At a business event I attended not too long ago, a successful businessman spoke about one of his biggest “ah-has” in his 30+ years in business. This insight not only changed the course of his business career, it helped him build several highly profitable businesses.
Early on, while he was running a pool cleaning business, he started wondering why people put up with all the time, money and hassles associated with owning a pool.
Then it came to him. He realized that his customers didn’t really want their pools.
What they actually want is to swim with their kids on a hot summer day… or they want the higher social status that a pool provides… or they want to throw pool parties with their friends.
In other words, they want the benefits of having a pool… not the pool itself.
Well, the same is true in your business.
Your clients want the benefits and end results that your products and services provide… not the actual products or services themselves.
Instead of telling clients about what you do or how you do it, you’ll get better results by focusing on the benefits that your clients get from working with you.
If you show prospects how you can help them get what they want, they’ll be much more likely to become clients.
As it turns out, the main reasons why people buy products & services fall into 4 big categories…
Category # 1 – Money & Time
People intuitively understand that time and money are valuable resources that we all need in order to live, work and play. That’s why people buy solutions that help them make more money, that save them money, or that help them get results in less time or with less effort.
Category # 2 – Health & Wellness
We all know that health is important, which is why people buy solutions that improve their health or that make them feel better physically.
Category # 3 – Relationships & Social
As human beings, we are not meant to live alone; our nature is to love and be loved; to form close bonds and relationships with others. We instinctively know that having rich, satisfying relationships with other people is not only important, but also deeply fulfilling.
That’s why people buy solutions that help them connect with others, that help them feel more popular, that make them feel more attractive, or that give them recognition, status or influence in the eyes of others.
Category # 4 – Pain & Pleasure
We are instinctively wired to seek pleasure and to avoid pain. People buy solutions that help them relieve pain (especially physical pain), that make them feel good, or that help them avoid discomfort, hassles and stress.
Find better ways to serve those natural human needs & desires through your products and services… and you will naturally attract clients to your business.
What needs can you satisfy? What problems can you solve? How can you help your clients get what they want? How can you better communicate the benefits they’ll get by working with you?
Share your ideas and insights below.
A very well-done article and quite informative. The bottom line to keep in mind for me is this:
To attract clients, find out what they need and desire, then how you can fulfill those needs.
“What needs can you satisfy? What problems can you solve? How can
you help your clients get what they want? How can you better
communicate the benefits they’ll get by working with you?”
This is my new mantra
Linda
To me, this seems to be your best post so far. Some of the other info I can get, and have gotten, a number of other places. But this info, not so much. Yes I have heard it, but not expressed so usefully: just enough information and with quick, useful examples!
I have been trying to figure where I want to go next – this gets my mind off the pool service business and into the underlying need business. What do I want to help others achieve for themselves? Thanks!
The four main reasons you elegantly outlined in your recent
message gave me so much clarity in my business success.
I suppose I new this all along, just like I know that in order to
be successful one must visualize the outcome and benefits
of that success, or else what’s the point of it in the first place?
This really changes the game for me as, now I can focus more
on leading people to get what they really want instead of pushing
my shiny …ahem… product on them.
Thanks for sharing.