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<\/a><\/p>\nDoes this sound intriguing? Read on to learn more about the eight buyer motives every salesperson needs to know, as well as my own top tips for how to navigate emotional and rational buyer motivations.<\/p>\n
Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n If I\u2019ve learned anything over the course of my marketing and sales career, it\u2019s that people are complicated. The people buying your goods or services are motivated by a complex range of thoughts, feelings, and instincts, and these buyer motivations work together to influence your customers\u2019 purchasing decisions.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also important to note that these diverse buyer motives come into play throughout the customer journey<\/a>.<\/p>\n Specifically, there are three main stages in the customer journey:<\/p>\n At each stage of this journey, it\u2019s up to you as the salesperson to understand your customer\u2019s motivations. Then, you can use that understanding to effectively communicate the value of your offering, guiding the customer through their journey toward a closed deal.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>If you\u2019re not sure where to start, these free Customer Journey Map Templates<\/a> can help you outline your company\u2019s customer journey and experience from start to finish.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Below, I\u2019ll walk through eight of the most common buyer motives to consider, including both emotional and rational motivations.<\/p>\n Need might be the most immediate buyer motive. After all, if a prospect has an urgent problem and you can solve it, they\u2019re inherently going to be motivated to consider your offering.<\/p>\n Of course, people aren\u2019t always aware of their needs. You\u2019re more likely to be able to capitalize on your buyer\u2019s needs if they recognize the full spectrum of potential issues that can stem from their situation.<\/p>\n If you approach interactions with prospects assuming that they already have a comprehensive understanding of everything they need, you\u2019re liable to miss out on a lot of opportunities.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Steve Jobs once said<\/a>, \u201cA lot of times, people don\u2019t know what they want until you show it to them.\u201d The same principle applies to what people need: Prospects don\u2019t always recognize a need until you show them one.<\/p>\n Some buyers will already have a clear-cut picture of their problems and how your product or service could address them \u2026 but others might need a little more guidance. As a salesperson, it\u2019s my job to raise my prospect\u2019s awareness of an issue, explain how that issue applies to their situation, and demonstrate how my offering can address it better than anyone else.<\/p>\n Imitation may be the greatest form of flattery, but it\u2019s also an important buyer motive. When a buyer doesn\u2019t have a direct need for a product, but they\u2019re still motivated to buy it because everyone around them seems to want it, that\u2019s imitation at work.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>You may think of peer pressure as exclusive to young people, but research from Washington State University<\/a> shows that people of all ages are susceptible to FOMO, or \u201cfear of missing out.\u201d<\/p>\n Imitation is the underlying buyer motive that drives many consumer fads. When a certain product or service rapidly becomes popular, people won\u2019t want to miss out on the movement, so they\u2019ll be motivated to buy it out of the desire to imitate those around them.<\/p>\n Beyond fear of missing out, there are many other ways in which fear can serve as a powerful catalyst for action. That\u2019s why so many companies lean on scare tactics \u2014 whether subtle or overt \u2014 to create urgency behind their messaging and sales efforts.<\/p>\n While this may seem unethical, there are contexts in which speaking to people\u2019s fears can be entirely justified.<\/p>\n For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently launched an ad campaign with the slogan \u201cClick It. Don\u2019t Risk It.\u201d<\/a> to encourage people to buckle up when driving. The campaign emphasizes the very real danger of car crashes, using scary images and statistics to illustrate the importance of wearing a seat belt.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> I\u2019ve learned that it\u2019s important to balance leveraging buyers\u2019 reasonable fears with avoiding unethical, manipulative marketing strategies.<\/p>\n As with other motives, buyers may not initially realize that they\u2019re facing a risk that they should be afraid of. While I never recommend stoking fears unnecessarily, effective salespeople can highlight the real downsides of not buying their product or service to raise valid concerns that their prospects may not have recognized otherwise.<\/p>\n According to a recent study<\/a>, health and wellness is the number one driver of Americans\u2019 home-related purchasing decisions. Many consumers prioritize their health above all else \u2014 and they\u2019re willing to buy products and services that promise to protect it.<\/p>\n As such, if you can emphasize that your product or service will help people live healthier, longer lives, that can help you capitalize on this important buyer motive.