"On a regular basis we discover interesting articles by other authors. These articles present ideas that we feel may be of benefit to you. Here is one such article." - Dave Kahle
5 Things Decision Makers Want You to Know
from The Brooks Group
When it comes to selling your product or service, salespeople need to know the decision maker has 5 Wants that must be met to guarantee the sale.
- The Primary Want
- The Provider Want
- The Product Want
- The Benefit Want
- The Price Want
Before we discuss each of these in detail there are some key points to understand.
First, these wants apply to decision maker "types." For example, corporate executives tend to share similar wants. Dentists typically have the same wants. CEOs, likewise, share similar wants. (The attached exercise sheet will help you and your salespeople create a profile of a decision maker type and their 5 Wants.)
Second, the key to unlocking all 5 Wants is to identify, understand and fulfill the Primary Want. That above all else is critical. In fact, if your salespeople only meet the Primary Want, they'll find themselves on a whole new level of trust and rapport with the customer.
Finally, these concepts do not apply only to new prospects. Rather, understanding and meeting a decision maker's Primary Want, regardless of how old the relationship is, can vastly improve your salesperson's position.
Let's examine each of the 5 Wants.
1. The Primary Want — This, more than anything else, is what the customer wants you to understand about them.
The Primary Want is what you would call, "below the surface." It's the real goal, aim and ambition of the decision maker. It's beyond the job; it's how the decision maker's job defines them.
Think about the Entrepreneur. They work in an environment where they chart the course and everything is dependent upon them. Whether their decisions mean success or failure, they usually don't have to answer to anyone. They are extremely attached to their business, thinking of it as an extension of themselves.
Most Entrepreneurs aren't trying to build financial empires for themselves. Most of them went into business to achieve a far more limited goal — a steady, respectable paycheck without having to tolerate a boss. They want salespeople to understand and appreciate what it is they do and how they do it. That is their Primary Want.
Contrast that with the Corporate Executive — those just below the Chief Executive level. They work in an environment which requires conformity, regulation and consensus. This is not the place for a risk taker because failed efforts and even successful changes have far–reaching impacts. A corporation has a bureaucracy in place that is necessary to protect the hundreds or thousands of employees, the board of directors, the stockholders, etc.
The Corporate Executive decision maker is therefore a cautious person, insulated by red tape and one who, given the environment, is unwilling and/or unable to make decisions without consent. Moreover, they are comfortable with the anonymity and steady growth the job provides. Their goal is to keep moving up without rocking the boat. They want a salesperson who can understand and meet this Primary Want.
To be blunt, in both cases you'll see that the decision maker isn't interested in the salesperson at all. However, that disinterest only lasts until the decision maker realizes the salesperson is tuned in to what they want.
They want the salesperson to help them with the business, yes. However, more importantly, they want the salesperson to know where they're coming from. The best way for a salesperson to communicate that is to tell the decision maker immediately, "I can appreciate how important calling your own shots is for you, Mr. Entrepreneur," or "I can understand how important teamwork is for you, Ms. Corporate Executive."
2. The Provider Want — This is how the customer wants you and your company to "be."
This is not a place for the marketing catch phrase, or company slogan. Decision makers don't care about that. They're interested in learning the sales organization's priorities, values and corporate culture to see if those characteristics mesh with their own.
For example:
"Our company…"
- Is flexible
- Recognizes your uniqueness
- Is committed to a team approach
- Is widely accepted
- Is marketing-oriented
- Is sensitive to business requirements
- Takes a cautious approach
- Respects what's important to you
- Doesn't pass judgment
- Is dedicated to innovation
- Is one you can count on
- Is sales–oriented
- Focuses on sound internal procedures
- Is tough–minded
- Believes in plain talk
- Respects your expertise
- Won't get carried away
- Doesn't make extravagant claims
The key to meeting the Provider Want is letting the decision maker know that you are tuned in to what they want and that your organization will work with them in a way that coincides with their philosophy, work ethic, and direction.
