Want vs Need

What do you think is more powerful:  WANT or NEED?

I have been thinking about this ever since I started writing my Closet Sales Class...WHY? because I was taught one thing a long time ago and now I am hearing that it is wrong.

Years ago when I was being trained as a Closet Designer, I was always told to sell not just to a need but to "the need behind the need".  For example:  Someone may need more space in the closet.....but the reason behind it may not be the extra space itself but the fact that she and her partner dress at the same time in the morning and bump into each other, get on each other's nerves then fight.  

I always thought that was a pretty powerful selling tool.......BUT.......not everyone will be forthcoming with their "issues". So that just leaves you selling to need. 

I started thinking about my buying habits.  I would say that nine times out of ten, I will buy something I NEED before something I WANT. In my mind that seems like the logic decision? Don't get me wrong....I buy things I want all the time.  I simply prioritize.

So what happens when it comes to big ticket items?

I have been selling closets for years and have been selling to "Needs" pretty successfully and now all of a sudden everything I read about marketing says that people buy what they Want....not what they Need!

Have budget considerations flown out the window? Do I stay quiet while a client packs their closet full of useless accessories they don't need?

I am confused!  What do you think?