- Beauty
- Safety
- Security
- Youthfulness
- Confidence
- Power or control
- Dominance
- Comfort
- Health
- Dependability
- Speed
- Ease
- Knowledge
- Inclusion
- Fun and entertainment
At first glance, the headline of this article may not make sense to
you. “Pfft! Of course we buy products,” you think. “I just bought a
donut and coffee.” You read on a little further and then, “How to sell
them my product?” you wonder. “But you just said they don’t buy … .”
If this is confusing, keep reading. You will learn the most important thing any marketer or copywriter needs to know.
A Lot of Freakin’ Money …
In 2015, U.S. consumers spent $11 trillion. In the UK, it was £290
billion. And in Australia, it was $230 billion. But in large part, they
didn’t spend it on products or services.
That last sentence should make any small businessperson sit up and
pay attention: “If they aren’t buying products or services,” they should
be asking themselves, “what are they buying? And how can we sell it to them?”
Drills vs. Holes
In copywriting and marketing circles, you sometimes hear it said
that, “A man doesn’t buy the drill, he buys the hole.” This means, when a
man goes out to buy a drill, what he really exchanges his money for is
the ability to make holes easily, quickly, and cleanly.
He buys the idea that he can have these holes whenever he needs them.
He buys the idea that he can have them wherever he wants: indoors,
outdoors, at home, or far away from home.
Take it a step further: He buys not a drill but a feeling of confidence, knowing he can make holes.
Marketing and copywriting experts will advise you: “Don’t sell the
drill. Sell the hole.” That’s good advice but this may be even better:
“Don’t sell the drill or the hole. Sell confidence.”
What People Really Buy
You look around and see people wearing Prada. You see them wearing
Levi’s, Armani, Big Star, Bruno Magli, or Volcom. They drive BMWs or
Chevys. Some choose a Ferrari and some, a Hyundai, a Kia, or a Volvo.
They eat at McDonalds. Others eat at Chipotle, Ruth’s Chris, or Panera
Bread. They surf the ‘net on Macbooks or Android tablets or their PCs.
People do pay money—sometimes a lot of money—for cars, clothes, computers, and many other things. But the things
aren’t what they exchange their money for. People don’t want things,
items, or products. They will gladly pay money to have the following:
People buy products and services not for the things themselves but
for emotional reasons—to fulfill an emotional need rather than a
rational one.
How to Sell Your Product
Any product has certain features and certain benefits.
A lot of companies make the mistake of trying to sell their products
by emphasizing the features: a powerful motor, a superfast
microprocessor, expensive imported ingredients, etc.
People don’t buy features, they buy benefits: a stimulating driving
experience, ability to get work done faster, the delight of exotic
flavors, etc.
Features are rational; benefits are emotional. Sell by emphasizing benefits in your copy, as enumerated above.
This is a true and reliable datum when selling to consumers (B2C),
yet it can’t be said the same when selling to businesses (B2B). In the
B2B scenario, you can’t sell purely on the basis of benefits. You’ve got
to lean a bit more on features, statics, and evidence.
But even in B2C, you will eventually want to mention features in your
copy as consumers need some rational justification to support their
emotionally-based buying decisions.
So, in your copy, after your headline and lead,
focus on how your product gives the reader an easier life, a more
youthful face, a fatter bank account, a faster or safer commute, insider
knowledge, etc.
Then later in your copy, when you’re pretty sure you’ve made a
thoroughly persuasive benefit-driven pitch, you can add in data on
features like specifications (“Intel Pentium 3.2 Ghz dual-core processor
for music and graphics”), statistics (“zero to 60 in 4.7 seconds”),
exclusives (“the only smartphone with 10x optical zoom”), and even price
(“same effectiveness of the leading brand for 40% less”).
Here is a classic example of how this is done:
In 1974, the Wall Street Journal sent out a sales letter to
generate subscriptions. In it, they told the story of “two young men”
who “graduated from the same college” and who were “very much alike.”
Both ended up working at the same company, yet, at their 25th
college reunion, one man was the manager of a small department while
the other was the company’s president. Later, the letter implies that
one of the young men read the Journal.
With this story, the Journal appealed to the people’s desires for
knowledge and financial security (benefits). Then, further down in the
letter, after the benefits had been thoroughly driven home, the letter
enumerated the various sections of the paper and what it contained
(features).
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