Why do People Buy? Reply, and I’ll Tell You…

It’s been 16 weeks since the EF3 tornado roared through our neighborhood, ripped the roof of our house, and leveled our back yard.

Many of my neighbors’ yards got wrecked, too.

But a few houses down from me, one neighbor has restored his yard to its former glory.

No surprise, really, because this neighbor is the one I call the “Lawn Master.” Here’s a story I wrote about him five years ago:

I was walking my dog, Moose, around the block the other day and came upon a neighbor who was manicuring his lawn.

This wasn’t your standard roll-the-mower-over-the-grass job. This was high-intensity fuss-over-the-fescue.

He was on his knees with a hand clipper, working the edges, getting everything right. Not just good enough. But perfect.

After he perfected the edge, he stepped back, put his hands on his hips, and studied his work, like a fine artist admiring his masterpiece.

He was peacock proud, strutting his stuff.

When I returned with Moose 45 minutes later, he was still out there, fussing.

The fescue looked the same to me as it did 45 minutes earlier. But for my neighbor, this wasn’t just about how the lawn looked. This was about being seen as the Lawn Master. And the curtain had not yet dropped on his performance.

That reminded me of something advertising pioneer John Caples said:

“The most frequent reason for unsuccessful advertising is advertisers who are so full of their own accomplishments (the world’s best seed!) that they forget to tell us why we should buy (the world’s best lawn!).”

Caples reminds us to focus on the benefit (the world’s best lawn), not the feature (the world’s best seed).

No doubt… You’ll attract prospects and drive sales if you promise the world’s best lawn, rather than the world’s best seed.

But you can attract MORE prospects and drive MORE sales if you take it further…

Describe How The Benefit Will Transform the Customer

If you buy our seeds…

…You’ll no longer be embarrassed and ashamed of that dusty, weed patch in front of your house (That story would get MY attention)…

…You’ll be the envy of the neighborhood…

…You’ll be the one whose neighbors say, “Your lawn looks great…”

…Your house will transform from a grimy shack to a stately manor…

…You’ll be peacock proud…

…You’ll be the Lawn Master.

Some people buy grass seeds and lawn tools because they seek STATUS. They want to stand out as better than those around them — maybe even the best.

Thanks to some brilliant ad campaigns by David Ogilvy, that’s why some people buy Schweppes, too.

When you order a “Gin and Schweppes,” rather than an ordinary old “Gin and Tonic,” it says something about you.

You’re more discerning. You’re more sophisticated. You have standing and status — at least according to the stories Ogilvy crafted to sell Schweppes.

There are other reasons we humans buy things, but the list isn’t very long.

Yesterday — in a live, small-group briefing — I broke down Ogilvy’s legendary Schweppes’ ads.

I revealed how Ogilvy understood why people buy. Status is one reason, but not the only one.

And we discussed how you can sell more if you understand the reasons your prospects buy…

…so you can create content, presentations, and sales scripts that tap their deepest desires and inspire them to act.

I recorded the training and will send you the replay if you reply to this email with “Status.”