3. Product & Service Want — This is how the customer wants to perceive your product or service.
Defining your offering so that it complements the decision maker's Primary Want and Provider Want is crucial. It isn't enough to have a product or service whose features merely are what the decision maker needs. Again, the standard marketing or company phrase won’t work every time. The message has to be tailored for the particular decision maker so they see, and accept as fact, the link between what is being offered and what they want.
For example:
"Our product/service…"
- Is responsive to change
- Isn't a departure from what you're doing
- Is scientifically designed and developed
- Isn't theoretical or abstract
- Is sophisticated
- Is capable of quick implementation
- Makes quick action possible
- Is popular with the mainstream
- Is completely proven
- Has a large customer install base
- Operates predictably
- Adapts to all kinds of changes
- Makes up for what you haven't learned yet
- Eliminates the human factor
What the decision maker wants in a product or service is a solution, yes. However, in order to appeal to that Product Want, a salesperson has to avoid the temptation of describing their offering as they always do. They have to deviate from the norm and think about how to describe their offering in a way which allows the particular decision maker in front of them to perceive it as being in line with their Product Want.
4. Benefit Want — This is the outcome the customer wants more than any other.
Don't expect decision makers to have Benefit Wants that enhance profitability or offer a faster production cycle, better cash flow, or anything along those lines. The specific benefits your product or service delivers must be perceived under a generalized benefit. That generalized benefit is always going to be personal, below the surface, emotional, perception–oriented, and not tied to any specific product or service because it's a want, not a need. That's why it's generalized.
For Example
"The overall benefit here is…"
- Control
- Order that reflects your wishes
- Results everyone accepts
- Nothing you have to apologize for
- You'll impress the right people
- Significant success
- Controllable progress
- No guesswork
- It puts everything in proportion
- Balance
- It preserves your department's integrity
- There's no outside interference
- No need to justify your service
- Repeatable events
- You'll get people to listen to what you say
- You can make a permanent statement
What you can see is that some of these mean essentially the same thing. However, they speak to different decision makers more directly. In fact all of these statements can be addressed directly to the decision maker; "You'll have more control," etc. That’s because the salesperson is keying in on their Benefit Want. That goes beyond the specific benefits from using the product or service. It addresses the personal benefit the decision maker is going to get. Essentially, what it will do for them.
5. Price Want — This is how the customer wants to perceive your price, not the price itself.
Appealing to the decision maker's Price Want can put the salesperson in a position where the price is perceived as at worse, reasonable and at best, a bargain. That's because the salesperson doesn't hit them with any major "here it comes" statement. They simply apply what they've learned from the four previous wants to meet the Price Want.
For example:
“You'll find our price…”
- Is equivalent to (Ex: a cup of coffee)
- Is in line with the industry
- Is within the mainstream
- Makes a favorable economic impact
- Provides a high ROI
- Is easily defensible
- Is fair to even the most demanding observer
- Is nothing extravagant
- Sensible
- Isn't subject to wide swings
- According to formula
- Is directly related to the benefits
- Is prudent
- Is easy to get approval for
- Is easily justified
How the decision maker perceives your price and what your price is are two separate issues; the want and the number. Positioning the price as giving the decision maker what they want puts the number in context for them. The salesperson can't assume the customer will make that leap though, without putting it into words. Once they articulate the Price Want, the number is then acceptable because it is defined by the want.
Identifying these 5 Wants gives salespeople the opportunity to position each aspect of the sale in a way that's most appealing to each individual prospect. Here's how it works:
Primary Want positions everything that happens
Provider Want positions your company
Product or Service Want positions your features
Benefit Want positions your benefits
Price Want positions your price
Identifying, understanding and meeting these 5 Wants are all functions of perspective. The salesperson must understand where the decision maker is coming from, what their priorities are, what their values are, and what their work ethic is. The salesperson then has to communicate to the decision maker that they share that perspective, or at least understand it.
We've attached an exercise sheet to help you and your salespeople create a profile of a decision maker type and their 5 Wants.
The ideas in this article were taken from Perfect Phrases for the Sales Call by Bill Brooks, founder and CEO of The Brooks Group.
The Brooks Group is a world–renowned leader in sales and sales management training, development and retention systems. To contact The Brooks Group go to www.brooksgroup.com or call us at: 1-800-633-7762.
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