The top 20% of salespeople focus on their prospects’ and customers’ needs.
The top 5% focus on their prospects’ and customers’ needs and their wants.

Virtually every salesperson has been taught to “meet their prospect’s needs,” and obviously, focusing on needs will put you in the top 20%. A NEED – like needing to have transportation to work – are:

• related to the application of your product or service
• at the surface – top of mind
• rational
• fact-oriented
• product or service-specific

But if you want to be in the top 5% of salespeople, you’ll need to address your prospects’ wants – like wanting to buy a car that’s more expensive than your neighbors’ – are:

• personal
• below the surface
• emotional
• perception-oriented
• not product or service-specific