Psychology of Sales Masterclass #3 – Make your brand needed

Your brand is everything. It is the image your customers conjure up when buying, it is the touch of your products in use, it is everything your company produces, right down to the full stops in your email signature. At Borg and Overström, we believe in the power of brand. A consistent brand presents a reliable company, and a reliable company engenders loyalty in your customers.

Now, we know your business needs branding, but why do your customers need you? It’s your job to tell them.

Psychologist, Abraham Maslow, created a hierarchy of needs in 1943, that represent what we, as human beings, need and desire. We move through this hierarchy in this blog to describe how to infuse your branding with necessity, giving a whole new meaning to the term, ‘the must have product’.  

Physiological

Your physiological needs are your most basic. We need to eat, sleep, drink, and breathe before we can do anything else. If your product relates to these functions, you have a lot of competition. Therefore, show customers why they should elect to choose your brand over the numerous others available. Whether the price, the unique features you present, or your history, find something unique that sets you apart from the crowd.

Safety

Now, you may be pondering how your product relates to safety. But safety can be so much more than personal safety. For example, you could relate your brand to job security. Could your products or services benefit the workplace or employees? Can your product increase productivity? Make this message clear in your branding, and your customers will associate your products with professional development and improvement.

Love/belonging

Is your product a social product? Can your brand facilitate a good chat, or complement a party? If so, ensure that your brand imagery consists of social scenarios, ensure that the language used in your branding is open and conversational. Social media can be a great tool for developing this brand target, take the time to create genuine conversations with your customers, you’ll be surprised at what they have to say!

Esteem

How does your brand make a person feel about themselves? What does possessing your products or using your services say about your customer? Consider how Dove represents their products as complementary to ‘real beauty’. They use members of the public as models so that customers see themselves reflected in Dove’s branding, therefore view Dove as a brand they can be a part of. Paint your brand as inclusive by appealing directly to your customers in your branding, allow them opportunities to get involved in the direction and development of your products, make it a brand they are proud to be part of.

Self-actualisation

Self-actualisation refers to individuals seeking their full potential. It is what drives people to do what they do. If you can ensure your brand represents the inner drive and aspirations of your customer, they will associate it with the realisation of their hopes and dreams. Consider luxury car adverts, they do not describe the price of the vehicles, or even the features, what they describe is how the product will make you feel, and how the product will affect other people’s perception of you.

Putting it into practice

Next time you create content for your brand, whether it’s a customer email, a product description, or a tweet, take the time to assess which of these needs you’ll be aiming to meet. Your customers will be guaranteed to need to know more.

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You’re reading an article from the Borg and Overström Academy programme.

Borg and Overström are a manufacturer, and trade-only supplier, of top-quality, beautiful water systems.

We take pride in working with our clients to help them to develop their businesses, providing tailored sales, marketing, and technical training and advice.