Getting inside your customer's head

Understanding the customer's "motivation to purchase" is key to making the sale.  In a manufacturing facility, the purchasing agent is motivated completely differently than the plant manager and both are motivated differently than the owner.  A woman with 4 kids is motivated differently than a grandmother.
This may seem obvious--but it's most often not considered by the salesperson in his presentation.
If you're bringing a new product to a purchasing agent, you need to understand that his bosses are evaluating him based on quality, price and on-time delivery.  You need to be bringing a better, or equal, quality product at a preferable better, or at least equal, price, or he won't be interested.  If you're bringing a significantly more expensive product to the table, you had better understand that your presentation needs to focus on why your product will reduce his problems and make it worthwhile to spend more money.  Everyone's motivation hinges on not having problems with your product.  And everyone's motivation hinges on making their bosses and their customers happy.
We visited a customer recently and found that a particular product he was purchasing was giving him headaches: missed deliveries primarily.  When a supplier misses a promised delivery, everything down the chain suffers and who gets blamed?  The purchasing agent of course.
And how did we find out his motivations to purchase (or change suppliers)?  Asking questions--trying to get into his head.
Ask questions.  Get into your customer's head.  Understand his/her motivation.  Then make your pitch and tailor your pitch to these motivations.