A positive example of the formation of a new need. Can a marketer create a “need”? Guides the mind of the buyer
Human needs as a source of his activity
08.04.2015Snezhana Ivanova
The very needs of a person are the basis for the formation of a motive, which in psychology is considered as the “engine” of a personality ...
Man, like any living being, is programmed by nature to survive, and for this he needs certain conditions and means. If at some point in time these conditions and means are absent, then a state of need arises, which causes the appearance of a selective response of the human body. This selectivity ensures the occurrence of a response to stimuli (or factors) that are currently the most important for normal life, life preservation and further development. The experience by the subject of such a state of need in psychology is called a need.
So, the manifestation of a person's activity, and, accordingly, his life activity and purposeful activity, directly depends on the presence of a certain need (or need), which requires satisfaction. But only a certain system of human needs will determine the purposefulness of his activities, as well as contribute to the development of his personality. The very needs of a person are the basis for the formation of a motive, which in psychology is considered as a kind of “engine” of a personality. Motivation of human behavior and activity directly depends on organic and cultural needs, and they, in turn, give rise to interest, which directs the attention of the individual and its activity to various objects and objects of the surrounding world with the aim of their knowledge and subsequent mastery.
Human needs: definition and features
Needs, which are the main source of personality activity, are understood as a special internal (subjective) feeling of a person's need, which determines his dependence on certain conditions and means of existence. The activity itself, aimed at satisfying human needs and regulated by a conscious goal, is called activity. The sources of personality activity as an internal motivating force aimed at satisfying various needs are:
- organic and material needs (food, clothing, protection, etc.);
- spiritual and cultural(cognitive, aesthetic, social).
Human needs are reflected in the most persistent and vital dependencies of the organism and the environment, and the system of human needs is formed under the influence of the following factors: social conditions people's lives, the level of development of production and scientific and technological progress. In psychology, needs are studied in three aspects: as an object, as a state, and as a property (a more detailed description of these values is presented in the table).
The Importance of Needs in Psychology
In psychology, the problem of needs has been considered by many scientists, so today there are quite a lot of different theories that understand needs as needs, as well as the state, and the process of satisfaction. For example, K. K. Platonov I saw in needs, first of all, a need (more precisely, a mental phenomenon of reflecting the needs of an organism or personality), and D. A. Leontiev considered needs through the prism of activity in which it finds its realization (satisfaction). Famous psychologist of the last century Kurt Lewin understood by needs, first of all, a dynamic state that occurs in a person at the moment of the implementation of some action or intention by him.
An analysis of various approaches and theories in the study of this problem allows us to say that in psychology, the need was considered in the following aspects:
- as a need (L.I. Bozhovich, V.I. Kovalev, S.L. Rubinshtein);
- as an object of satisfaction of need (A.N. Leontiev);
- as a necessity (B.I. Dodonov, V.A. Vasilenko);
- as the absence of good (V.S. Magun);
- as an attitude (D.A. Leontiev, M.S. Kagan);
- as a violation of stability (D.A. McClelland, V.L. Ossovsky);
- as a state (K. Levin);
- as a systemic reaction of the personality (E.P. Ilyin).
Human needs in psychology are understood as dynamically active states of the personality, which form the basis of its motivational sphere. And since in the process of human activity there is not only the development of personality, but also changes environment, needs play the role of the driving force of its development, and here their subject content is of particular importance, namely the volume of the material and spiritual culture of mankind, which affects the formation of human needs and their satisfaction.
In order to understand the essence of needs as a driving force, it is necessary to take into account a number of important points allocated E.P. Ilyin. They are as follows:
- the needs of the human body must be separated from the needs of the individual (at the same time, the need, that is, the need of the body, may be unconscious or conscious, but the need of the individual is always conscious);
- a need is always associated with a need, by which it is necessary to understand not a deficit in something, but a desire or a need;
- from personal needs it is impossible to exclude the state of need, which is a signal for choosing a means of satisfying needs;
- the emergence of a need is a mechanism that includes human activity aimed at finding a goal and achieving it as a need to satisfy the need that has arisen.
Needs are passive-active in nature, that is, on the one hand, they are due to the biological nature of a person and the lack of certain conditions, as well as his means of subsistence, and on the other hand, they determine the activity of the subject to overcome the deficit that has arisen. An essential aspect of human needs is their social and personal nature, which finds its manifestation in motives, motivation and, accordingly, in the entire orientation of the individual. Regardless of the type of need and its focus, they all have the following features:
- have their object and are the awareness of need;
- the content of needs depends primarily on the conditions and methods of their satisfaction;
- they are able to reproduce.
In the needs that form human behavior and activity, as well as in production motives, interests, aspirations, desires, inclinations and value orientations, the basis of the individual's behavior lies.
Types of human needs
Any human need initially represents the organic interweaving of biological, physiological and psychological processes, which determines the presence of many types of needs, which are characterized by strength, frequency of occurrence and ways to satisfy them.
