In the world of sales and marketing, a fundamental truth often overlooked is that people don’t buy products or services; they buy the benefits and experiences those offerings provide. This concept is crucial for businesses and salespeople to understand, as it shifts the focus from merely promoting features to highlighting the value and solutions that resonate with customers’ needs and desires.
The Power of Selling Experiences
Effective selling isn’t about bombarding potential customers with information or specifications. Instead, it’s about communicating the right pieces of information that allow customers to envision how a product or service will improve their lives or solve their pain points. By presenting the experience and benefits, customers’ brains will fill in the details and start selling themselves on the idea.
Example: Beer and Coffee Industries
The beer and coffee industries exemplify the art of selling experiences rather than just products. Instead of focusing solely on the amber-colored, bitter liquid or the coffee beans, these industries have mastered the art of creating micro-niches, environments, and lifestyles around their offerings. Microbreweries and specialty coffee shops thrive by providing unique experiences that cater to customers’ desires for variety, quality, and a sense of community.
Example: Fruity Smart Phones
Every year, the premium smartphones get more expensive, but their features remain almost the same. People don’t care about the features; it’s the experience of owning the status symbol that they really care about. The makers of these smartphones have brilliantly capitalized on this, creating a sense of desire and aspiration around their products.
Making Customers Thirsty
The key to successful selling is not forcing customers to “drink” but rather making them “thirsty.” This means creating a desire and anticipation for the benefits and experiences a product or service can provide. By showing customers how a solution can improve their lives, save them time or money, or enhance their overall well-being, their brains will start finding reasons to justify the purchase.
How to Sell Experience
Understand Your Customer’s Pain Points
Identify What Problems Your Product or Service Can Solve:
- Conduct surveys and interviews with existing customers to gather insights on their challenges and needs.
- Monitor social media and online forums to understand the common issues and questions within your industry.
- Analyze customer reviews and feedback to pinpoint recurring pain points.
- Use customer journey mapping to visualize and understand the problems at each stage of the buying process.
Create a Narrative
Build a Story Around Your Product That Connects Emotionally with Your Audience:
- Develop a brand story that highlights the origins, mission, and values of your company.
- Share real-life stories of customers who have benefited from your product or service.
- Use storytelling techniques such as character development, conflict resolution, and emotional appeal to make your narrative engaging.
- Create video content that visually tells your story and showcases the positive impact of your product.
Show, Don’t Tell
Use Demonstrations, Testimonials, and Case Studies to Illustrate the Benefits:
- Offer live demonstrations or interactive webinars to showcase your product in action.
- Collect and share customer testimonials that highlight specific benefits and experiences.
- Develop detailed case studies that provide in-depth examples of how your product solved problems for other customers.
- Use before-and-after scenarios to visually demonstrate the transformation your product can bring.
Build a Community
Foster a Sense of Belonging and Community Around Your Brand to Create Loyal Customers:
- Create and nurture online communities on social media platforms where customers can share experiences and connect with each other.
- Organize events, meetups, or webinars to engage with your audience and build stronger relationships.
- Encourage user-generated content by running contests or featuring customer stories on your website and social media.
- Provide exclusive perks and benefits for community members to make them feel valued and appreciated.
Highlight the Intangible Benefits
Emphasize the Emotional and Psychological Benefits, Not Just the Physical or Functional Ones:
- Focus on how your product can improve the customer’s quality of life, reduce stress, or enhance happiness.
- Use language that evokes emotions and paints a vivid picture of the desired outcome.
- Share stories that highlight the emotional journeys of customers who have experienced positive changes due to your product.
- Create marketing materials that emphasize the aspirational aspects of your product, such as status, comfort, or peace of mind.
Conclusion
In the world of sales and marketing, the key to success lies in understanding that people don’t buy things; they buy what those things will do for them. By focusing on selling experiences, making customers thirsty, and treating them as individuals in the people business, businesses and salespeople can create a compelling value proposition that resonates with customers and drives sales success.