Make your customers feel happy by meeting their needs

We’re all used to companies who say how good their product is. And we’re used to testimonials which have other people saying how good it is.

These are all useful, but are your potential customers interested in how good your stuff is?

What your customers are really interested in

We’re all selfish. We all want what’s going to be good for us in some way. Maybe I want the best handmade dress or one that’s not made by people in a sweatshop. I’m a little bit interested in the reviews which talk about how lovely the fabric is…

But ultimately, I want a dress which is going to make me feel good. I want the dress which is going to make me look attractive, get me compliments from strangers, and be the favourite item in my wardrobe. Selfishly, I want a dress that makes me feel amazing. That’s my return on investment.

Everyone is interested in feeling good

All of your customers are human beings. And every human being wants to feel good. The dress example is a simple one, but you can work out what’s going to make someone feel good with all of your marketing, no matter what you sell.

Here are some key customer motivations to think about:

• Does your customer want something that other people will envy or talk about? Do they want to feel good because other people are admiring them through admiring their purchase?

• Does your customer want something which will make them feel like they have a higher status? This might be a luxury car or a piece of art, or it might be something around your brand which demonstrates that they’ve achieved something in life.

• Does your customer want something which will save them time? One of the biggest complaints from both business users and consumers  is that we all don’t have enough time. People are willing to pay more for something if you can demonstrate that it will save them their time or make them more productive.

• Do they want help to avoid something tedious? We all hate certain tasks and will go out of our way (and pay more) for something/someone that does the boring stuff for us.

• What would they pay for added security and peace of mind?

• Will customers pay more for something that reduces guilt?

• Will they pay more for convenience?

• Would your customers pay more if your product makes them feel more healthy? Not just a claim that it’s healthy, we all know that blueberries are fabulous for you, but something which makes them more alert, feel better or look better

• What if it makes them look younger?

• Maybe they want to show allegiance to a particular group or belief which makes them feel good about themselves?

• What makes them feel that they’ve met their targets or desires?

• What tools make them feel that they’re using something that only professionals use?

• What can you sell that makes your customers feel special?

• What makes them feel that their families are safe and looked after?

• What makes them feel that their futures are safe?

• What makes them feel that they are playing in the big league now?

• What helps them to make more money and be more profitable?

• Are your customers motivated by association with something or somebody they think is admirable?

• Do your customers want to feel in control of their lives or their businesses?

Think carefully about what motivates your customers. It might be very different to what gets you going.

And then put this in your marketing material

Instead of writing about the 24/7 uptime, write about how your product gives your customers peace of mind because you guarantee it will never fall over. Back that up with some statistics or a graph about performance over the last year. But also add a quote from a customer about how they never have to bother to check, now that they’re with you, whereas before they always had to worry.

Tell a story about how much time someone saved by the extra convenience of your product.

Maybe you can talk about your customer who now feels good about buying your fair-trade trainers, and that before they always felt a bit guilty about buying new sports shoes.

Show pictures of happy smiling people who have been enjoying their retirement, rather than talking about yields over 20 years.

Notice that this is also about what your customers say

Follow these guidelines for your marketing, along with my suggestions for client testimonials, and you’ll start to communicate some warm feelings and make your customers happy when they buy.

What could be better?

Other useful articles to help your marketing

How to get customer testimonials – ones that make other people want to buy too

Getting your own army of salespeople – don’t like to sell? Get other people to do it for you

Can you make money from helping people to choose

Build up your own networking system

How to build your automated email series

How many 16ps does it take to make a difference

Photo credits to Pete Bellis and Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash