Sales—understand needs, play with needs, and performance soars. As a salesperson, how can you sell a product? Of course, the customer must have a need. This simple sentence seems obvious to everyone. Yet, among those in sales, some earn five-figure monthly commissions, while others linger in four figures. This is puzzling. So, many salespeople start 'working hard' to find 'easy-to-sell' products and customers with 'needs.' Three years pass, five years pass—why hasn't anything changed? Sales work really does have a surname, but it's not 'high income'; it's 'high frustration.' What's wrong? Is the opening sentence incorrect? Impossible! How can you sell a product without customer needs? Ha, a deadlock. Yes, 'needs' are the key to sales. That's certainly true. So you must understand them. If you misunderstand them, that's a matter of your level, and it's the root of all inefficient sales. First, a question: Who decides needs? Of course, the customer decides!—Yes, precisely because of this, many salespeople hit a dead end as soon as they go out: 'I heard the customer say it themselves, and it makes sense, so they definitely don't need it. Since they have no need, what's there for me to say?' But what if the customer is deceiving you? What if the customer hasn't discovered it themselves?—Then does the customer have a need or not? Another question: As soon as you arrive, the customer says they need it! You love that sound, but what is your professional essence then? That's a delivery person, not a salesperson, let alone marketing. Many people have the title of sales but no substance, so they can't do sales well, and their income naturally isn't that of a salesperson. Who Judges Needs? As a salesperson, the 'need' you want to hear must ultimately be voiced by the customer—that's correct. But at the start of sales, it may not be initiated by the customer. That is, at the beginning, whether the customer says 'no need' or 'need' is not final. Objectively, whether a customer has a need must be determined by the salesperson. Because this is your profession; you have 'big data,' while the customer has only a narrow view. You've seen many customers and know many 'narrow views.' As the saying goes, 'The seller is always smarter than the buyer.' Yes, as a professional, you should understand the customer better than they understand themselves, and be more adept at identifying customer needs. Unless you're a slacker who doesn't bother analyzing the needs of various customers, you're not a professional salesperson. So, since you're in sales, first you must understand customers, and even the market. Whether a customer needs something, you should have a scale in your mind—that's your professional level. Don't just listen to the customer saying 'no need' or 'few needs.' To achieve this, first, you need a professional mindset; it's your duty. You must understand why 'many customers' need it and why the market needs it. This isn't something you do only when meeting customers; it's your behind-the-scenes research and accumulation. Having first-hand data also gives you more confidence and conviction, so you won't be swayed by the customer's words. This is crucial. Second, when meeting a customer, don't easily conclude whether they want it or not. Because even though you have big data as support, you still need small data to build on. Small data refers to the specific situation of this individual customer, so at the start of sales, gather more information and ask questions. First, once you understand the customer, your subsequent need suggestions will be more convincing because the customer feels you understand them. Second, reasonable questioning can help customers gradually realize their own needs. Third, by understanding the customer, you know the characteristics and degree of their needs, and you can combine your big data to make a judgment. Fourth, by empathizing with the customer's current situation, you can present benefit scenarios more vividly and persuasively, since individual situations differ. In other words, professional salespeople are the 'judges' of customer needs; don't shirk that duty to the customer. The customer is only the 'decider' of their own needs. If you fail in your duty, of course you won't get the reward—that's only natural. Salespeople, What Exactly Are Needs? How should needs be judged? Why do so many sales experts consistently achieve high performance and income? Besides understanding big data and the reasons why customers need, as mentioned earlier, there's another more important point: before they grasp the reasons for customer needs, they already have confidence without needing reasons, and it's abundant—this is a key trait of sales experts, their core. I call it sales conviction. Because when they chose the sales profession, they already firmly believed that market demand is strong and sufficient; that was their initial intention. If a customer says 'no need,' they think, 'The customer is too careless.' They are strong, so they don't need customers to light them up; instead, they always light up customers. How can you know customers have needs without reasons? Don't be surprised; you can figure it out too. It just depends on whether you're a doer or a skeptic. The logic is simple. Would you believe someone doesn't want to become beautiful?