The most common distinction in psychology is the following types human needs:
- isolated according to origin natural(or organic) and cultural needs;
- distinguished by direction material needs and spiritual;
- depending on which area they belong to (fields of activity), they distinguish the needs for communication, work, rest and knowledge (or educational needs);
- according to the object, needs can be biological, material and spiritual (they also distinguish human social needs;
- by their origin, needs can be endogenous(there are waters due to internal factors) and exogenous (caused by external stimuli).
Basic, fundamental (or primary) and secondary needs are also found in the psychological literature.
The greatest attention in psychology is paid to three main types of needs - material, spiritual and social (or public needs), which are described in the table below.
Basic types of human needs
material needs of a person are primary, since they are the basis of his life. Indeed, in order for a person to live, he needs food, clothing and housing, and these needs were formed in the process of phylogenesis. spiritual needs(or ideal) are purely human, as they primarily reflect the level of development of the individual. These include aesthetic, ethical and learning needs.
It should be noted that both organic and spiritual needs are characterized by dynamism and interact with each other, therefore, for the formation and development of spiritual needs, it is necessary to satisfy the material ones (for example, if a person does not satisfy the need for food, then he will experience fatigue, lethargy, apathy and drowsiness, that cannot contribute to the emergence of a cognitive need).
Separately, one should consider public needs(or social), which are formed and developed under the influence of society and are a reflection of the social nature of man. Satisfaction of this need is necessary for absolutely every person as a social being and, accordingly, as a person.
Classification of needs
From the moment psychology became a separate branch of knowledge, many scientists have undertaken a large number of attempts to classify needs. All these classifications are very diverse and basically reflect only one side of the problem. That is why today one system human needs, which would meet all the requirements and interests of researchers of various psychological schools and trends, has not yet been presented to the scientific community.
- natural desires of a person and necessary (it is impossible to live without them);
- natural desires, but not necessary (if there is no way to satisfy them, then this will not lead to the inevitable death of a person);
- desires that are neither necessary nor natural (for example, the desire for fame).
Author of the information theory of emotions P.V. Simonov needs were divided into biological, social and ideal, which in turn can be the needs of need (or preservation) and growth (or development). According to P. Simonov, social needs of a person and ideal ones are divided into needs “for oneself” and “for others”.
Quite interesting is the classification of needs proposed by Erich Fromm. A well-known psychoanalyst identified the following specific social needs of a person:
- a person's need for connections (belonging to a group);
- need for self-affirmation (sense of importance);
- the need for affection (the need for warm and reciprocal feelings);
- the need for self-awareness (one's own individuality);
- the need for a system of orientation and objects of worship (belonging to a culture, nation, class, religion, etc.).
But the most popular among all existing classifications received a unique system of human needs by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow (better known as the hierarchy of needs or the pyramid of needs). The representative of the humanistic direction in psychology based his classification on the principle of grouping needs by similarity in a hierarchical sequence - from lower needs to higher ones. A. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is presented in the form of a table for ease of perception.
Hierarchy of needs according to A. Maslow
| Main groups | Needs | Description |
| Additional psychological needs | in self-actualization (self-realization) | maximum realization of all the potentials of a person, his abilities and personality development |
| aesthetic | the need for harmony and beauty | |
| cognitive | the desire to learn and know the surrounding reality | |
| Basic psychological needs | in respect, self respect and appreciation | the need for success, approval, recognition of authority, competence, etc. |
| in love and belonging | the need to be in a community, society, to be accepted and recognized | |
| in safety | the need for protection, stability and security | |
| Physiological Needs | physiological or organic | needs for food, oxygen, drink, sleep, sex drive, etc. |
Having proposed their classification of needs, A. Maslow clarified that a person cannot have higher needs (cognitive, aesthetic and the need for self-development), if he has not satisfied the basic (organic) needs.
Formation of human needs
The development of human needs can be analyzed in the context of the socio-historical development of mankind and from the standpoint of ontogenesis. But it should be noted that both in the first and in the second case, material needs will be the initial ones. This is due to the fact that they are the main source of activity of any individual, pushing him to maximum interaction with the environment (both natural and social)
On the base material needs the spiritual needs of a person developed and transformed, for example, the need for knowledge was based on satisfying the needs for food, clothing and housing. As for aesthetic needs, they were also formed due to the development and improvement of the production process and various means of life, which were necessary to provide more comfortable conditions for human life. Thus, the formation of human needs was determined by socio-historical development, during which all human needs developed and differentiated.
As for the development of needs during life path of a person (that is, in ontogenesis), then everything here also begins with the satisfaction of natural (organic) needs, which ensure the establishment of relationships between the child and adults. In the process of satisfying basic needs, children develop needs for communication and cognition, on the basis of which other social needs appear. An important influence on the development and formation of needs in childhood is provided by the process of education, through which the correction and replacement of destructive needs is carried out.
Development and formation of human needs according to A.G. Kovalev must obey the following rules:
- needs arise and are strengthened through the practice and systematic consumption (that is, habit formation);
- the development of needs is possible in conditions of expanded reproduction in the presence of various means and ways of satisfying it (the emergence of needs in the process of activity);
- the formation of needs occurs more comfortably if the activity necessary for this does not exhaust the child (lightness, simplicity and a positive emotional mood);
- the development of needs is significantly influenced by the transition from reproductive to creative activity;
- the need will be strengthened if the child sees its significance, both personally and socially (assessment and encouragement).
