"Want Versus Need" - In the Sale Success Process

by Richard Tjomsland

Here is a little pinch of an epiphany, but one that can definitely increase your overall sales performance success if you learn how to recognize and use it to your advantage; and, it might mean the difference between your sales volume and your competing sales people. How many things in your life have you bought something that you did not need to buy, but the driving force was that you "wanted" the product?

A "want" can be an extremely driving force in your purchasing decision process.If it is strong enough, it will completely override whether you need the product or not. As a successful sales person, you need to be in tune to whether your prospect needs or wants your product. Once you determine that they really want a product, the sales experience will be much easier. You will simply play to their want. The "yes building" process will be focused on all of the reasons that "want" can be satisfied.

Generally, you will find the "want" desire is based on ego gratification, self-esteem, etc. In other words, it is about one upping the Jones'. When I had a boat in the Puget Sound, it was all about who had the most and tallest antennas on their boats. One person in our yacht club had so many antennas on his boat that I lost count and it only really made him the butt of our jokes. With my 40 year old son, it is all about who has the most horsepower and paid the most money for their car whether he will ever use that horse power or not. This can also be a sign of personal insecurity. Incidentally, I had just the antennas I needed to run my boat safely. :)

But, we are not here to search the souls of ours or other peoples insecurities. The real dilemma is whether we are pushing our prospect into something they just want. Well let me say, if you don't sell them your product, that same "want" will take them next door to your competitor. So, yours should not have to be making a moral decision as to what is best for them, the prospect is ultimately responsible for their own decisions, right or wrong.

In the mid-nineties, my wife and I went into the local Toyota dealership to buy her a new Toyota Camry loaded. The car was loaded not us. Unfortunately, the so called sales person found us exactly the car she wanted, larger engine, metallic green with gold package, leather seats, etc. He never asked us for the sale. So, we walked away. After we got in our car, I asked my wife if she would have bought the car if the salesman had of asked for the sale. She said, "yes" and I agreed. Now we both had a strong sales background so we knew the process. We drove out of the lot next door to the Mercedes dealership and bought a car from a sales person that understood that we had the "want" all he had to do was find the right car and ask for the sale.

They "want" your product. Sell them what they want or they will buy it from your competitor; and, please do not forget to ask for the sale.


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