Sales are the lifeblood of business. This is why many managers say that salespeople are their most vital assets. 
Professional salespeople are therefore in demand. And underpinning their work is an established communications principle: AIDA.
AIDA stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. These four words sum up the process of making a sale. First you must capture a prospect’s attention. Next, you must interest the prospect in what you wish to tell them. Then you must create a desire for the product or service. Finally, you must encourage the prospect to act and make a purchase.
- Attention. Capturing a prospect’s attention is critical. You only have one chance. It doesn’t matter whether you are selling something on TV, a hoarding, the Internet or in person, you have to make people stop and take note. And the best way to do this is to promise a benefit.
- Interest. To interest people in a product or service, you must show what’s in it for them. The way to achieve this is to outline a problem they’re familiar with, and then present the product or service as the solution.
- Desire. Once you’ve created an interest in a product or service, you have to make people want it. At this point, you have to be aware of the difference between what people need and what they want. Need is about rational decision-making; want is emotional. You have to encourage people to want something by appealing to their emotions.
- Action. The final part of the AIDA process is to present your sales prospects with a short and direct call to action. This tells them exactly what they must do to make a purchase.
Limitations
AIDA has been around for more than half a century. This is both its strength and its weakness. It is a proven sales tool that acts as a guide and checklist. But as sales techniques have grown in sophistication, theorists have proposed variations to the basic AIDA themes.
Among the most common of these variations is the addition of “C”. This stands for Conviction, and many theorists insert it between Desire and Action.
Conviction is about overcoming a prospect’s reluctance to buy your product or service. To do this, you can use methods such as testimonials, free trials and guarantees.
But even with such additions, AIDA remains at the heart of sales work. Everyone involved with sales must understand and use it.
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