l Ts and Henry Ford would have been right, "The customer can have any color he wants so long as it's black."

People may buy a product category due to need. However, they purchase a specific brand or f

My mother used to tell me, tongue in cheek, that I never wanted anything in my life- everything I asked for was something I needed!! Think about it. We say, "I need a new car." "I need to go on vacation." "I need someone to clean my house." When was the last time you heard someone say, "I want a new pair of shoes." I bet even Amelda Marcos said, "I need a new pair of shoes."

As consumers we justify our purchases, at least in our own minds, as being something we need. As business owners, selling our products or services, we have been lulled into believing that customers are buying from us because they need what we have to offer. We are trying to meet the needs of our customers instead of focusing on meeting their wants.

If customers made purchase decisions based on need we would all be driving Model Ts and Henry Ford would have been right, "The customer can have any color he wants so long as it's black."

People may buy a product category due to need. However, they purchase a specific brand or fr

"I need someone to clean my house." When was the last time you heard someone say, "I want a new pair of shoes." I bet even Amelda Marcos said, "I need a new pair of shoes."

As consumers we justify our purchases, at least in our own minds, as being something we need. As business owners, selling our products or services, we have been lulled into believing that customers are buying from us because they need what we have to offer. We are trying to meet the needs of our customers instead of focusing on meeting their wants.

If customers made purchase decisions based on need we would all be driving Model Ts and Henry Ford would have been right, "The customer can have any color he wants so long as it's black."

People may buy a product category due to need. However, they purchase a specific brand or f

our purchases, at least in our own minds, as being something we need. As business owners, selling our products or services, we have been lulled into believing that customers are buying from us because they need what we have to offer. We are trying to meet the needs of our customers instead of focusing on meeting their wants.

If customers made purchase decisions based on need we would all be driving Model Ts and Henry Ford would have been right, "The customer can have any color he wants so long as it's black."

People may buy a product category due to need. However, they purchase a specific brand or f

need what we have to offer. We are trying to meet the needs of our customers instead of focusing on meeting their wants.

If customers made purchase decisions based on need we would all be driving Model Ts and Henry Ford would have been right, "The customer can have any color he wants so long as it's black."

People may buy a product category due to need. However, they purchase a specific brand or f

l Ts and Henry Ford would have been right, "The customer can have any color he wants so long as it's black."

People may buy a product category due to need. However, they purchase a specific brand or from a certain company based on wants. In other words, needs define the total market and wants define the market segments. For example, people buy a watch because they need to know what time it is. One person buys a Rolex because they want the status and prestige associated with owning a Rolex while someone else buys a Timex because they want dependability inexpensively.

It is often much easier to see the role wants play in purchase decisions when we're talking about consumer products. However, the concept is equally at play even in the business to business environment. Decision makers in the business world are the same people that are buying based on wants in the consumer world. And no matter how logical the surface justification for need is, the factor(s) that tip the purchase scale are going to be wants.