In addressing the question of the formation of human needs, it is necessary to return to the hierarchy of needs of A. Maslow, who argued that all human needs are given to him in hierarchical organization at certain levels. Thus, from the moment of his birth, in the process of his growing up and personality development, each person will consistently manifest seven classes (of course, this is ideal) of needs, ranging from the most primitive (physiological) needs and ending with the need for self-actualization (the desire for maximum realization the personality of all its potentialities, the most complete life), and some aspects of this need begin to manifest themselves not earlier than adolescence.
According to A. Maslow, human life for more high level needs provides him with the greatest biological efficiency and, accordingly, a longer life, better health, better sleep and appetite. In this way, purpose of satisfying needs basic - the desire for the emergence of higher needs in a person (in knowledge, in self-development and self-actualization).
The main ways and means of meeting needs
Satisfaction of human needs is an important condition not only for its comfortable existence, but also for its survival, because if organic needs are not satisfied, a person will die in a biological sense, and if spiritual needs are not satisfied, then a person dies as social education. People, satisfying different needs, learn in different ways and learn different means to achieve this goal. Therefore, depending on the environment, conditions and the individual himself, the goal of satisfying needs and the ways to achieve it will differ.
In psychology, the most popular ways and means of satisfying needs are:
- in the mechanism of formation of individual ways for a person to meet their needs(in the process of learning, the formation of various connections between stimuli and subsequent analogy);
- in the process of individualization of ways and means of satisfying basic needs, which act as mechanisms for the development and formation of new needs (the very ways to satisfy needs can turn into themselves, that is, new needs appear);
- in concretizing the ways and means of meeting the needs(there is a consolidation of one method or several, with the help of which the satisfaction of human needs occurs);
- in the process of mentalization of needs(awareness of the content or some aspects of the need);
- in the socialization of ways and means of satisfying needs(they are subordinated to the values of culture and the norms of society).
So, at the heart of any activity and activity of a person there is always some kind of need, which finds its manifestation in motives, and it is the needs that are the motivating force that pushes a person to movement and development.
Need - the need for something necessary to maintain the life of an individual, social group, society, internal motivator of activity. This definition is from an economic dictionary.
Now among marketers and top managers one can often hear the phrases “we create needs” or “our goal is creating a need". Immortal examples are immediately given as illustrations. Xerox or Facebook.
On the "creating needs" Some companies spend more each year than they do to produce their goods or services. The budgets of the marketing departments of famous brands have long been inflated to unimaginable proportions and amount to main article their expenses. However, despite all the efforts and costs involved, there is no significant progress in the process of "creating needs" in the market. As well as among marketers, there is still no consensus on whether or not these needs can be created. And if it is possible, then how to do it?
The debate on this issue has been going on for a long time and so far none of the parties has presented sufficiently serious and substantiated evidence of their innocence.
Meanwhile, the slogan "bread and circuses" remains more relevant than ever to this day. People still prefer these two forms needs many others.
As a side note, I want to note: the immortal Roman phrase "bread and circuses" well illustrates and conveys a person's dependence on both "food for the stomach" and "food for the head." She emphasizes the significance and importance for him of both of these factors, a person always needs them.
Food and spectacle always find their way consumer. Yes, they change their form - the TV and the podium replace the Colosseum, and the hamburger replaces the rye bread, but their essence and purpose remain unchanged, as well as the needs of the people that call them to life.
On the other hand, there is an example of a Xerox, a car Henry Ford, cellular communication, Facebook and many others. They show us how a person (seemingly out of nowhere, suddenly) begins to actively consume and use something new for himself (well, who could have spoken seriously about such an extensive distribution of cellular communications twenty years ago?).
So, someone still could and "created" need in these items and services? But how? Why was Xerox able to do it with its immortal copier, but couldn't replicate its success with the computer? Why american motors could make a Jeep but couldn't make a car?
If the difference in approach and errors in product promotion are as obvious as they appear in marketing textbooks, what is stopping them from replicating now? successful experience? Why does the method work in some cases, but not in others under similar conditions? Is it possible to answer in the affirmative to the question of the possibility of creating new needs Or is it a matter of chance?
Like many others, I have tried to think about these matters and I want to present the results of my research in this article.
By itself, the expression "create need in a person in something ”always caused me a certain alertness. As if the one who says that he did this operation was able to get inside me with a soldering iron and pliers and fix something there. Not the most pleasant feeling.
However, what about the previously mentioned examples of Jeep, Xerox, Facebook?
What are needs, where do they come from?
In my opinion everything needs it makes sense to divide it into two categories:
- "Real" needs or needs inherent in a person as an entity, as a living organism - hunger, thirst, and so on. These needs are present in everyone and can manifest themselves under certain conditions.
- Imposed needs or needs generated by the external requirements of the environment - the requirement to have a passport, go to work in a suit or school uniform. Such needs are somewhat similar to reflexes - they can be "worked out" and cannot be found in any person.
