What is Your Customer Buying?

By Lisa D. Jenkins

Every brand or business is selling something.

When we create social media profiles, curate content and provide customer service, we do it hoping current and prospective customers will buy from us or tell their friends about us.

What are you selling?

Answering is marginally (but not entirely) easier for those of us who sell concrete products. At the most basic level, Nordstrom sells things to wear. Whole Foods sells things to eat. FAO Schwarz sells things to play with.

For those of us who sell intangibles, it’s harder to define because what we sell is less about the product or service and more about the experience.

The question then becomes not “What are you selling?” but “What is your customer buying?” Once you understand things from your customer’s side of the table, it’s easier to market to them.

What might that look like?

The local mechanic sells oil changes. The customer isn’t buying an oil change, they’re buying the peace of mind that comes with knowing their transportation will continue to get them where they need to be. Market the peace of mind.

Consultants sell their reputation. The customer isn’t buying reputation, they’re buying knowledge they don’t possess so they can be more successful. Market the knowledge.

Banks and credit unions sell mobile check deposit. The customer isn’t buying mobile check deposit, they’re buying the time they would’ve spent waiting in line and using it for business meetings or kindergarten graduations. Market the time.

Visitor bureaus sell destinations. The customer isn’t buying a destination, they’re buying memories that will bind them to others for the rest of their lives. Market the memories.

What you’re selling isn’t necessarily what your customer is buying, but the two aren’t and shouldn’t be mutually exclusive.

It’s time to sit on the other side of the table. Consider things from your customer’s perspective.

What is your customer really buying?