What Do Your Customers Really Desire?

I wanted to continue my blog from last week where I discussed “What Your Customers Want to Buy,” followed up by this week where the focus is on “What Do Your Customers Desire.”  These questions are incredibly similar because a lot of the focus is on the outcome, not exactly a product or service. Remember people buy on emotion and then they rationalize with logic AFTER they purchase.

That’s why what I’m about to tell you is REALLY cool and important. If you’re a student of Direct Response Marketing or a copywriter or a student of marketing, you’ve probably heard of Victor Schwab. If you haven’t, get on Amazon now and buy this book— How To Write A Good Advertisement

In the book, he has a ton of terrific stuff on how to write copy and ads that convert. The one thing that caught my eye and made a huge impact on me was on page 47 where he talks about showing people an advantage, yet it helps when you know what those advantages are.  So here’s his list of people’s desires and what they want to gain, be, do, and save:

1) People want to GAIN:

–      Health

–      Time

–      Money

–      Popularity

–      Improved Appearance

–      Security in old age

–      Praise from others

–      Comfort

–      Leisure

–      Proof of Accomplishment

–      Advancement- business, social

–      Increased enjoyment

–      Self-confidence

–      Personal prestige

2) People want to BE:

–      Good Parents

–      Social able and Hospitable

–      Up-to-date

–      Creative

–      Proud of their Possessions

–      Influential over others

–      Gregarious

–      Efficient

–      First in things

–      Recognized as authorities

3) People want to DO:

–      Express their personalities

–      Resist domination over others

–      Satisfy their curiosity

–      Emulate the admirable

–      Appreciate beauty

–      Acquire or collect things

–      Win other’s affection

–      Improve themselves generally

4) People want to SAVE:

–      Time

–      Money

–      Work

–      Discomfort

–      Worry

–      Doubts

–      Risks

–      Personal Embarrassment

My recommendation of what to do with these lists, is in your marketing promotion and copy, ensure that you tie into these advantages and focus on one or more things of what people want to gain, be, do, and save.  And if you can do that, they will buy from you.

I’ll leave you with this terrific quote from Napoleon Hill (and if you don’t know who he is- check out my here—Think and Grow Rich. book review. It was originally published in 1937) “There are no motives to action: Self-interest and fear.” So to me, he’s saying that people buy out of self-interest- to gain, be, do, and save and out of fear. Hence so much copy is fear-driven and focuses on our problems and that’s why everyone has the perfect solution for us because that’s how most of us think.  When asked what we want, it’s easier to know what we don’t want which then gets us to what we want… Happy thinking, discovering, and figuring out your customer’s desires!