With imposed needs it's simple - if we have an apparatus of violence / pressure, we can "generate" such new needs. For example, saying “all documents must be written only on stamped paper” or “destroying” them by canceling mandatory requirement school uniform.
with real needs we nothing we cannot do. We can only use them. Unless, of course, you do not consider the possibility of surgical intervention.
What then is the task? marketer? What does he really do?
On my own marketer does not have the ability to create an imposed needs(and he simply cannot create a real one). No marketer would be able to create and model the need for a small fuel-efficient car if the energy crisis and rising fuel prices did not cause the "imposed need to save gasoline."
Marketer works with satisfaction chains needs or a sequence of actions (instruction), following which, the consumer will be able to satisfy his need for something. For example, in the simplest case, a chain is created in which a person's need for water to satisfy thirst is associated with the acquisition of Coca-Cola and the use of it for this purpose.
A task marketer is to build a new chain of satisfaction needs(imposed or real), and give rise to association between the fact of satisfying a need and this chain in a person's head. Our thinking is associative - and this method works.
In fact, it is not always necessary to create the entire chain, you can take the existing one and replace the necessary “link” (or several) in it with a new one - with the product or service need wherein marketer should "create".
For example, in the craving chain, Coca-Cola can easily be replaced with Pepsi.
A chain can be "linked" to several needs: a jacket from Armani is both prestige, and clothes, and special clothing for the office or a manifestation of your style. On the one hand, this increases the attractiveness of the product / service for the consumer, on the other hand, it makes it difficult for a competitor to use such a chain.
Another one interesting feature is that in the process of creating such chains, “side effects” are possible, when a product / service included in the value chain, an association with which has already been formed, can, due to its specificity, create another “imposed need”. So, the DVD player generates need in DVDs, and the printer generates the need for a cartridge.
Such "side effects" can be both accidental and can be consciously incorporated (as in the case of the same cartridges).
From this point of view, “needs prediction” is rather a calculation and forecasting of “side effects”, unless, of course, we consider the option when the predictor has information about the imminent appearance of a new “imposed needs».
What then did Xerox create? Was a need created in this case? It seems to me - no. Need in the exchange of information itself existed from the very beginning (man is a social animal). Xerox simply came up with a new chain and found a good way to associate it with this need.
Well, Facebook is an advanced descendant of the old paper diary in which friends could write their wishes and draw pictures. Only this diary is now more accessible and convenient to use.
But a small car is the brainchild of an "imposed need" to save fuel. Just like an office suit, which is not bought because it is an ideal form of clothing, just like expensive prestigious cars are not sold need in the vehicle.
So, the answer to the question "is it possible to create needs? in general, the answer will be "no", but the answer to the question "is it possible to impose a new need" - the answer will be "yes". By creating a new chain linking an existing need to a new product, we can create demand for that product.
The concept presented in this material can be used in a real business as another tool in the development of marketing activities or in planning and managing a product line.
Moreover, checking the existing marketing strategy this concept will allow to identify its weaknesses at an early stage, to understand more precisely who and why the solution being promoted to the market is intended, to find new ways to increase its value for consumer.
And no one will argue about the need this stage sales. His role is clear and understandable, but many sellers are faced with the fact that the buyer's needs do not match the product that the seller can offer. Moreover, it happens that the seller, realizing that the client is not satisfied with his product, does not even start the presentation. This behavior of the seller will definitely not increase his sales. But there is a way out of this situation - to form the needs of the client.
What is the formation of customer needs.
The client, for the most part, is a residually manageable and suggestible entity. And it is important to understand that the client is not driven by the desire to buy something (although there are some, they are called shopaholics), but by human needs, they are well described in. Therefore, a good seller, first of all, tries to identify not what product the seller came for, but what needs he is guided by (they can be understood using the client in his speech).
Having understood the need of the client, the seller can sell him almost anything. The main thing is to be able to argue reasonably. For example, a client came to you for the cheapest vacuum cleaner, and after talking with him, you realized that the main motivator of this client is savings. Having understood this, it is also worth clarifying how many vacuum cleaners the client has changed in recent years, and whether he remembers the old Soviet vacuum cleaners that served for 30 years. After all this, you take him to the most expensive vacuum cleaner and tell him that it is made using the same technologies and the same will last 30 years. Tell how much the client will save on dust collectors, replacing broken vacuum cleaners and trips to the store. Then crush him with the fact that an expensive vacuum cleaner protects his health, and he will spend less money on medicines.
This is one example of how you can form a customer's need and sell him what you need. But there are other options for generating needs. Separately, I would like to touch upon the formation of needs for active sales. Activists milked the greatest success in this matter.
Formation of needs for active sales.
I hope you already know. In general, the formation of needs for active sales is an integral part of the work. Clients for the most part do not have needs for the proposed product, moreover, they are not even ready to communicate with the seller. That is why it is considered the most difficult relative to other types of trade. There are, of course, activists who take not quality, but quantity, you can always find an interested client. But in this case it's huge.
Two methods are used to form active sales needs: the use of sales scripts based on the main benefits of the product being sold, and the identification of basic needs and compilation individual presentation under the client. The second method is suitable only for strong sellers and not every newbie will be able to work in this way. Much easier and change them depending on the conditions.
