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A brief word on people and what makes them do what they do and buy what they buy: One of the most commonly used hierarchies of motives was developed by the American psychologist Abraham Maslow.

He maintained that people have six kinds of basic needs. The most fundamental of those needs are the physical ones: food, shelter, oxygen. If these fundamental, primitive needs are met, then people are freed to meet their second level of need: safety and security. Once people feel safe and secure, then they seek out the third level, and so on through the six levels.

How does this work for you? Remember: people’s hearts motivate them to buy as much as or more than their heads do. Typically they are motivated by the lower-level needs more strongly than upper-level ones. What benefits can you offer to tap into one or more of your potential students’ basic needs?

Let’s say that one of your features is a spring-loaded training deck. This allows your students to train without putting undue stress on their joints. In short, it helps keep them safe. Safety is one of the basic human needs (level two). A pro shop is a feature. If students can get your opinion before purchasing gear, they will feel that they know enough to make a wise selection. That increases their feelings of competence (level four). Moreover, they will be more likely to have gear that matches the gear of the other students, increasing their feelings of belonging (level three).