Why do people buy? In order to survive
Of course, when someone buys a pair of shoes or an iPhone case or a software subscription, they don’t do that because their life is at risk.
And yet, that is the very reason that evolution has trained us to acquire things.
Used to be, we’d acquire things like ‘thatched leaves to keep us dry in the jungle’ or ‘club for hunting’, and we no longer need things like that.
But, our subconscious – the lizard brain – doesn’t know the difference.
It just wants things for us that make us happy and keep us alive.
This mandate the subconscious runs on – keep ‘em safe, keep ’em happy – has kept us alive for millennia, and it has a ridiculously powerful influence on the decisions we make.
Now usually when we talk to a buyer, we don’t go deep enough.
We stay on the surface.
“Oh, you have this or that problem? Great! That’s exactly what I solve. Sign here?”
Your buyer hears that, rationally thinks it sounds good, but then the irrational subconscious steps up and says “Not so fast”.
No sale.
If however you can have a conversation with your buyer about the deeper reasons for wanting to solve the problem they have, you’ll find that people buy in to your solution of their own accord.
Enrolling a buyer gets easier the more you explore what ‘avoid threat and risk’, and ‘move towards well-being’ looks like for them.
I learned a really handy framework from a guy called Taki Moore, to help you map that psychological pain vs pleasure principle, to clear insights you can discuss with your buyers:
1: Safe from harm
Ask yourself:
What are three fears your buyer has… what are they afraid of?
What is one large, big frustration they have, that they want to end?
2: Towards well-being, safe from harm
Ask yourself:
What are three wants they have… what three outcomes do they desire?
What is one large aspiration they have… how will they or their life change?
These four questions are powerful, powerful tools in your toolkit.
You can use them at any time: before a meeting, when you review a meeting – or even during a meeting, and ask your buyer.
You’ll be amazed what kind of conversation you can have, and how much people will buy in, when you take the time to really learn what people want, and want to avoid… especially if you identify the subconscious aspects of their purchase motivators.