<\/p>\n Of course, you can\u2019t just say<\/em> that your product will make people healthier. The key to selling based on health is to offer a concrete, legitimate demonstration of the health benefits. Whether it\u2019s a testimonial from a doctor, statistics from a study, or some other form of evidence, you\u2019ll need compelling proof to establish exactly how your product benefits consumers\u2019 well-being.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>If you show that your offering addresses a relevant, urgent health concern, you\u2019ll be in an excellent position to sell effectively.<\/p>\n Take it from me: People don\u2019t always give a ton of thought to the purchases they make. While some decisions are the result of careful deliberation, we all fall under the spell of impulse purchasing now and then.<\/p>\n When consumers get caught up in the heat of the moment and buy for the sake of buying, that\u2019s the result of the impulse buyer motive.<\/p>\n Impulse buying is rooted in excitement. Luckily, as a salesperson, you don\u2019t have to just sit around hoping that your prospects will get excited about your offering \u2014 you can take steps to generate that sense of urgency proactively.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>Promotional pricing<\/a> tactics like flash sales or limited-time-only deals can be powerful tools to drive impulse buys.<\/p>\n In addition, I\u2019ve found that imitation and impulse can often go hand in hand. After all, if buyers see their peers embracing a product or service, they might be inclined to jump on the bandwagon without fully considering whether they really need what they\u2019re buying.<\/p>\n Some purchases are driven by needs. But, in other cases, people are motivated to buy products or services simply for entertainment or pleasure. These nice-to-have purchases may be less essential, but buyers can still be highly motivated to make them.<\/p>\n After all, we all like to enjoy ourselves. So, from time to time, we all like to buy things just because we want to.<\/p>\n In general, I\u2019ve learned that this buyer motive is most relevant for products or services that are seen as luxuries. Of course, what counts as luxury can be highly subjective, but most of us can at least make a pretty solid guess based on intuition.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> To sell to buyers motivated by pleasure, it\u2019s often helpful to cast your product or service as a luxury.<\/p>\n For example, if someone is shopping for home decor or a new pair of designer sandals, their priority is probably pleasure. The same can\u2019t be said for someone looking for insect repellant to deal with their house\u2019s ant problem or for a plumber to deal with a flooded basement.<\/p>\n Especially when it comes to B2B sales, buyers are more willing to spend money if the solution lets them make money. In these cases, the prospect\u2019s main motive is to leverage your product or service to improve their own business operations. For example, they might be looking to purchase a tool that will help them boost employee productivity, generate more revenue, or eliminate unnecessary expenses.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re selling to a prospect with this motive, you should share quantitative metrics that illustrate the results and outcomes you can offer. Remember: Show, don\u2019t tell. I\u2019ve found that referencing similar businesses or current customers that have seen significant financial gains by leveraging your product can be a highly effective strategy for financially motivated prospects.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Put financially-driven buyers at ease by sharing cold, hard facts that illustrate exactly what they can expect if they do business with you.<\/p>\n Prospects motivated by financial gain typically have more at stake than those who are just buying a product to avoid missing out on a hot new trend. That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to convince them they\u2019ll be in good hands if they invest in your product or service.<\/p>\n The last buyer motive that I think is important to consider is aspiration. Some consumers are driven to buy because they aspire to improve themselves. They want to change for the better, and they are willing to spend money to make it happen.<\/p>\n Purchases like gym memberships and subscriptions to online courses, for instance, generally aren\u2019t made out of fear or the pursuit of pleasure. On the contrary, they are motivated by people\u2019s sincere ambition to better themselves.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> If you\u2019re selling to a buyer motivated by aspiration, the key is to emphasize what they could achieve \u2014 and who they could become \u2014 if they opt to make a purchase.<\/p>\n For example, if you\u2019re selling online coursework or paid online certifications, let your prospects know how your product can help bolster their resumes. You can even share testimonials from satisfied customers that highlight how helpful your offering has been for their career development.<\/p>\n At the end of the day, self-improvement requires determination. So, if you want to capitalize on this buyer motive, you\u2019ll need to show your prospects something to be determined about.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Clearly, there are many different kinds of buyer motives. But in general, I\u2019ve found that motivations for buying can be grouped into two main categories: emotional motives and rational motives.