Does your small business make your customers feel good?

Have you ever wondered why people buy products and services from you or anyone else for that matter? Why do people love an iPod, why do they buy a Rolex watch? The reason is always the same, it makes them feel good. It helps people to feel calm and secure, or superior - these feelings are deeply satisfying to all of us.

Is that the only motivation why people buy, I don’t think so. The other reason is to avoid feeling bad. Feeling bad may have to do with feeling pain, losing money, loosing business, being hassled, feeling guilty and so on.

Bottom line? If your product and service does not do one of the two, you may have a problem. ST.

6 Responses to “Does your small business make your customers feel good?”

1. Stuart Jones
   http://www.3ca.co.uk
   
   Said on November 28th, 2007 at 6:40 pm

   I agree with your final comment but in a consumer nation I think you’re better off being in the first group (making people feel good) than in the second( helping them avoid being bad).

   As accountants I feel well qualified to comment!

2. Mary Stanton
   http://www.altiss.co.uk
   
   Said on December 2nd, 2007 at 11:46 pm

   I guess as consumers were not as smart as we would like to think and we are always going to be driven by some pretty basic reactions - the urge to win and the fear of losing.
   Another way of looking at it - the desire for quality and positive benefit and addressing a basic need.

3. Robert Moore
   http://www.business-sale.com
   
   Said on December 4th, 2007 at 4:02 pm

   Another reason why people buy is in hope. Hopefully this will make my life better or hopefully this will help my business make more money… I guess it comes under the idea of trying to avoid feeling bad

4. Skip Anderson
   http://www.sellingtoconsumers.com
   
   Said on February 29th, 2008 at 3:47 am

   Stefan, I enjoyed your thoughts, and I mostly agree. Here’s my take on it: Avoiding pain feels good. So I believe the one over-arching buying motivation of customers is: to feel good. Hope feels good. Staying within a budget feels good. Treating yourself feels good. Pleasing your boss feels good. Looking good feels good. Buying wisely feels good. Etc., etc., etc. It all comes down to feeling good as an OVER-ARCHING motivation to buy. When you drill down further, however, you have other macro and micro needs, dependent upon the prospect and on the details of the moment.

5. Internet Marketing Services
   http://www.bringbuyers.com
   
   Said on May 18th, 2008 at 8:55 am

   Stefan-
   What do you think of this list of why people buy?
   Make note of #6.

   1. Desire for gain - usually financial, but also to gain
   in love, power, respect from other people.

   2. Fear of loss - usually financial, but also emotional.
   This trigger may tie to the loss of something already
   gained, or to the fear of not gaining something that
   is perceived as a need.

   3. Comfort and convenience - convince me that your
   product or service will make my life easier, simpler,
   more productive, more worthwhile.

   4. Security - will your product or service protect me, my
   loved ones, my assets, and reduce my fear of loss?

   5. Prestige and pride of ownership - although it may not
   be a psychologically healthy frame of mind, most
   people do attach self-worth to the ownership of
   exclusive material items (ie. Rolex watches, designer
   clothing, limited editions of anything.) Will I be proud
   to tell my friends that I own or use your product or
   service?

   6. Satisfaction of emotion - will your product or service
   make me ‘feel good’ about myself, my life, and the
   world I live in?

   List credited to Terry Telford.

6. Stefan Töpfer
   http://www.winweb.com
   
   Said on May 18th, 2008 at 9:37 am

   Love this list, very good comment, thank you very much.

   – Stefan

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