ARTICLE 11

Do you really understand why visitors at a show buy from you? Or what you can do to seduce them and encourage them to spend with you? The key is to understand why people buy and make it easy for them to do so. There are three main buying motives – Profit, Prestige and Fear.

There is a fourth buying motive, which is comfort. Profit buyers will buy because it is a bargain, it will save money or time and represents good value for money. However, they will need to be convinced that they cannot easily source the same or similar product for less elsewhere and if they are getting a ‘deal’ all the better. Prestige buyers are after something special –the best, top of the range, exclusive and price is often at the bottom of their list. They are concerned about image, reputation and being made to feel special. The final group, the so-called fear buyers, rarely have a positive reason for buying. They actually do not want to buy. They buy often under duress or just in case. An example would be something like an insurance policy. You do not wake in the morning whooping with delight at the prospect of arranging insurance. Nor do you buy because it is a cheap policy. You do not buy because some prestigious merchant bank underwrites it. The main reason for buying the policy is not because you want it, but because of the security / safety aspect. Just in case and so forth.

Analyse your products and services and identify which buyer type(s) you appeal to most. By addressing these buying motives you can attract or repel the types of buyers you need with your proposition.