Marketing Series Article Look for the Motive! Why do they buy? by Dick Barnes, Principal, The Freeland Group In our last column, we discussed Marketing as a series of communications beginning with the consumer research that enables us to listen to prospective consumers. We do this in order to discover what they want or need. Without this vital information we are rolling the dice as to whether the product or service we intend to offer might be marketed successfully. There are plenty of historic examples of companies that went ahead with projects based on intuition, and were successful in their efforts. There are far more examples of companies that failed. There are also examples of firms that did extensive research, yet failed because they looked for the incorrect consumer motivations in their research. The “New Coke” product release from Coca-Cola was a prime example. The company’s extensive taste testing research proved conclusively that consumers preferred the taste of the new formula. It seemed to be a pretty simple decision, based on that one aspect, and the New Coke was placed in production. The product was not only a flop; there was an unprecedented backlash against the company. What the researchers failed to study were the real reasons a consumer chose Coca-Cola over other brands. Subsequent research found that consumers had an emotional connection to the drink; a connection based more on nostalgia and sentiment than on physical attributes. Coca-Cola had been an all-American icon which consumers had grown up with. It was this important aspect of the product that researchers failed to even note existed. They simply looked at the product with too narrow a definition of what it did for the consumer. Today, much of Coca-Cola’s advertising is based on reminding the audience that Coke is a part of the American culture, as well as part of the spread of that culture around the world. The company now understands that even a soft drink is a product with many facets. But is this a factor inherent within the product, or is it a factor of human nature and the motivations that drive us? Most marketers agree that products may have complex meanings, but it's people who attach those meanings to the products. Good marketing begins with going all the way back to basic human needs, both physical and emotional, and in realizing that those needs can be complex and difficult to uncover. It brings us back around to the subject of communications, without which we may never understand the important needs our products can help satisfy. This idea seems pretty basic when we are discussing consumer purchases that address human vanity, the need for acceptance or love, health products, even clothing. Few would argue that firms dealing with these types of products will only succeed if they understand the emotional needs of the buyer as well as the physical attributes of the product. But what about those of us who deal in business-to-business marketing? We probably don’t move out too many lift trucks because they are sexy. Shelf systems don’t fly out the door because the customer needs to have the latest style. Batteries, tires, and lubricants don’t sell themselves because your customer is trying to keep up with the neighbors. Obviously, business buyers simply look for the most durable, the most trustworthy, and the most efficient products they can get for the price. Yea, right...so why do office furniture manufacturers compete by using more and more attractive products in a variety of colors and designs? Why are so many business-to-business transactions conducted over lunch with people who feel comfortable with each other? And why are branding and imaging just as important in business-to-business marketing as they are in a retail grocery? The underlying emotions and human needs that drive business purchases are just as important as they are in any other type of purchase. They are simply addressed differently. This is something marketing folks have understood for some time. A good salesperson not only understands these issues, but also seems to have a nearly intuitive grasp for finding people’s needs and using those needs to motivate them. The complex sales situation, where there are a number of decision-makers who must all buy-in to the product, can be a most challenging one for a salesperson. On the surface, it may seem a simple matter of demonstrating to each decision-maker how wonderful the product is. But scratch the surface and you will find a complicated web of motivational forces. The experienced salesperson quickly uncovers who might act as the “champion” of the product. This is the person who is sold on the product and puts their weight behind making the purchase. There may be a number of places to find champions. Let’s use machine tools as an example. The foreman in the shop might see a new line of machine tools as a necessity to keep the shop moving smoothly and to speed production. Faster production makes him look better which will increase his value to the firm. His motivation is obvious and this makes him an easy champion for the salesperson to groom. A company financial officer, on the other hand, wants to see the old machines zeroed out on the ledger before they are replaced. His star may seem somewhat dimmer to upper management if numbers indicate machinery that still has book value is being scrapped. This person will probably be an “obstacle” rather than a “champion” or even a “neutral.” Which one has greater authority? Probably the financial officer. The CEO, however, is expecting a weeklong visit from a group of possible merger partners from overseas. He notes that the new machines will make the shop look brighter, cleaner, more modern and can’t help but impress his guests. The Vice-president, more in tune to the culture of their visitor’s homeland, feels they would be more impressed by a firm that uses up old equipment completely. He’s also feeling there may be a chance at getting the CEO’s job in a few years if the merger partners are aware of this philosophical difference. On one hand, he would like to block the purchase on principal. On the other hand he could let the purchase happen, then let the newcomers know he had been against it. And yet, at the same time, he feels a certain pride in the thought of being part of a company with shiny new equipment. The General Manager is afraid that a successful merger with the foreign firm will put him out of a job. He can’t decide which way to go on the decision or even if it will have any affect on his future at all. Obviously, the salesperson has their job cut out for them. The lesson to the marketing department is to study and learn from the situation. Clear, and complete, communications between the salesperson and the marketing crew are vital to understanding what might be done to help make the product line easier to “champion” in the future. Are there attributes to be emphasized that might have made the financial officer more accepting? Could a better story be built to aid shop foremen in extolling the safety and efficiency of the equipment? Would it be worthwhile to address pride of ownership as part of a future public relations or branding campaign? Are these questions only for products to be sold within the context of the complex sale? Or are they just as important with a single decision-maker? If so, is that sale simpler to make, or are we dealing with the same conflicting motivations simply wrapped up in one individual? It’s all a matter of looking at all the needs our products fulfill; not just the obvious ones. Once you figure that out you can draw a map that will lead straight to success. (next article in series) |