—Go into cosmetics. Would you believe the public doesn't want money?—Go into loans. Would you believe people don't want to be richer?—Go into wealth management. Would you believe those with capital don't want to find good projects to invest in?—Go into investment promotion. Don't people worry about unexpected risks?—Go into insurance. Don't people want a better living environment?—Go into home improvement. Don't companies want more efficient management?—Go into management consulting. Don't companies want higher sales performance?—Go into training, and so on. High-performing salespeople believe in people's eager pursuit of a better life, work, or career. This needs no reason; it only requires firm conviction to build the salesperson's domain. So, no matter when or where, sales champions in every industry believe customers definitely have needs! What they need to do is gather information and then engage in effective sales communication with customers. The Desire to Purchase in Needs Many salespeople now understand that 'customers definitely have needs,' but they grumble: 'We have confidence, but customers have no desire?' Based on my 15 years in sales, I can tell you this is not something salespeople need to worry about. The desire to purchase—humans are born with it. Here's a common example: One summer evening after dinner, my wife and I agreed to go out for a walk to cool off, and we said we wouldn't bring our phones. My wife didn't bring her phone, but she still took 200 yuan. I said we weren't planning to buy anything, and she said something you can guess: 'Just in case we need to buy something.' See, people have a desire to purchase even when they don't know what they'll buy. People are always ready to buy. You're the same; even if you don't plan to buy when going out, you feel uneasy without money in your pocket. From another angle, why do people work so hard to earn money? To spend! Yes, in fact, a person's desire to earn money already proves their desire to purchase. Remember: the greater the desire to earn, the stronger the desire to buy. Even more extreme, people want to buy even without money, as evidenced by the rise of credit cards and consumer credit. So, as salespeople focused on consumer needs, never worry about whether customers have a desire to buy. Another scenario: I saw a man in a supermarket pushing a shopping cart already full, stopping and scratching his head. I asked if he needed help, and his answer really surprised me. He smiled and said, 'I'm thinking about what else I haven't bought, so I don't have to make another trip.' See, that's people's desire to buy—they're always concerned about whether they've bought enough or bought well. But the sales assistant standing nearby couldn't see that desire. If her supervisor asked her to recommend a product to this man, she'd surely say that customer has no need or desire. So, the foundation of sales is not to doubt people's desire to buy. Nowadays, whether it's the money-burning 'free model' or the massive 'big data marketing,' behind these huge operations is a firm belief in people's needs and immense desire to buy. With Needs and Desire, Why Don't They Buy? Yes, needs and desire account for 90% of purchase decisions, and they are already sufficient. Since you've chosen sales, don't harbor doubts. As for the remaining 10%, of course, salespeople must take some responsibility. People have needs and desire, so what are they ready to buy? Think about it, and you'll have the answer immediately. Right, when people see something beneficial to themselves, they decide to buy without being urged. In consumption, I call this 'self-interest'; in sales, I call it 'benefit-for-them.' Yes, when people see an item and think of a beneficial usage scenario for themselves, they'll want to possess it. The key is the latter part: 'a beneficial usage scenario for themselves.' If the customer has already thought of it, then there's no need for the salesperson to construct it; they are an obvious customer. But most customers, due to lack of information and expertise, haven't thought of it. So, the responsibility of constructing a 'benefit-for-them plan' falls to the salesperson. When the customer receives this 'self-interest plan,' they find that 10%, and they shift from self-protective refusal to immediate purchase for self-interest. So, the essence of sales is to use previously gathered customer information combined with professional knowledge to construct a benefit-for-them plan for the customer. Once, during a big cleanup, I decided to throw away some home decorations. As I went out, a neighbor saw them and said, 'Don't throw those away! They're treasures; they'd fit perfectly in my cabinet.' He insisted on paying me. See, whether an item is trash or treasure depends on whether there's a 'benefit-for-them plan.' Salespeople must understand that a product itself has no value—even if its quality is excellent—only a 'benefit-for-them plan' gives it value. So, the value of a salesperson lies in devising benefit-for-them plans, not just 'selling products.' This is the 'because it's useless, so it's useless' sales diagnostic model. When a customer says a product is useless, it's definitely because there's no usage plan, no self-interest plan. As a salesperson, don't lose your domain—the responsibility of constructing benefit-for-them plans. But many salespeople hand this 'work' to the customer, hoping the customer already has a self-interest plan. If you give up even this 10% of sales, are you still a salesperson? 