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How does a customer decide what to buy and how much

they’re willing to pay for it? What motivates them to select
one buying option over another? How do they choose?
What’s their thought process and how can you impact it?

Let’s delve into this a bit, because this is where fortunes are
made. It’s where your career can launch into the
stratosphere. Getting this part of Service Dynamite right
can open doors for you for the rest of your life.

In your industry, the majority of the service calls are based

on an immediate need – the customer needs something
now. That need could be real or perceived. Perhaps repair a
plumbing leak, or the furnace stopped working, or there’s
an electrical issue to resolve. The point is, they believe they
need something now or fairly soon.

Please learn these two important points:

First: Most customers have no idea of what they really

need when they call you. All they know is the symptom
they’re experiencing. They want relief from the symptom.
They need you to identify the cause of the symptom and
tell them what they need to do to get that relief.

Second: Once they know what they need, that’s not what
they really want to buy.

It sounds crazy, but here’s it’s how it works.

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The fact is, people don’t buy what they need, they buy what
they want. The need only initiates the shopping action -
it’s why the customer calls you in the first place. The
perceived need or the symptom gets them to dial the phone.

Your function as a service professional is to figure out what

they need and then guide them through a process that offers
them what they want.

The spread – the difference between what they need and

what they really want, is where Service Dynamos live. It’s
their home. That’s where all the money is hiding. And, it’s
where you will live from now on – the area between what
they need and what they want. By the way, a customer will
tell you what they want.

Here’s what you need to know to make that happen.

There are Five Psychological Hot Buttons – only five - that

motivate people to buy anything. Any buyer motivation
that you can think of will fit into one of these categories.

You have to hit on at least one of these hot buttons or they

won’t buy- they won’t have a reason to.

The first hot button is NEED.

We buy food because we need to eat. We need to wear

warm clothing when it’s cold outside. We need gasoline to
make our vehicles run.

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If all you offer a customer is just what they need, just relief
to that symptom that prompted their calling you, without
determining what they really want- - then what are you
selling – nothing. That’s what the pizza delivery persons do
– they respond to a call, then they drive to a house and drop
off what the customer called in for.

You didn’t go through all of the hard knocks developing

your skills just to be a delivery person – did you? Of course
not.

Offering a customer only what they absolutely need is

unfair to that customer and it’s not the actions of a Service
Dynamo. It’s not good service. When you merely provide
what the customer absolutely need, You are deciding what
they should buy, and it’s not up to you – it’s not your
decision to make for them. You’re not providing any
choices. It’s the take it or leave it proposition.

The second hot button is GREED

Sometimes we can buy a lot more by spending a little bit

more. Taking advantage of such an opportunity falls under
greed. Using coupons is a form of greed. Look at all of the
business generated by money-saving coupons and senior
citizen discounts. One way a buyer tries to implement
Greed is by negotiating a lower price to receive the same
product or service for less money than the quoted price.

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That’s OK. The buyer is looking for additional incentive to

buy. The second way a buyer tries to implement Greed is
by obtaining a greater value for the same money.

Either way, they are looking for more bang for the buck.
Lower price for the same product OR more products for the
same price.

Look at all the items you’ve bought in your life because

you thought it was a good deal at the time. And, you bought
it because “you might need it some day.” That’s Greed.

The third hot button is LOVE

Love is a very powerful motivator. Everything from

Christmas cards to Cadillacs are purchased out of love. I
once had my wife’s car repaired at a brake shop. The
mechanic checked the brakes and said they all needed to be
replaced. When I balked at the price, he tried a different
tactic. He then said that the front brakes needed to be fixed
right now, but the rear brakes could wait.

“Great”, I said, “let’s wait ‘til my next visit.” He then

looked at me, right in the eyes and he said, “Ya know, this
is your wife’s car. If we do all the brakes now, this car will
be much safer for her to drive.” I caved in. I saw pictures
in my mind of my wife stranded on the roadside after an
automobile accident. If anything ever happened to her
because I tried to save a couple of dollars, I couldn’t live
with myself. The mechanic pushed a Hot Button – LOVE.

