Marketing Principle: People buy what they want – not what they need
Marketing 101: The marketing professors preach “Find a need and fill it”. Terrible advice! Don't you believe that crap. Of course the marketing professors have no skin in the game. They don’t need to market. They can afford to collect their salary and spread common lies.
If you took a marketing course, if you have an MBA or if you are studying marketing please challenge your professors. Your success depends on it.
Challenge your marketing professors to examine the difference between needs and wants.
“Professor I propose that people buy what they want – not what they need. It is not enough to find a need and fill it. Success in business is about understanding, filling and creating wants.”
Memorize that line. Rehearse it. Be prepared to deliver it to your marketing professors, marketing department and marketing agency. Then shut up and listen to what they say. Pay particular notice it they scrim or are vague with their answer. That should trigger alarm bells for you.
Unless you have the cure for cancer nobody needs what you sell. No one needs you, your company or your product. There are plenty of alternatives. So if that was the essence of your business plan to your bank – no wonder they turned down your request for a loan.
People buy what they want – not what they need.
Need more evidence?
Who needs to go to fitness clubs? Unfit people. Who joins? Fit people.
All dog owners need to go for obedience training. Why don’t they go? They don’t want to.
Nobody needs to go to Las Vegas. Yet why do so many go? Because they want to.
Who needs a big screen TV?
How many teenagers really need a cell phone?
Who needs a camera in their cell phone?
Who needs personalized ring tones for their cell phone?
Who needs to buy coffee from the drive through at Tim Hortons?
Who needs a Big Mac from McDonalds?
Get the picture? If you want to succeed in your business focus on wants not needs. Wants are about emotion. Wants are logical. And emotion beats logic every time.
Marketing principle: Sell to wants not needs.
George Torok
Marketing Specialist
Co-author of Secrets of Power Marketing
Author of Your Guide to Networking Success
1 comment:
Good morning.
When you know how to make what people wants you got the knowledge in your hands and make the right thing.
You need to use the Maslow theory, understand the market and be a great friend of costumers, so you can get the informations and apply correctly in your marketing strategy.
Have a nice day.
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