26.05.2015
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1. Why there are no sales 2. When does the client object? 3. Step 1. We reveal the desire of the visitor to buy and form the criteria for choosing a buyer
4. Step 2: Activate and/or create needs 5. Factors affecting customer behavior 6. How to take part in the three-week online sales intensive "Furniture Sales Ace" |
I continue the cycle useful materials about how to make your salespeople aces in furniture sales. I practically checked the effectiveness of everything I am talking about, having spent a total of several thousand hours at real furniture outlets.
Why sales aren't coming
Surely you are wondering why sales assistants in your furniture showroom lose a large percentage of sales? Today we'll talk about how to arouse the desire of the buyer to buy"Here and now"
Usually everyone complains that they are often irritated, do not listen, overchat, argue. And the seller considers himself a professional when he manages to “fight off” all the objections of the buyer.
It doesn't occur to him that can be sold without causing objections and irritation of the client.
When does the client object?
When he is presented with something that is not entirely satisfactory. Often one gets the impression that the sellers are trying to sell the entire assortment of the store to the buyer, without respite talking about different product lines.
The client listens out of courtesy, turns and leaves.
So what is it:
The buyer went wrong today?
Or, after all, the seller does not know how to work?
Product presentation is far from the first step to the client, but how many sellers act in relation to the buyer, given this? It seems clear that before you present something, you need to find out why the buyer came to your store. This is not a banal clarification of the size of the product, its configuration, and "how much do you expect." This is not such a simple step as it seems at first glance, it requires preparation, and ... the delicacy of the seller. Maybe that's why they skip it?
Finding out the needs of the client is the next stage in the sales chain after establishing contact with him.
I do not like the word “need”, which is rooted in the name of one of the sales stages, it is somehow faceless. Agree, working with the needs of the client is a phrase about nothing. I prefer to say this: - work with the desires of the buyer, with his "Wishlist", with the criteria for his choice.
I divide this step into 2 steps:
Finding out these “wishlists”
Their activation or creation
Step 1. We reveal the desire of the visitor to buy and form the criteria for choosing a buyer
What Your Seller Should Know
Most often, identifying the needs of the buyer and managing these needs are ignored by sellers. Just because they don't know how to do it.
Sales aces skillfully ask the right questions, forming the right picture in a person’s head.
Let's say a client has a niche in the apartment with a depth of 120 cm. He wants to put a light wardrobe in a modern style there.
In such a broad concept as a "modern-style wardrobe" you can fit at least half of the assortment of your store.
What does furniture sales ac with your questions:
1. Clarifies the situation of the buyer and forms his position, gradually leading to the desired solution:
What room needs a closet, and what size?
What clothes will you store in the closet: both summer and winter? Will it have long fur coats, coats? .... Then you can’t do without a bar
Is it necessary to divide the closet into a male and female half?
Will children's things be stored in the closet? ...It is possible to provide shelves / drawers to which the child himself can reach. Will get used to it...
Where do you put your laundry? It is better to put drawers, it will be more convenient to put things in them.
By asking questions and offering solutions, you gradually help the buyer create the desired image of the product in their head: a 4-door wardrobe, with a bar under outerwear, shelves for a child, a compartment for bed linen, drawers, etc. etc.
The buyer in the course of such a conversation feels the care and desire of the seller to help him make right choice, and not “push” something ...
With this approach, the purchase will be more likely.
2. Directs the buyer's train of thought
Where do you currently have your vacuum cleaner / ironing board?
Do you have enough space for flowers (photos)? ... Then you can attach a corner section to the closet with shelves for flowers (arrange photos on them).
By asking such questions, the seller shows the buyer that he takes into account all the details, does not miss anything when designing the cabinet. And the buyer is imbued with even greater confidence in him, gains confidence that it is in this place that he will acquire the goods that he needs.
Is it possible to refuse or object to your own decision ?!
We get a concrete goal from an abstract dream.
"We like to buy, and we don't like being sold to," says the proverb. That is why self-service stores are in such demand. But not all goods can be bought without a seller: a person who knows the assortment and pitfalls in this area of \u200b\u200blife can choose an air conditioner that is suitable for power, calculate a kitchen or pick up a car package.
Thanks to the previous questions, we learned a lot about the desires of the buyer. To master all types of questions (open, alternative, closed, clarifying, guiding, stimulating), you need to gain knowledge, practice using them in a favorable environment. And then start using it at work.
What are the buyer selection criteria? How do they differ from technical requests (size, material, color)?
At what point in the conversation is it best to present the product? What are the differences in the presentation of beds, mattresses, kitchens, wardrobes, sofas?
How present furniture correctly in terms of needs and motives for buying.
Funnel of questions. How to ask challenging questions sales additional product or for complex interior solution.
Step 2. Activation and/or creation of needs.
Since the era of total scarcity remained in the last century, the buyer took a different position - “I have everything”, his needs are met. Why change a cozy sofa, a familiar phone and a reliable car, if you are already used to them, and they work great?! The fear of the unknown stops the buyer from wasting money. Especially now, in a crisis. But, fortunately for the market, we are constantly striving to improve our “today” and change the good for the better.