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He knew I “needed” brakes, but what I really wanted was a

safe vehicle for my wife. He knew what I really wanted
was Safety for someone I love.

So far, we have NEED, GREED and LOVE.

The fourth hot button is FEAR.

When we buy out of fear, we do it to prevent situations that

we don’t want to happen. We consider the negative
possibilities and consequences of NOT buying something.
Those consequences convince us to buy.

Insurance companies thrive on our fears. Fear of floods and

fire, fear of a car accident, fear of costly medical bills, fear
of what could happen to our loved ones if we leave this
earth pre-maturely.
Fear motivates people to take action to avoid something
negative happening.

Now you have NEED, GREED, LOVE and FEAR

The fifth and final hot button is EGO.

Why does someone buy a Rolex watch that costs thousands

of dollars when all they need is an inexpensive Timex to
tell them the time? The do it for status. A Rolex is a status
symbol. EGO prompts them to buy that Rolex.

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Why do people buy expensive automobiles or the big house

on the hill? Is it because they really need those things? No,
it’s ego. But it could also be Greed because they got a great
deal of they did it for the love of someone else.

So, there you have it. The five Hot Buttons that prompt
your customers to buy. Five reasons and motivations that
take them from what they NEED to what they want.

Memorize these five little words and take them with you on
every service call from now on. Use them when you want
to give someone a reason to buy into anything you offer.

Remember them whenever you negotiate.

The next time someone is giving a sense that they’re

thinking, “Why should I?”-- Slam down on one of these hot
buttons.

*NEED, GREED, LOVE, FEAR and EGO.*

Look at the relationship between the BUYER and the
Benefactor of the purchase. Hit the buttons. The hot buttons
give the Buyer the motivation to do something for the
benefactors, those that receive the benefits of the purchase.

Press the hot buttons subtly during the diagnosis. Why is

what you’re proposing good for the children for example,
that’s LOVE. How will the customer save money by doing
the additional work you’re proposing – that’s GREED.

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How does your product or service protect their home –

FEAR. Why is your product or service the best solution for
them – EGO. People always want the “best” of anything.

Customers only recognize the symptoms of the problem

they’re experiencing. But they want a long-term solution.
Motivating someone to buy what he or she already wants
isn’t difficult.

Here’s the steps:

Step 1: Once you identify what they need, set it aside,

that’s just one of their buying options. This is OPTION #1-
satisfying the immediate need.

Step 2: The next step is to widen the scope of your

diagnosis and look for any upcoming difficulties or other
issues the customer hasn’t noticed – other problems you
can see with your trained eye that are coming soon. Look
for evidence of wear and tear, negligence or lack of
maintenance.

Find those inevitable expenses and inconveniences that you

want the customer to be aware of and they should be
apprised of. Put those extra issues on the stage with you.
Put them in front of your customer’s eyes.
If a mechanic looks under the hood of your car, do you
want them to take a quick look or take a really good look to
see if you should repair anything else? You want a reliable
vehicle, don’t you?

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Customers also want you to take a good look around and to

find any other areas that might need attention. They want
you to identify any upcoming difficulties. They want a
thorough and complete diagnosis. And that’s great for you.
It’s how you build the basic repair into a bigger job. It’s
where add-on sales come from. Those are the add-ons
you’re going to offer.

Now take your Option 1 and add to that the cost of the add-
ons you’ve discovered and you have OPTION #2. They
may not need those extras now, but it’s more convenient
for them if they do it now and perhaps you can give them a
better price since you don’t have to come back to do it
later. GREED

Give the customer an opportunity to stretch their dollars

this way, with something better and more reliable for their
family – that’s LOVE and GREED

Step 3: OPTION 3 is the total replacement or the “Big

Job”.

If you can build the cost of the repair with add-ons, in

OPTION #2 too nearly or approximately ½ the cost what a
total replacement would cost, most customers will want the
total replacement. They see it as a wiser purchase.

