A sale is usually made not in the minds of the salesman, but in the minds of the buyers. A customer’s mind is made up to buy only if he is motivated or induced by some reasons to buy.
Therefore, it is essential for the salesman to know about the factors that induce the buyer to buy and his source of motivation.
The urge or motive to satisfy a desire makes people buy goods or services. Behind every purchase, there remains a set of buying motives. Buying motives are the set of thoughts, feelings, emotions and instincts which motivate the buyer to buy an article. The buyer purchases a product or decides to purchase a product usually influenced by a set of factors. The buyer’s decision of when, where, what, and how much to buy are based on these motives.
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In other words, a person does not buy because he has been persuaded by the salesman to buy. But he buys because of his desire to purchase the item in question at a certain price, of certain qualities, at a specific time and from a specific place. Stated otherwise, buying motives are those influences or considerations which provide the buyer an impulse to buy and induce action or determine choice in the purchase of goods or services.
According to Prof. D.J. Duncan, ‘buying motives are those influences or considerations which provide the impulse to buy, induce action or determine choice in the purchase of goods or services’.
Prof. W.J. Stanton defines motive as, ‘a drive or an urge for which an individual seeks satisfaction’. It becomes a buying motive when the individual seeks satisfaction through the purchase of something. Thus, every action of an individual has a motive behind it. Motives are present in the minds of the buyer but not in the product or service.
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It is, therefore, necessary for the salesman to examine the buying motives of the prospective buyers closely. This would help him arouse favourable attention from the prospective buyers in favour of a purchase and finally clinch a sale.