Published: 26 May 2006

Smart Marketing: How well does your product or services satisfy what your customers really need and want?

Janet Sernack

We have all experienced this kind of disappointment in something we have bought because very often our emotional ''needs'' and ''wants'' have not been successfully identified and satisfied by the product or service provider.

How often have you bought a product or service and felt inherently dissatisfied - as if something has really let you down?

Sometimes this kind of feeling is almost indescribable. Often you feel disappointed, as if you have been cheated because you know that something about your purchase doesn''t feel right. It may have been the new outfit that you bought for yourself, a hard-earned reward for a job well done, or perhaps you were at the receiving end of poor service from a subcontractor or service provider that you depended upon to run your business effectively.

Did you start your business to meet a need?

I started my own business in the provision of marketing and management consulting services to the fashion industry many years ago because I realised that most people purchase a fashion item in order to satisfy an emotional need or want. We all ''need'' to wear shoes in order to protect our feet from the rigours of the environment, but how many of us truly ''want'' to wear the latest Gucci or Robert Clergerie shoes?

Buying a new fashion item tends to give most of us an emotional hit or charge. If so many of us tend to feel this when we buy a new fashion item, don''t you think that this kind of feeling would be replicated to some degree when we buy almost anything from anybody?

Emotional Charge: The different forms

This emotional charge takes different forms for different people. Let''s look at what happens when some of us buy a range of the following products or services:

Perhaps you are seeking to purchase a new car. Depending on what motivates you in your car purchase decision, you will buy the best type of car that meets your emotional need. In some cases safety may be the core key need so the customer will seek to satisfy this particular need. Maybe you feel a need to be recognised for your achievements so you may seek to buy a car that represents high status or success.
Perhaps you need to employ a subcontractor on a project. Depending on the project''s desired outcomes, you will tend to seek a person who you feel you can trust and know to be reliable enough to deliver a consistent product or service, on time. On the other hand, you may be manufacturing a product for a specific target market.
When buying a business suit some people may be seeking to create a feeling of confidence for themselves, while others are trying to convey a sense of authority, credibility or respect.

No matter what business you are in, each of your current or potential customers will come with their own unique sets of needs and wants. It is your job to research and identify exactly what these are so that they don''t feel let down, disappointed or even cheated when they buy from you!

Janet Sernack successfully runs her own learning and development consultancy, Compass Learning, where she makes a difference to small and large businesses by facilitating culture change programs, learning organisation initiatives and improved business and marketing planning.

She has also held senior management positions in the wholesale and retail sectors, most recently as Marketing Development Manager with Grace Bros.