You already know at a deep animal level that the easiest way to sell more is not to give others what they need - but what they want.
Do you prefer the slice of double fudge chocolate cake 🍫 🍰 (yum) or the bowl of boiled carrots 🥕 (bleh)?
I already know which you're going to pick and I’m no mind reader.
What people want and what they need is often different.
And sometimes people can feel their wants yet have no idea what they need.
Now, wants and needs do often align and that's when you have the most powerful buying trigger.
But sometimes you have a prospect that's just sitting on the fence.
Maybe they're blocked by their logical brain – ie. the one that's quietly (and correctly) admonishing your prospect, "But you don't NEED this Rolex watch"
And in this case, you would be remiss in your role as a founder, marketer and salesperson to ignore the power of wants (usually based in emotion) over needs (often rooted more so in logic).
By the way, I’m not saying you would be remiss to not USE the power of wants – I’m instead saying you would be remiss to IGNORE its power.
With that clarified, you would want -- where the circumstances are appropriate -- to press the emotional gas pedal of wants, not just lean exclusively on trying to further convince from a logical needs-based perspective.
Ever wonder why you waste hours procrastinating by watching trashy Youtube videos over investing that time getting in shape, starting a business or learning a useful skill?
Because it feels GOOD to have your brain release little squirts of dopamine while you blow your time watching idiotic cat videos, someone gorging themselves with mukbang or someone streaming the newest video game (yay Resident Evil 4 Remake).
And as humans, we are inclined (or, designed) to do things that make us feel short-term pleasure over things that we know are actually beneficial, but which involve concentration, careful practice, frustration and pain.
But we don't need to stay in the realm of extreme examples to see that emotional wants are more powerful, effective sales triggers than logical needs.
Here's a few that you (or someone you know) has probably fallen victim to:
Buying an expensive mechanical wristwatch (conveys status and prestige) over a cheap $15 plastic Casio that actually keeps better time and has more functionality
Buying a top-end Macbook Pro not because you need the processing power or battery-life but because you "like how it makes you look when you work in crowded coffee shops"
Showing off expensive restaurant meals on social media not because you're a creator and this is your business or genuine hobby, but because you want to flex to your friends
You know what? I think all of the above are perfectly fine as long as you're conscious you're being guided by your impulsive wants.
And frankly, on top of that, I'm writing this from the perspective of someone who helps founders increase their sales and profitability, so I'm not one to pass judgment.
In fact, it benefits my clients when people tap deeply into their wants, not just their needs.
But what I want to say is that, as a founder and entrepreneur, you need to learn there is a time and place for using all the tools in your toolkit.
And one of the most powerful tools you have is knowing when (and when not) to story tell and convince from an emotional wants-based perspective, when to do so from a logical needs-based one and when to combine the two.
Use your best judgment as a founder to grow your business while being conscious of the power of the knowledge you possess.