Consumers Buy for Convenience, Value, and Habit

Building Value in Product or Service is Key to Success in Sales

Oct 28, 2009

Building value in a product is the most important sales skill a salesperson can develop. Perceived value in a product can overcome price objections and arouse loyalty.

While it is common knowledge that a purchase is fundamentally an emotional decision, salespeople should always remember that building value is what creates or heighten the emotions. When the perceived value exceeds the price, consumers buy. When perceived value in a purchase is high, consumers feel like they made a smart buying decision.

Basic Sales Skills Include Understanding Why Consumers Buy

Price is not included in this list, neither is emotion. Price is only relevant when the salesperson builds value. Emotion is only relevant in the close, when the customer makes the final decision to say yes.

Value, then, if perceived high enough, can overcome the need for convenience or habit, loyalty or price. Building perceived value in the product or service is the most critical factor in the selling process, including during the close.

Consumer Psychology Involves Justifying the Purchase

When the perceived value exceeds the price, then the consumer feels like it is a good deal. Lowering the price does not always motivate the consumer to buy. There has to be an explicit need and the value has to be high enough that the prospect feels this is the best solution to the need. Price is irrelevant if the need is not exposed and if the value has not been built in to the demonstration.

Many things compete with consumers’ disposable income. Consumers must have an emotional desire to justify the purchase, even if the product or service is not a necessity. Consumers might believe that they deserve the product, or that the product will improve the quality of life. Building value in the product helps the consumer justify the purchase.

The Sales Skill of Building Value Evokes Strong Emotion in the Prospect

If the value of the product or service is going to solve a problem or fill a need for a prospect, the consumer is emotional about the purchase. In sales vernacular, filling the need is called “relieving the pain.” The “pain” is the need or problem that has been revealed or made explicit by the salesperson.

If the consumer feels that the product or service really will help in a tangible way, then the consumer will feel good about the purchase. Consumers want to feel smart, they want to feel justified in their purchases. This is the emotional response, the emotional drive behind the buying decision.

Building value is the key to getting a higher price, and preventing the customer from canceling the sale. Building value arouses strong, positive emotion to help the customer justify the buying decision. Building value helps the closer overcome price objections, build loyalty, and confirm that the consumer is making the right choice.

Additional Resources

The copyright of the article Consumers Buy for Convenience, Value, and Habit in Marketing/PR is owned by Angela Schnaubelt. Permission to republish Consumers Buy for Convenience, Value, and Habit in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.