Meeting needs is at the heart of the raison d’être of products or services. For humans, a need is the feeling of lacking something that generates a desire to satisfy it. One becomes aware of a need when self-recognized or triggered by an external stimulus. The need exists in the mind of each individual. The birth of a need can originate based on the social stratum to which one belongs and the personal, social, and cultural interactions and influences within the experiential environment. Changes in life stages are also a significant source of new needs when our personal, family, and professional roles change. When satisfying a need with your product or service, it is crucial to address the motivation behind the need.
Needs are generic, and motivations are specific to each person. Motivation or drive is what guides behavior. Two people with the same need can have two very different motivations to satisfy it; consequently, the choice of the product or service will be determined by the specific motivation, not the need. For example, two people may want an electric scooter for city commuting. One is motivated to buy it to fit in with their coworkers, as most of them arrive at the office every morning on scooters with a backpack slung over their shoulder. The other person wants it because they believe it will provide more schedule flexibility and save on public transportation costs. The first person will likely be influenced by the scooters they see each morning in their company’s parking lot, wanting their status to be reflected in their purchase choice. The second person may search the internet for price and performance comparisons of different scooters and make a more practical choice.
All products or services in the same category fulfill the main need. It is through the segmentation of our target audience that we seek to position ourselves based on a very specific motivation. We don’t sell to stereotyped customer profiles; we sell to individuals with their own motivations to fulfill their aspirations. At the same time, it is true that consumption trends and lifestyles stereotype buying compartments among like-minded consumer groups. Consumer motivation fluctuates between their individual self and their social self. Only through personal selling can we discover the true motivations of each buyer.
