Think back to your days as a college freshman,... so many
classes, so many options. If you ever took a psychology class,
you might remember a guy by the name of Abraham Maslow.

Maslow was a psychologist that came up with a theory dealing with
the hierarchy of human needs. No, marketing is not essential to
human survival, and chances are your product or service is not
either. However, whatever you are offering, it will fall into one
of the categories Maslow has listed in his hierarchy of needs.
And if you know which need you should appeal to, it will be that
much easier to market to your prospects.

The first level on Maslow's hierarchy deals with physiological
needs. These are the most basic necessities that humans require
to survive. Food, water, shelter, and oxygen all fall into this
category, along with sleep, activity and other inevitable human
functions.

If your product or service has to do with a basic need, your main
problem is getting the customer to buy from you instead of your
competitors. Everybody needs food, so why would potential
customers be more inclined to buy lunch at your restaurant
instead of the taco shack across the street? Perhaps you have
lower prices, better quality, faster service, or a more
comfortable environment than they do. It is important to stress
that what YOU offer holds certain advantages over the customers'
other choices.

The next stage of human need deals with safety and security. Turn
the TV on for five minutes, and see how many ads about insurance,
retirement plans, or home alarm systems play during the
commercial break. How would the use of your product initiate
feelings of safety and stability in your customers' lives? Stress
these factors as your main selling points.

The third tier of Maslow's hierarchy is the love and belonging
step. We have all felt the desire to be closer to our families,
to have more friends, or to find a significant other.

Appealing to these desires is useful if you run a personals web
page or a own a club. Tell your prospects about the great
interactions they will have if they try your service, and use
testimonials from customers past. Hearing about great results
from former clients is a great way to get new buyers.

Maslow's next area of human need deals with esteem. One area of
esteem needs calls for recognition from others, status,
attention, and recognition. The other area hits a little closer
to the self, involving self respect, confidence, competence,
independence and achievement.

I am reminded of a shampoo commercial in which the lead actress
walks through an office building with the admiring eyes of many
workers following her around. At the end, she walks into a board
meeting and states that she doesn't even work for the company,
and all the attention must be the result of her shampoo.

The last tier of Maslow's hierarchy is called the self
actualization level. Ever heard the army slogan "Be all that you
can be"? This is an appeal to the self actualization needs of
human beings. Approaching people at this level of the hierarchy
involves inviting them to live up to their full potential as a
hard working, motivated member of society.

Appealing to the needs of your customers can be a great way to
grab the attention of your customers, as long as you remember to
be responsible about it. Who knew incorporating psychology into
your marketing plan could be such a great way to grab customers?

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