Customers Buy Ideas First: Know What You Sell

There are a bunch of things that have to happen before a customer slaps their money on the table.

You already know that: you’re a customer, too. But you may not have considered this: you buy ideas first. Then you pull out your credit card.

Right after you say “I want . . . ” Or “I need . . . ” your mind begins to create a picture.

You have to be able to see yourself doing business with the company, or the person, selling the object or service.

Paint a picture with trust

You have to imagine yourself in that picture before you feel remotely comfortable handing over your hard-earned money.

Many business people focus on the thing they sell. They believe accuracy will do the trick.

An objective description. And an explicit statement that they’re trustworthy and reliable. And a statement that their thing will last a very long time. And another statement, saying they’ll give you great value for your money

Those things are all supposed to push all the right buttons. They’re supposed to be enough to get you galloping in the door, waving a fistful of cash.

But there’s one thing missing: They’ve forgotten their customers.

You know this: before your customer buys, they need a measure of trust.

Customers need confidence in the seller. They need to see words, or images, or both, to be convinced to make that purchase.

One thing remains constant: the idea of the thing you do ignites the spark.

Finding that idea might take a bit of research, or it could hit you in a split second. 

You buy ideas first.

Ignite your customer’s imagination. Create something they can visualize, to see how working with you or buying from you feels.

To sell an idea, you need to learn how to talk to your audience. Listen to what they want and what they don’t. Then you can craft the idea they’ll buy into.