Is it possible that the buyer will not need to buy a new model?! Theoretically yes. But, fortunately, this happens quite rarely. After all, most people strive to live easily, comfortably and beautifully, making their today more pleasant than “it was yesterday”. Therefore, the queue for a new tablet model or a dress from a prestigious designer will never thin out.
But what if assortment of your furniture showroom does not impress with innovations in each collection? How to make ordinary furniture (which is sold by a hundred other competitors) attractive to your client?
The art of creating needs will help your seller make your store and product unique in the eyes of the buyer.
For example, I will tell a story about I.V. Stalin and the car "Victory".
The Generalissimo was considering a project for a car that already had the working title Rodina. Stalin did not like the name. He asked just one question: “Why are you planning to sell your homeland?” The creators of the car unanimously decided to rename it. Note, without any objections. So, Pobeda came off the assembly line.
Stalin's authority is not disputed, but note something else. How subtly, jewelerly, he led the designers to another name. He didn't fight their objections because he didn't have to. He showed them the fact from a different angle.
The same should be done for your sellers and buyers.
83% of buyers, coming to the store, have only a vague idea about the product they are looking for.
Therefore, if your sellers learn to activate or create product needs, which the buyer has not yet thought about, they will be able to use it in their work.
Factors Influencing Buyer Behavior
We can influence the behavior of the buyer if we create a need that he might not even think about! But, again, only with delicate questions, so that the client himself remembers the situation when, in a familiar, like, environment, he somehow missed him, something did not quite suit him.
“Do your clothes have enough space in this closet now? Do you plan to buy more? “- and the customer suddenly realizes how tired she is of digging in a crowded and uncomfortable closet in the morning, and we awaken in her with such a question a “sleeping” desire to live more comfortably.
I will teach you how to create needs very soon at the Professional Furniture Sales Training Program - send your salon administrators and sales people to this effective program, and they will start selling more with new skills and abilities.
In what sequence should questions be asked to maximize the identification of customer needs.
How to ask problematic questions for the sale of an additional product or for a comprehensive interior solution.
How to determine the moment when it is already possible to proceed to the presentation of the product.
If you are not yet familiar with the program and the conditions for participation in the Professional Furniture Sales Training Program, then all the information.
Have you already made a decision to participate in the training? Then fill out the application below.
How to participate in the Online Furniture Sales Professional Training Program:
Alena Kot, senior manager of MMCC, is in touch:
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We call ourselves the crown of creation and the kings of nature, we are proud of free will and the ability to compassion, we sing love and talent.
Our behavior is complex and unpredictable.
We learn and transform the world around us, domesticate animals, cultivate plants, conquer the environment.
Every day we make many decisions, sometimes non-standard ones.
Our name is a reasonable person.
This is how it looks at first glance. Digging a little deeper, we can find that the most complex behavioral programs have been inherited from our close and distant animal ancestors.
And we are talking not only about the interest in food, sleep, the opposite sex, but also about the desire to learn, develop, explore the world, achieve success and compassion. Ancient instincts are so ornately woven into the culture of our "reasonable" life that their daily manifestations can easily be mistaken for a free expression of will.
Man's ability, his professional success, personal qualities - figuratively speaking, his fate - largely depend on temperament, which is inherited from parents along with genes. In addition, the external environment - the events of infancy, childhood and adolescence - has a tremendous influence on the formation of our character.
Finally, even in adulthood, we are subject to numerous manipulations, including intentional ones, that determine our tastes and consumer preferences. To understand this, it is necessary first of all to get an idea of the structure of human needs and their primary sources.
Where is the button
There are many classifications of needs. For us, the classification proposed by the Russian physiologist Pavel Simonov will be most useful. There are two reasons for this. First, Simonov's classification is so complete that almost the entire spectrum can be projected onto it. human activity. And secondly, when creating his classification in the 1980s, the scientist was based primarily on information about the activity of the brain.
Behind most of the needs described by Academician Simonov are well-defined physiological mechanisms. A relatively simple example is the need for nutrition, which is regulated by the hypothalamus based on blood chemistry. If there is little glucose in the blood, we experience a feeling of hunger, if there is a lot - a feeling of satiety. Other stimuli that are innately significant for the brain also help regulate the amount of food consumed: sweet taste, distended stomach, hormones secreted by adipose tissue cells.
Needs programs work according to a fairly general algorithm. At the input, they receive signals from the internal ( chemical composition blood, hormones, pain) or external environment(sound, visual, skin and other irritants). At the output, they control the work of our organs (say, an increase in heart rate when frightened) and motor reactions (for example, pulling a hand away from a fire).
In addition, the activity of each program corresponds to emotional reinforcement, which can be positive (if the need is successfully satisfied) or negative (if it was not possible to "solve the problem"). Programs successful behavior, which allowed us to satisfy the need, are fixed in memory, forming our individual experience. Unsuccessful programs, on the contrary, are slowed down, blocked.
These mechanisms are identical not only for all people, but also for any mammals and many other animals. The fact that they formed the basis of the classification indicates a very clear delineation of needs and their objective nature, at least from the point of view of biology and the evolution of behavior.
