A New Perspective to Boost Your Sales through Demand-Side Sales.

Welcome to a dynamic exploration of the art of selling from the customer's side, a practice that redefines how we present our proposals. This article has a clear purpose: to provide innovative tools for creating sales presentations, pitches, and demos that embrace demand-centered sales theory.

Unveiling the Fundamentals

At the core of this revolution lies a deep understanding of the buyer and the user. We immerse ourselves in the customer's buying process, challenging conventions and exploring how to put this theory into action. Collaboration between marketing, sales, and customer success becomes the key to success.

Approaching from the Customer's Perspective

Imagine crafting your marketing strategy not from your product's standpoint but from the buyer's worldview. Put on new lenses and see the world through their eyes. Demand-side sales are based on understanding the customer's goals, values, and the concessions they are willing to make to achieve those goals. Our products and services become essential pieces of their solution.

Struggling moment

It all starts with a "struggling moment," that instant when the customer faces a challenge and thinks, "I can do better." This difficult moment becomes the seed of every sale, the catalyst that drives change. Demand, in this context, arises independently of the offer and depends on the existence of a difficult moment. The key is to address real problems; without a "struggling moment," there is no demand, and thus, no purchase.

A Mattress Journey

Reflect on your nights of restful sleep. If you sleep well, you probably won't even notice the mattress store as you pass by. But what if you find yourself resigned to the sofa every night due to a deficient mattress? Suddenly, you become aware, seek alternatives, and ask questions. This is the "struggling moment" that stimulates demand. This principle applies to any product, from sneakers to milkshakes.

The Essence of Demand-Side

Here lies the core of demand-side sales: being helpful, empowering, curious, and creative. It's about understanding the motivations behind people's actions. By adopting this perspective, we can not only sell products but also help people achieve their goals.

This is the beginning of an exciting journey toward a revolutionary approach to sales. Get ready to look beyond your products and immerse yourself in the world of your buyers.

Principles

• Personal Motivations: People make purchases for their reasons. Understanding these motivations is key to an authentic connection.
• Nothing is Random: Delving into causal mechanisms, from actions to the level of action, is essential for a thorough understanding of the customer.
• Struggling Moments: These challenging moments are the seed of all sales. But when do they occur? This is where interaction with customers becomes crucial. Often, they themselves cannot explain their "struggling moment."

Myth-Busting

• Supply Doesn't Create Demand: Building a product does not guarantee a purchase. Adapting to individual definitions of "the best" is the key.
• Sales Aren't Random: Seeking customers is not enough. Demand must be created, a system built to provoke responses, leaving behind the belief in randomness.
• Persuasion vs. Understanding: Sales are not about persuading. Buyers convince themselves. Understanding them, creating products aligned with their lives, and comprehending their value is the path to success.

Milky Way vs. Snickers

Why do people buy Snickers? Why do people buy a Milky Way?

Traditional thinking from the supply side suggests that Snickers and Milky Way compete for the same customers. After all, they sit side by side on the candy aisle and are made with similar ingredients. But what motivates someone to choose a Snickers over a Milky Way? It turns out people buy Snickers when they're running low on energy; they need a boost. Their stomachs growl, and eating a Snickers feels like a meal: the nougat, caramel, and peanuts create a satisfying crunch. Snickers is not competing at all with Milky Way. It competes with a sandwich, Red Bull, and a cup of coffee. Meanwhile, the Milky Way glides down your throat, covering your mouth with chocolate and endorphins. It's a chocolate bar. People typically eat it only after an emotional event, good or bad, and it helps them feel better or acts as a reward. Milky Way competes with ice cream, brownies, and a glass of wine. Understanding this dynamic was a game-changer for Snickers. They shifted the sales perspective and launched a commercial that spoke to people at this specific moment. They created an ad for Super Bowl XLIV, starting with a group of young people playing American football on a field with an old lady. Then someone hands her a Snickers bar, she takes a bite, and transforms back into a young man. And the slogan said: "You're not YOU when you're hungry." "Snickers satisfies!" This ad propelled Snickers to over USD $3.5 billion in less than ten years.

Conclusion

Value is created, and money is earned by helping people achieve their goals. Demand is only generated by a customer's struggling moment; without it, there is no demand. By understanding buyers and applying demand-centered sales principles, we can anticipate and solve problems before customers are aware of them. Get ready to transform your sales approach and conquer the market from the customer's perspective!

Reference: Demand-Side Sales book by Bob Moesta .