Salesmanship · Ch 2 — Knowledge of Product, Customers and Selling Process
Buying Motives
Buying Motives
Buying Motives
Meaning. A buying motive is the inner urge, desire, feeling, or reason that drives a person to buy a particular product. It is the why behind a purchase — the need or want the customer is trying to satisfy. Two customers may buy the same watch: one because it keeps accurate time (a need), the other because it makes him look successful (a feeling). The salesman's task is to discover the real motive of each customer and appeal directly to it.
Classification of buying motives. Buying motives are commonly classified as follows:
1. Product (or Inherent) buying motives — reasons connected with the product itself, i.e. why the customer chooses one kind of product. These are sub-divided into:
- Emotional buying motives — buying prompted by feeling rather than careful reasoning, such as pride, vanity, love and affection, imitation of others, desire for social status, fashion, or the urge to be distinct. Purchases of jewellery, branded clothing, or a luxury phone are often emotionally motivated.
- Rational buying motives — buying based on careful thought and judgement, such as economy in price, durability, safety, convenience, utility, or suitability. Purchases of a pressure cooker, an insurance policy, or a cost-saving appliance are usually rational.
2. Patronage buying motives — reasons connected with the shop, seller, or source the customer prefers to buy from, rather than the product itself. A customer may keep returning to a particular shop because of its reputation and honest dealing, courteous service, convenient location, wide variety, fair and fixed prices, credit facilities, or the long-standing personal relationship with the salesman. Patronage motives explain customer loyalty to a seller.
A quick map of buying motives
- Product motives — why this product?
- Emotional (pride, fashion, imitation, affection, status)
- Rational (economy, durability, safety, utility, convenience)
- Patronage motives — why this seller/shop? (reputation, service, location, variety, > fair price, credit, relationship)
Distinction between buying motives and selling points. These two ideas are closely linked but must not be confused: a buying motive belongs to the customer, a selling point belongs to the product. The salesman's skill lies in matching the right selling point to the customer's actual buying motive.
| Basis | Buying Motive | Selling Point |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | The inner urge or reason that drives a customer to buy | A feature or quality of the product used to attract and persuade the buyer |
| Belongs to | The customer (it is inside the buyer's mind) | The product (it is a characteristic of the goods) |
| Nature | A psychological cause — the why of buying | A factual advantage — the what the product offers |
The inner urge, desire, or reason that drives a person to buy a particular product — the need or want the purchase …
A buying motive prompted by feeling rather than reasoning — such as pride, vanity, affection, imitation, fashion, or the des …
A buying motive based on careful thought and judgement — such as economy, durability, safety, utility, suitabil …
A buying motive connected with the shop or seller the customer prefers to buy from — such as its reputation, service, location, variety, fair pri …