According to Simonov, needs can be divided into three main groups: vital, social and self-development. The vital ones are those that are necessary for the maintenance of life.
Food, drink, defensive ("fight or flight") needs, homeostatic programs aimed at maintaining constancy internal environment organism (respiration, sleep, blood circulation, thermoregulation) - all of them are stored mainly in the hypothalamus, the most ancient area of the brain, which is well developed in the vast majority of vertebrates.
The vital needs also include a program to save energy (read - laziness): why burn calories and move without extreme need?
Map of the structure of the brain. The human brain is the greatest creation of nature, which has no analogues.However, the deeper we penetrate into the nuances of its structure, the more we find similarities with the most diverse representatives of the animal world.
Patriot Chimps
Social (according to Simonov, "zoosocial", intraspecies) programs regulate almost all key aspects of our interaction with our own kind. First of all, this concerns the sexual need - libido. Zoologists have written volumes that reflect the features of the mating behavior of insects, fish, birds, and mammals. Impressive deer tournaments or sea lions when the winning male "takes it all" and often forms a harem of dozens of females.
No less spectacular are the most complex courtship procedures, when the male must prove (and show) his dignity to the female - a bright marriage attire indicating health and strength, an exquisite song, a skillfully built nest, or at least a piece of tasty food.
Sexual behavior is triggered by the hormonal background (it is formed by the testes and ovaries), as well as visual, auditory, olfactory (pheromones) signals coming from individuals of the opposite sex.
To major programs that ensures the survival of a biological species is the child-parent interaction. Here, the hormone prolactin is of great importance, which determines the intensity of the "parental feeling" not only in women, but also in men.
Territorial behavior is expressed in the desire to occupy and hold "one's own plot". Do you think only humans fight wars? At the butterfly fish coral reef also has "its own bush", the nightingale has its "own" hectare of forest, the tiger already counts for tens of square kilometers. Our closest relatives, chimpanzees, purposefully patrol the territory of their flock, and woe to a strange male who violated the border.
Hierarchical behavior programs cause us to seek leadership or seek the approval of the leader. These are very "advanced" programs that can only be found in animals that live in stable large communities: elephants, hyenas, dolphins and, of course, monkeys.
Finally, for the successful coexistence of animals in a pack, empathy is important, empathy is a property of the brain that allows you to experience the same emotions as a loved one. In an experiment on rats, animals were given a choice: endure an unpleasant bright light or go into a hole while pressing the pedal and exposing another rat to electric shocks. Under such conditions, three-quarters of the rats found it better to squint their eyes than to listen to the cries of a comrade.
Curious fish and rebel beetle
Academician Simonov called the needs for self-development "needs directed to the future." Their satisfaction does not bring a useful result immediately, but the experience gained may be important later. At the same time, positive emotional reinforcement from the satisfaction of these needs is issued immediately, and not later.
Often, behavior based on the needs for self-development is cited as an example, speaking about the differences between humans and animals. No matter how! Wave to the fish in the aquarium and they will look at you. Exploratory behavior, including responding to previously unknown cues, is an important source of positivity. It helps animals quickly adapt to changes in the environment. And for a person, curiosity, the collection of new information is no less important part of life than food or sex.
The desire for freedom, intolerance to restrictions - this is a feeling that makes a teenager fight for his opinion about a hairstyle, and an adult - to resist the arbitrariness of superiors and authorities. And the same program makes the beetle planted in Matchbox, gnaw your way to freedom.
Imitation of a leader ("leader"), a parent, or just a neighbor on the right is a behavioral program that allows us to learn from the mistakes of others. Associated with it are the so-called mirror neurons found in the brains of many higher vertebrates.
Finally, an important source of positive emotions is play behavior ("motor training"). A small child runs and jumps all day long, exercising his body like a playful kitten. An adult often spends time on the couch with great pleasure, like a lazy cat, and promises himself to go to the gym tomorrow.
This example shows that our brain is an arena constant competition different needs. Which need will win at the moment depends on external and internal signals, hormonal levels, age, and individual experience. But a very significant contribution is also made by the initial, genetically established level of activity of the centers of each of the needs - temperament.
March of Neuron Recruits
As mentioned above, behind every need there is a strictly defined physiological mechanism. The amount of emotional reinforcement associated with the satisfaction of a particular need depends on the physiological status of the corresponding part of the brain (hypothalamus, cerebral hemispheres, etc.).
This fact is especially clearly confirmed in the case of pathologies: a stroke or a tumor can completely disable or, on the contrary, exacerbate any need - for example, destroy appetite or increase aggressiveness. The degree of activity of the centers of different needs is individual for each individual. It is these "settings" that we call temperament. Modern data, including a comparison of the behavior of twins, show that 40-50% of temperament is genetically determined.
The second most important factor is the formation of connections between the neurons of the cerebral cortex even before birth. The "assembly" of the brain at the stage of embryogenesis resembles a mass theatrical performance that follows a strict plan. First, about a hundred billion neurons are formed, which so far have neither specialization nor connections. Then auxiliary glial cells take their places, from which the spatial framework of the brain is built. Its parameters, among other things, determine the relative sizes different areas nervous system.
