Love

Tim and I have been doing a periodic series on the 5 Motivators in marketing and sales. For those who have never learned these, they are Pride, Profit, Love, Need and Fear. If you missed Needs and Fear, please check those respective links above. Today, we will introduce the subject of Love as it relates to the 5 Motivators in marketing and sales.

When you are marketing or selling, do you use emotions, facts or both? Hopefully you answered, both. But if you had to pick only one or the other – emotion or reason – which would you use?

Let me suggest that emotions often trump love with all but the most analytical prospects.

Love is a powerful motivator. I can recall talking to a prospect looking for a manufactured home some years back. As I was probing for the lady's motivations for making a housing change, she told me the following.

“I'm tired of having my children growing up in an apartment complex where there are drug dealers. I want a yard for my kids to play in. It would be nice to have a place of my own, where I could bring the rest of my family and friends over too.”

Let's parse this mom's motivations.

• Fear is the motivator behind the first statement.
• Love is the motivator behind the first and second sentences (yes, sometimes you have multiple motivators at play). This mom wanted the best environment should could provide for her children. That's a form of love.
• The third sentence was a form of pride, which we will review that in an upcoming column.
• Unstated in all of this is the clear need for housing!

So what the above example shows us is that we have to listen multiple ways. We have to listen for what is actually said, what is implied by what is said and what is unstated but still may obviously be meant.

Some prospects will reply more to some motivators than others. Thus the need to learn, listen for and apply all 5 of the motivators plus use reason as needed.

The purpose of asking questions during the qualifying phase of your customer encounter is to learn more about your client, their needs, wants, capabilities, time lines, etc. Part of that “etc.” is to learn their motivators!

While need, pride and fear played a role with this young mother, the greatest driver for her motivations was love. Knowing and understanding the 5 motivators made closing that sale a much easier process. By the way, knowing the motivators made overcoming the 'math' in her case easier. The dollars and cents of her current housing happened to be cheaper monthly than what she ended up investing in. So why did she pay more?

Emotions. Love, fear, pride and needs.

In the backdrop of all of our discussions here on MHProNews or with our clients must be the idea that we want what is in the best interest of our client.

For example, that house over there with the bonus on it because it has been in inventory too long might be the one we WANT to sell as the sales professional. Showing it – if the customer needs something like that – may be wise. But what if that model is the absolute wrong fit for a particular prospect? Don't harm your relationship with the prospect by recommending something that is not in their best interests.

In the ideal, marketing and sales systems should serve the best interest of the customer in a fashion that is a win for everyone involved.

That young couple that are planning to buy their first home together may well have love as a motivator. But don't think that the 5 motivators only count with consumers, we business professionals have those same 5 Motivators at work in us! My motivator for doing something may not always be logic – although I am a believer in using reason/logic routinely – it may be that love for my family will outweigh the logic of pure dollars and cents or other forms of math and reason.

Virtually every systematic sales system on a larger ticket item uses questions and discovery to help identify the needs and drivers for a prospect. But even impulse buy products – those items near the check out line at a store or on a TV shopping network, etc. – are wise to tap into the power of the 5 Motivators. You may 'skip the qualifier' for an impulse product, but if you do, know which of the motivators you are seeking to 'speak to' with your target audience.

We've heard the expression, love conquers all. I've seen love at work in the purchase of a home more times than one can count. Love may be the primary motivation for a parent or relative to help someone make a home purchase that they wouldn't be able to do on their own.

When you are selling or marketing, keep love in mind as you listen, as you craft your messages and you seek ways to connect to your customer. When you do, along with the other 5 Motivators and sound Reason, you will sell more of whatever it is you are taking to the marketplace. ##

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L. A. "Tony" Kovach
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