| If you want to know how you can improve your | | | | have the best looking horse or best looking child. At |
| sales you need to understand why people buy and | | | | social events it is the photographer that starts the |
| when. Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a theory in | | | | sales patter to put people in the mood to buy, |
| psychology, proposed by Abraham Maslow in 1943 | | | | leaving the sales people to close the deal and not |
| and breaks down our requirements into a pyramid | | | | having to initiate it. |
| with our most basic needs at the bottom of which | | | | There are further things that come into play such as |
| are physiological needs, these are the obvious | | | | gullibility or stupidity - £9.99 sounds a lot less |
| requirements for human survival such as Breathing | | | | than £10 but is only 0.1% less - they are |
| and Food, so no requirement for photographs. | | | | essentially the same price but this meets with |
| The second layer, Safety needs deals with such | | | | another idea that people like some change from a |
| aspects as Personal Security, Financial Security and | | | | note or that they do not like to have to hand over a |
| Health and Well-Being, so it could be argued that | | | | note and change - potentially sales will decrease so |
| expensive portrait purchases at a high street | | | | much by selling at £11 each instead of |
| photographer would be a threat at this level. Layer 3 | | | | £10 each that you would have made more |
| is Social needs and deals with Friendship, Intimacy and | | | | profit at £8 each. |
| Family and deals in part with belonging, a need to | | | | So you know that the conditions and the price have |
| identify who we are. People like to be part of a | | | | to be right so what is the major factor that stops |
| group and have an identity and photographs can help | | | | people buying when the product is good? It is the |
| to reinforce those identities. | | | | ability to pay - if people do not know that you are |
| The fourth layer is Esteem and takes the ideas of | | | | going to be there and that they are going to want |
| belongingness a step further because everybody | | | | your product they will not come armed with the |
| wants to have recognition via their activities that | | | | ready cash, they will have budgeted for food, travel |
| make them feel accepted i.e. everybody wants their | | | | costs etc. but not for you so the addition of such |
| 15 minutes of fame or just the respect of their | | | | things as wireless chip and pin terminals allows the |
| peers. At this level people buy photographs because | | | | impulse buy. |
| they want to show who they are and what they can | | | | The situation is very different if it is the customer |
| do. | | | | that has approached a studio because then they will |
| The pinnacle is Self-actualization and as with all stages | | | | have known in advance what they are doing but |
| you must have achieved the lower stages to get | | | | again they are limited by what they can pay so the |
| here. Self-actualization which is the personal need to | | | | opportunity to buy via credit or installments means |
| be the best at what you want to do such as the | | | | that they can buy what they want and not what |
| best photographer or best forum moderator. At this | | | | they can afford or need. As was once explained to |
| level people buy your photographs because the | | | | me, the man in the Range Rover can afford it but |
| photographs are the best that they can buy. | | | | the man in the Mondeo aspires to it (possibly |
| So after the Psycho babble where exactly are we? | | | | appealing to layer 4) so give him the opportunity to |
| The reality is that given the choice between Food | | | | buy it as well. |
| & Drink or purchasing a photograph, the | | | | If you want to know about sales techniques just |
| photograph comes second. At an event we | | | | look at what supermarkets do, they pipe the smell of |
| deliberately reduced the price to £8 which | | | | fresh bread around the store, they change the |
| allowed any child that had been given a £10 | | | | lighting in different areas to make the produce look |
| note to buy their photograph and a can of coke etc. | | | | better, they put special offers on row ends to make |
| which allows them to fulfil layer 1 and hence layer 3. | | | | you go up and down the rows, they put special |
| A purchase at an event covers many layers, Layer 3 | | | | offers at the front door. Premium brands are at eye |
| to be part of the group, Layer 4 to show how good | | | | level whereas budget (where they don't make as |
| they were to others. It is only when Layers 1 & | | | | much money) are set much lower or higher. |
| 2 are in place that people will consider buying. Shelter | | | | Business to business is very similar with only one |
| is one of the most basic needs so if the weather is | | | | difference, they will use rolling or continuous discounts |
| bad people will leave early, or they may end up in | | | | i.e. buy 3 or more and the price is lower for each one |
| your sales tent but you can guarantee lower sales. | | | | - it is proven that buy 2 get 1 free means most |
| There is also the use of emotions. | | | | people will only buy 3 and they want you to buy |
| Guilt comes into play - if some children have been | | | | what you want. How do you know if the price is |
| bought photographs it makes parents guilty that their | | | | right? There will always be moaners but a proven |
| children do not also have photographs - you do not | | | | trick is to put the price up to a point that more |
| need to work on this emotion as there have always | | | | people start to moan i.e. past the background level |
| been the haves and the have nots - you will often | | | | and then you will have found what is right for your |
| hear we will take a card and look on-line - if you cant | | | | market. |
| get them to buy then and there your chance of | | | | Have something that is just so expensive that people |
| them buying afterwards will probably be in the region | | | | are unlikely to buy - if they do it is a bonus (some |
| of 10-20% - again think of the way that venture sell. | | | | just have to show off what they can afford, and |
| Greed, why do many businesses use the idea of buy | | | | hopefully that will attract others) but it also makes |
| 2 get one free? It is because people are greedy to | | | | your other products look better value for money. If |
| get the free one and often they think that they are | | | | customers continually tell you that you are cheap or |
| the ones gaining but if I sell at X and my costs are Y | | | | good value it is probably time to reassess. Offers |
| it is far better to make 2X-3Y than it is to make X-Y | | | | discounts/deals will always attract people but you |
| from a customer. | | | | need to give them something they want and the |
| Vanity, make the customer feel good, tell how | | | | opportunity to buy it. |
| fantastic they look in the images, all my customers | | | | |