tip the purchase scale are going to be wants.
Several years ago I needed to go for an ad division to design brochures and ads for the business I worked for. There were thousands of agencies across the country and hundreds within the market where I was that could have met that need. I wanted someone local who was big adequate to handle the projects but was small adequate that I would be a major client for them. It was those wants that drove my choice decision. someone else in my position may have wanted to work with the biggest and most prestigious division that would have taken their business. That someone would have superior a totally distinct division to meet the same basic need.
To successfully market your product or service, recognize a segment of the habitancy that has the need for your product but whose wants are not being met or are not being met well. Ask yourself these questions:
* What wants are my competitors filling?
* How can I meet a distinct set of wants?
* Does (or could) my product or service meet wants in the areas of speed, affordability, ease of way or use, level of service, prestige, or dependability great than my competitors?
Then design your marketing message to address these wants.
(c) 2003 Strategies-by-Design. May be reprinted with credits and contact information.
To Be successful Sell to Wants not Needs