What are you really selling

Many of us in the construction business often forget what it is we are really selling our customers, or maybe to be more precise what it is that our customers are buying.

When you or I buy a burger at McDonald's are we really buying 2 oz of beef, a bun and assorted toppings. I know that I am not. I am buying a solution to hunger, and more specifically a fast solution to that hunger. I would rather be eating something else, but that doesn't always work. The construction business is no different.

Lets look at the roofing business. absolutely no one is purchasing shingles, or TPO or any other kind of roofing product because they want it, nor are they buying the time and effort that the roofer and crew put into the project. They aren't even buying a roof that won't leak and the warranty that guarantees that it will stay that way.

They are actually purchasing a dry floor.

If they spend more for it to get a job performed by a roofer they percieve to be better, or a material that guarantees better performance they are buying a dry floor in more conditions or for a longer period of time.

The roof is just one example of this. The same principle applies to a comfortable home and lower utility costs for an insulator, or a better environment to spend time with loved ones for a remodeler. Look at what benefit your customer really gets from using you and the products you use. This may not be the same for every customer but it is often similar. Craft your marketing and selling messages to this end rather than what you
think the benefit is.

Always, always, always remember that people purchase for their reasons not ours. find out what those reasons are and present the opportunity with the best reason for them.