You may have heard the phrase, “find the pain.”

It means finding the pain of your prospect, emphasizing it, and then presenting your offering as the cure. I’ve used it often for my client’s copy and my own.

But is there another way to persuade your audience? What about pleasure?

Wants vs. Needs

You might think your prospect “needs” what you have to offer and then position your product with that in mind.

Let’s take carpet cleaning as an example. Who wants dirty carpets? No one. You may reason that a potential customer understands that she needs a professional carpet cleaner to get her carpets spotless; and that she needs someone to do this since she doesn’t have the right equipment to do it herself.

But that’s not the way advertising works.

Advertising is about getting your potential customer to respond to what they want, not necessarily what they need (and to be clear, this is what you’re doing with every word that is on your website and in your marketing brochures).

Let’s go back to the carpet cleaning business. What are they really selling? Clean carpets? Professional service? No.

What’s really being sold?

What they’re selling is status. Or a “green” environment. Or a full social life. Just picture it:

The video opens with a professional woman coming home after a rough day at the office. She stares bleakly at a messy living room, newspapers strewn across the sofa and yesterday’s mail piled on the coffee table. And then she looks at the carpet. Spotted. Unsightly.

She shuts her eyes and cringes.

Voiceover: Embarrassed by your carpet’s unsightly stains? Frustrated because you know you don’t have the time to clean them yourself, let alone have the right products to do the job? Call ABC Deluxe Carpet Cleaners! We’ll schedule a convenient time to clean your carpets with our legendary Hydrolectric Deep Cleansing System that gently pulls the dirt from your carpet fibers without damaging them, leaving your carpets soft, spotless, and beautiful.

Don’t be ashamed of your carpets, anymore. You’ll be thrilled to open your door when you come home and… open it to your guests as you celebrate your clean, beautiful home!

(Video shows the professional woman happily opening the door to a gorgeous, clean and neat house and then later, opening the door to friends as she invites them in for a party. Everyone is smiling and having a great time as the camera pans over the lush, beautiful carpet…)

So the pain was featured, but then pleasure wrapped it up and defined what the customer really wanted – which in this case was positioned as a happy social life. (If you’re wondering, yes, I made up the word “hydrolectric.”)

What does the customer want?

When asked what kind of market research went into building the iPad, Steve Jobs said, “None. It’s not the consumers’ job to know what they want.”

Jobs was brilliant when it came to designing products that were useable but yet elegant. Computers, mp3 players, phones, tablets, and other devices followed suit. They all were created to completely delight the end-user with their intuitive design. They were designed to give the customer pleasure.

Apple doesn’t have “fanboys” and “fangirls” because they’re in pain with their current computer (well, maybe a little). They have such loyal fans because they offer 1) the opportunity to be a part of the “in crowd” and belong to something global 2) a status symbol and 3) the label that says “I’m creative, hip, and cool.”

If a person just wanted a computer to make their lives easier, they could shuffle to the nearest Walmart and buy an Acer laptop. Or they could visit an Apple store with the blindingly white displays, the sleek tech devices and knowledgeable staff, and be able to walk out with the cherished Apple box (with the handles) that says, “I’m smart, savvy, and able to afford the best.”

And it’s a good bet that when that customer walks away with their purchase, they’re feeling pleasure.

So pay attention to the pain but don’t forget about the pleasure. Your prospect is looking for that payoff. It’s up to you to give it them.