'You happen to want to buy, and I happen to have it'—that's the work of a delivery person. Thoroughly Understand This—Benefit-for-Them Plans Always thinking about benefiting others is the greatness of salespeople. It also contributes positive factors and consumption power to society. Naturally, you'll be highly rewarded. This is a social law: a person's wealth depends on how many 'customers' they serve; customers are the objects of benefit-for-them. What are the core traits of a benefit-for-them plan? Let's break it down: The 'benefit' must be good, positive for the customer. But many unqualified salespeople are not positive; their minds are full of negativity and negative factors. So they can't empathize with customers and devise benefit-for-them plans. Because negative people habitually try to prove 'disadvantages.' Qualified salespeople are positive; they always strive to prove 'advantages.' They have a heart for benefiting others and a record of doing so, so they appear positive and prosperous, and they earn customer trust. Before obtaining sufficient information, they never 'fool' customers; after mastering information, they always come up with 'benefit-for-them' plans. This is their mindset, which makes customers' lives or work better. Their customers often marvel, 'Why didn't I think of that?' For example, if you sell high-quality TVs but don't notice the customer is blind and launch a flashy pitch, what happens? It hurts both of you. An excellent salesperson, upon learning the customer is blind, would care more about their love life. They'd suggest buying a TV as a gift for their non-blind girlfriend, who would surely be moved. Thus, they can 'watch' TV together, keeping love fresh. That's the benefit of a benefit-for-them heart! The 'them' must not be 'me.' Some salespeople are not 'great' from heart to expression; they always make customers feel that what they say is disadvantageous to them. These salespeople indeed always think about their own business and income. So, benefit-for-them also forms a temperament that makes sales infectious. Since it's 'them,' you need to understand the customer more, not just talk about yourself and the product. Many salespeople usually finish their product introduction or after the customer has understood, the customer says you can leave, and only then do they realize it's all over. So, to design a touching benefit-for-them plan, the foundation is understanding 'them'—customer information, customer's current situation—to gather the necessary information for the plan. Additionally, many salespeople often say 'our' company's product is great. Remember, customers never want to buy 'others' things; they very much want to buy things that belong to them. So, salespeople with insight handle this well: The product should naturally be yours, the customer's; the benefit should naturally be yours; you just overlooked it before, and I discovered it, so I'm seriously reminding you. That's the value of my work. As a salesperson, you're not recommending a product to the customer; you're finding a product for the customer, for their benefit. When the customer has objections, don't feel embarrassed for yourself; feel embarrassed for the customer. 'He has no money, no time, can't make decisions'—his interests are hindered; you should feel embarrassed for him.—'Yes, you must obtain that huge benefit (or solve that serious problem), but what will you do without the funds?' So, it's a problem the customer should think about for their own benefit, not a difficulty for the salesperson. In such a scenario, the customer will feel the pain of their immediate interests being blocked and will find a way to solve it themselves. Conversely, if the salesperson feels embarrassed for themselves, their problem becomes yours, and the benefit seems like yours too; that's not 'benefit-for-them.' Benefit-for-them includes 'benefit'—good, positive, interest; and 'them'—people are all for themselves, defending the customer's interests. A benefit-for-them plan is thinking comprehensively for the customer: how to use a product to defend your interests. The subsequent deal is the realization of the 'self-interest plan,' which comes naturally. So, salespeople's words should reflect the touching 'everything is for your good.' Conclusion Undoubtedly, the key to sales is customer needs. As professional salespeople aiming for high value and high income, you can't treat yourself as a delivery person. You must understand people's consumption 'needs' and be able to play with needs. Correctly understanding 'needs'—customers already have the desire to buy—salespeople just need to construct and communicate benefit-for-them plans. When we ourselves are customers with needs: we have the desire to buy, and as soon as we see something beneficial to ourselves, we take purchase action, thus completing the 'sale.' Article from: China Marketing Communication Network -END-