<\/p>\n When prospects are driven primarily by emotional buying motives, it means that they are motivated to buy something because of how they think the purchase will make them feel. For example, a buyer motivated by the need to feel respected among their peers would be considered emotionally motivated.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>To sell to emotionally-motivated buyers, it can be helpful to focus on the emotional benefits of your product or service.<\/p>\n In my experience, emotional marketing<\/a> tactics such as telling a compelling story and creating a sense of community can be great ways to engage with more emotionally-motivated buyers.<\/p>\n In contrast, rational buying motives are driven by logic and reasoning. What are examples of rational buying motives? These buyers are likely to consider factors such as durability, safety, and price before making a buying decision.<\/p>\n Pro tip:<\/strong> Rationally-motivated buyers are more likely to be convinced by quantitative facts and evidence than by a more emotional sales pitch.<\/p>\n There are a wide range of sales tactics<\/a> that can be effective when selling to more rationally-driven buyers, from doing extensive research to understand the prospect\u2019s needs to quantifying the benefits of your offering in terms of time or dollars saved.<\/p>\n Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n To illustrate the differences between emotional and rational buying motives, it\u2019s helpful to consider a pair of examples. So, let\u2019s imagine a consumer looking to purchase a car.<\/p>\n If the consumer is rationally-motivated, the process might look something like this: They first spend time conducting extensive research on factors like fuel economy, safety, and durability.<\/p>\n Then, they identify a specific used vehicle at a local dealership that meets their ideal specs and budget, and despite its lack of fun features like power windows or a stereo, they buy the car. This purchase is based on concrete need and practical utility, making it a highly rational purchase.<\/p>\n In contrast, an emotionally-motivated purchase might look more like this: A consumer already owns a car, but stops by the local dealership to check out a new line of convertibles. They didn\u2019t plan to buy anything, but they saw a car that they immediately decided was the car of their dreams.<\/p>\n They take it for a test drive, and they love how it rides. They imagine how cool they would look driving along the Pacific Coast Highway with the top down, wearing a scarf, aviator sunglasses, and leather gloves. They get so excited that they buy the car on the spot.<\/p>\n Most purchases fall somewhere between these extremes \u2014 but these examples capture the essence of the two categories: Emotional motivations include feelings such as pleasure, vanity, comfort, or prestige, while rational motivations tend to be based on factors like budget, safety, and durability.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n In my experience, it\u2019s rare for a buyer to be 100% rational or 100% emotional. Instead, real-world buying decisions are most often a combination of both.<\/p>\n As sales expert Sander van Dongen<\/a> explains<\/a>, \u201cRather than viewing emotions and logic as opposing forces, it\u2019s more accurate to consider them as complementary elements that together form a powerful combination in consumer decision-making.\u201d<\/p>\n He argues that \u201cemotions create the initial desire to buy, while logic provides the necessary justification to validate the purchase.\u201d As such, van Dongen suggests that \u201ceffective marketing strategies harness both these elements.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, this can be a tricky tension to navigate as a salesperson or business owner. Restaurant Manager at Deschutes Brewery Ryan McCargo<\/a> recognizes this challenge in his own work, reflecting<\/a> that \u201cthe balance between rational and emotional approaches within a marketing campaign can be daunting.\u201d<\/p>\n According to McCargo, being rational is best when you want to illustrate the usability and functionality of the campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re ready to communicate the campaign’s purpose and connect it to its place within the wide world, that is when to clutch your emotional pearls,\u201d McCargo says.<\/p>\n McCargo notes that people like to see rationality when asking, \u201cWhat makes this product good\/quality?.\u201d They need emotional connection to pull the trigger on the question, \u201cWhy is this product good for me?\u201d<\/p>\n At the end of the day, we are all only human \u2014 and humans are naturally both emotional and rational. Rather than attempting to classify every prospect as motivated exclusively by just one factor, I\u2019ve learned that effective salespeople embrace the nuance and complexity of their customers\u2019 diverse motivations.<\/p>\n\n
What is buyer motivation?<\/h2>\n
The Customer Journey<\/h3>\n
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1. Need<\/h3>\n
2. Imitation<\/h3>\n
3. Fear<\/h3>\n
4. Health<\/h3>\n
5. Impulse<\/h3>\n
6. Pleasure<\/h3>\n
7. Financial Gain<\/h3>\n
8. Aspiration<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nEmotional vs. Rational Buying Motivations<\/h2>\n
Emotional Buying Motives<\/h3>\n
Rational Buying Motives<\/h3>\n
Example: Two Kinds of Car Buyers<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nA Rational Buyer Example<\/h4>\n
An Emotional Buyer Example<\/h4>\n
When can rational and emotional buying motives overlap?<\/h2>\n
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