Half the replacement cost is the tipping point to the

replacement justification. It doesn’t matter if it’s a faucet or
a furnace. Would you spend $5,000 to repair a vehicle

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that’s only worth $10,000? -- Probably not. Wouldn’t you

put that $5000 towards something newer, better and more
reliable?

Why would anyone choose OPTION 2 unless that’s all they

can really afford? They know that they would rather have
the replacement. It’s the better value. The replacement
decision is almost “obvious.” It’s difficult to resist.
They may need a little help; it’s a larger expense than they
were expecting. But you’re showing it to them, they see the
evidence. They want to believe their eyes. It’s their home
we’re trying to preserve.

If the customer waivers back and forth, help them.

HIT the GREED BUTTON

Mr. Jones, If you take Option 2, relieving the current

symptom plus those other areas that really need to be
addressed now, that’s fine, it’s your money.

My job is to show you your options. If I didn’t do that, I

wouldn’t be doing a good job for you. But, ultimately it’s
your decision.

Mr. Jones, look at it this way. You’re spending half the cost
of a new system and you’re not getting the benefit of
having a brand new system.
You’re not getting the warranty and you’re not getting the
efficiency or the same reliability. You still have an older

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unit. Mr. Jones, the smart money says to replace the

system, but again, it’s up to you. It’s your money.

Try to reduce the buyer’s decision to common sense

Use the Buttons-- motivate him. Give him reasons to buy.

NEED, GREED, LOVE, FEAR and EGO.

If Mr. Jones doesn’t want the replacement, you have still

have two other options for him. If not a new system or
replacement then you’ll at least get something. You’ve
established fallback positions with your Options. It’s not a
take it or leave it. It’s not a yes or no. You must never do
that.

Always give them at least two options and never more than
three, they will only get confused.

Customers don’t just want the problem gone; they want it

gone FOREVER.

Turn over all the rocks and show them what else should be
done while you’re there. Let them make the buying
decision. That’s what they want.

Isn’t that the right thing to do?

Isn’t that would you would do if you were working on your

own house?

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A customer doesn’t just want that plumbing leak fixed –

they want that leak gone forever.

They’re not just looking for the heat to come back on –

they want a reliable system they can depend on - always.

Who is the BUYER and who are the Benefactors? Who is

receiving the benefits? The hot buttons motivate the buyer
to take action for the benefit of a benefactor. It could be the
buyer himself, the family or perhaps a close friend.

I bought the brakes, my wife was the benefactor and I did it

out of love.

NEED, GREED, LOVE, FEAR and EGO.

Please notice something. Of the five hot buttons, Need is

the motivation derived from necessity. But the other four,
Greed, Love, Fear and Ego are all derived from emotion.

Emotion rules the day when motivating a customer to buy.

There are 4 times as many reasons to buy on emotion, than
there are based on just what the customer needs to relieve
the symptom today.

Let’s review:

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Most customers have no idea of what they really need when

they call you. All they know is the symptom they’re
experiencing. They want relief from the symptom. They
need you to identify the cause of the symptom and tell them
what they need to do to get that relief.

Once they know what they need, that’s not what they really
want to buy.

Customers want a thorough job and some buying options.

The NEED is your OPTION 1

You look for upcoming difficulties; those are your add-ons.

OPTION 1 plus those add-ons is OPTION 2

You give them at least two options and sometimes three,

but never more than three.

Your OPTION #3 is either the replacement, or all of the

services available to the customer.

Find the Buyer and Benefactor relationship

Hit the Hot Buttons to motivate them to buy

Do you offer special pricing if they do the extra work

today? – GREED
Is this something that’s good for the family - LOVE

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Could something undesirable happen if they don’t buy –

FEAR

Is it something they can show off proudly to others? - EGO

Find the button – NEED is your last resort – your final

fallback position

NEED, GREED, LOVE, FEAR and EGO.

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