At the next stage, growth factors are formed - so far very little studied substances that are released in microscopic quantities and for a very short period of time. Attracted by them, neurons physically move along the "rails" formed by glial cells, taking their places.
Also following the growth factors, neurons release processes to strictly defined destinations. As a result, two types of neural networks arise: some are able to function without additional tuning (they are the basis of innate behavioral programs and biological needs); others involve learning, i.e. writing additional information which will help to satisfy certain needs.
The described processes of brain formation mainly occur in the first two or three months of pregnancy. It is believed that 20-25% of the future capabilities and characteristics of the brain are determined by how well intrauterine development proceeds during this period. Stress, infectious diseases, taking certain types of drugs, nicotine, alcohol can affect the hormonal background of the mother, and, accordingly, the child, preventing the brain structures from forming as prescribed by the genes.
It turns out that, having barely been born, we get a 60-70% formed set of life preferences: what we would like to do, what place to "win back" in society, how active we should lead.
We can say that everyone has their own calling from birth. It's just that not everyone can find it. Inborn temperament determines what activities or behaviors will be given to us easier and bring more joy. For example, if you are a born artist and musician, then daily violin rehearsals are not hard labor for you, but pleasure.
However, if your parents did not give you a violin, but sent you to karate, you will have to deal with less "preset" needs - to develop aggression and territorial behavior ("our team is the best").
Satisfying "second-class" needs brings less positive reinforcement (read less happiness), and yet, under the influence of the external environment, we are quite capable of developing capabilities that nature has given us little from birth. In this case, we are talking about education, which forms our character.
The more differences between character and temperament, the less “happiness hormones” (for example, dopamine or endorphins) we get. Unfortunately.
Need work algorithm. All needs work according to a similar algorithm. It is simple and resembles a computer program. However, many needs, competing with each other, can form the most complex human behavior in all its variety of manifestations.
It is better to order in a whisper
The behavioral programs by which we adapt to the outside world are useful. They help you live long and happy life, leave viable offspring, continue their race. On the other hand, our biological needs are buttons, by skillfully pressing which we can be successfully manipulated.
Actually, the process of upbringing just mentioned is precisely this. Parents and teachers, bosses and politicians create conditions under which networks of learning neurons in the human brain prescribe programs that allow them to successfully obtain food (get a high salary), increase security (install a burglar alarm in an apartment), become a leader in at least a small “pack of "(promotion), etc.
The mechanisms of "viral" manipulations are especially clearly seen in the examples consumer behavior. Imagine, for example, that you are watching a movie. The plot captures you, the characters make you empathize, you enjoy, dopamine whips over the edge. On the screen, you see not only the characters that you think about at the moment, but also, say, white curtains that you don’t even notice. Nevertheless, the image of white curtains is stored in memory, associated with dopamine reinforcement. A week will pass, and it is possible that when you see white curtains in the store, you will experience an emotional lift. Next, rationalization comes into play: it is not difficult to explain your momentary impulse by the fact that White color it goes well with existing furniture, that it is recommended by leading designers, that it is a fashion trend. And the sellers of white curtains will only have to say thank you to the director and actors who made a good movie.
By the way, the example with white curtains is taken from life: they flashed in the series "Sex and the City" and showed a significant increase in sales in the corresponding period. It is possible to evoke persistent emotional associations, control behavior and mood not only with the help of obvious, conscious, but also with the help of unconscious sounds, smells, visual images. For example, casinos spray substances that cause mild euphoria so that visitors believe in their success and bet more. In shops expensive goods, on the contrary, create a calming atmosphere so that buyers do not lose their temper at the sight of high prices.
"Information noise", that is, certain signals of the senses that we receive, but are not aware of, can have a significant impact on us. There is a practice of adding to the background music in trading floor disguised call "do not steal", not perceived consciously. Statistics confirm that the number of thefts in this case is reduced. The same mechanism underlies the famous "25th frame": the human brain is able to perceive an unconscious text call that appears on the screen for only 0.04 seconds.
Why does the nervous system trust appeals received at a subthreshold level? As stated earlier, our decisions and choice responses are largely the result of competing needs. At the same time, to start real behavior, as a rule, it is required to be aware of what is happening. If we receive a direct order to buy a product, we will understand that the orderer puts himself above us and restricts our freedom. The areas of the brain responsible for hierarchical behavior and the desire for freedom will immediately burst into generous negative emotions. And the seller, "grabbing us by the floor", will be left with nothing.
Whether will, or captivity
What happens: we inherit our preferences from our parents, our tastes are formed by "opinion leaders", everything has long been decided for us? Not at all. The goddess of justice Themis - the personification of objectivity and impartiality - is depicted with a blindfold and scales in her hands.
Like Themis, we often do not see our needs, but it is they that fall on the right and left scales. By listening to them, we choose what is best for us. "Forewarned is forearmed," goes the well-known proverb. By knowing your most sensitive buttons, you can more successfully resist manipulation.
At the same time, sometimes only our animal instincts are able to help recognize the deceiver: after all, the ancient structures of the brain often work more reliably than the consciousness of the most brilliant detective.