The science of selling: Proven Strategies to Influence Decisions, and Close the Deal
Inspired by the book:
The science of selling
David Hoffeld
An evidence-based approach to sales.
Close the deal!
This approach delves into social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural economics to uncover powerful methods to influence others.
Salespeople are more effective when they understand what’s happening in a customer’s brain.
After all, if you understand what a buyer is thinking, you can tailor your pitch more effectively to their needs and desires.
Using the following scientifically-tested methods, you'll make your next pitch a winner
Understanding the science of sales will improve your performance.
Regularly we think of sales ability as a static quality – you either have it or you don’t. But science tells a different story.
“Neuroplasticity”: it is the ability to rewire our neurons to develop new skills and it lets us improve our natural talents over time. Our brains are amazingly adaptable!
“Peripheral routes of influence”: Methods for boosting sales uncovered by research.
One example is the “asymmetric dominance effect”: This dictates that customers are more likely to buy when presented with two options – one good and one great. Why? Because having a good option makes the great one seem even better!
Answer the Six Whys!
The decision of buying a product is the final outcome of a series of six choices:
“Why change?” explain what’s lacking or undesirable about the buyer’s current situation. People need to feel that a change in anything is justified.
“Why now?” explain why buying makes sense at this specific time (ex. temporary discount, another factor that creates urgency, etc.)
“Why your industry?” Before you pitch your specific product, you must pitch your entire industry (why your industry is better option than a different one)
Why your company? pitch the things that make your company stand out.
Why your product? Explain why your product or service is the best option, could be the quality, the expertise, the countless satisfied customers, etc.
“Why spend the money?” Explain the financial benefits of your product or service. Be sure to mention both cost-savings and any loss-prevention qualities it may have.
Your job as a salesperson is to help consumers through the process of answering these questions. If you can answer each of these questions, the sale is easy. If at any point you are unsure, the sale is lost.
Lift your buyer’s mood!
We like to think that our choices are always based on reason, logic, and facts, but our internal emotional state plays a huge role in our decision-making.
Neuroscientists point out that positive emotional states make us more outgoing and open to persuasion, while negative emotional states close us down and make us harder to influence.
“emotional cognition”: is the phenomenon of having one person's emotions and related behaviours directly trigger similar emotions and behaviours in other people. This means that if you approach others with a big smile and bright demeanour, they’ll often mirror your cheerful emotional state.
Non-verbal cues can be contagious!
Even a bit of casual chit-chat can go a long way. If a buyer seems to be in a bad mood, try lightening things up with positive conversation and questions that trigger happier thoughts, like his last vacation or his hobbies.
These strategies can shift the atmosphere enough to smooth out the sales process.
Make powerful questions
Before you start selling your product or service as an answer, you need to ask the right questions.
Even asking basic questions can influence a person's behaviour, as was demonstrated in a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology. It found that merely asking someone if they were going to vote increased their chances of voting by 25%.
“instinctive elaboration”: is a mental process where the person answering will reorient their thinking toward the subject.
Even though questions are a great way to focus a conversation, you shouldn’t start your sale with detailed ones.
“social penetration theory”: this phenomenon occurs when people think most clearly because the information is presented in layers. This means it’s important to ask questions in the right order – starting with general inquiries before narrowing your focus based on the answers you get.
For example, to get basic facts about your customer’s current situation, ask broad questions such as “how was your revenue last quarter?” Then shift to more evaluative queries, like “why do you think income has slowed?” Finally, finish with specific questions about buying motives, such as “do you want a product that will boost efficiency by 6 percent?”
By following this framework, you’ll discover exactly what issues are most important to your customer. You’ll also show how your product or service can address those concerns.
Make sales based on your buyer’s actual needs.
If you truly understand your clients’ needs and desires, you can more easily adjust your pitch to their particular situations. Unfortunately, most salespeople fail on this.
“inattentional blindness”: this phenomenon happens when you are so focused on highlighting what you think is important that you don’t consider what will actually appeal to your buyers.
The problems that your customers need to solve are the key elements that they consider when making a purchase.
By using the power of pointed questions, you can guide your clients toward explaining the problems they face. You can even suggest common problems to see if they resonate.
Once you understand the problem, identify any other key criteria your buyers consider essential. These are the minimum requirements your products or services must satisfy if you want to make the sale.
Demonstrate the value of your product or service.
How we perceive the world depends on how it’s presented to us.
“Social exchange theory”: This theory states that people like to maximize their value while minimizing costs. In other words, when it comes to human relationships people are happiest when they feel like they’re getting a good deal.
So, it’s important that salespeople present their products or services as valuable investments.
Knowing the needs of your customers, you could highlight how your product or service creates value and avoids problems in the future. By taking a generic feature and turning it into a specific benefit, your product seems like a bargain!
“inoculation”: is a tool for highlighting your offering’s value by comparing it with inferior competitors. It prevents objections before they happen!
Once it’s clear that competitors can’t offer the same value as your service or product, your buyer won’t consider anyone else.
Perfect your sales presentation with scientifically proven strategies.
The human brain works in unusual ways and can be influenced by unlikely factors. So, if you want to be a better salesperson, you must apply insights from psychology and behavioral science to improve your outcomes.
In an experiment, social scientists Sheena Iyengar and Mark Lepper arranged a tasting booth of jams at an upscale market. When they presented 24 jams, only 3% of customers made purchases. But when the array was reduced to six jams, sales shot up 900 %.
It turns out that the human brain is better at making decisions when there are fewer options to choose from.
“Anchoring”: this psychological phenomenon occurs when you unconsciously compare new information to old information. For example, a $30 bottle of wine may seem expensive. But if you’re first offered a $500 bottle, that high price becomes the anchor. Suddenly, a $30 bottle seems like a great deal!
You can apply this concept to your next sales pitch by presenting expensive anchors – perhaps from competitors – before you reveal the true price.
“narrative paradigm”: this psychological phenomenon refers to your brain’s natural tendency to be swayed more easily by stories than by plain facts. A compelling story can bypass your critical thinking faculties and tap directly into the emotional part of your mind.
So, when crafting your next pitch, present your offering within a narrative framework. Rather than just giving a dry list of details, introduce a character, a conflict, and a resolution.
For example, you could talk about previous clients. First, explain what issues they faced. Then, tell the exciting tale of how your product or service helped them out.
Your goal is to tailor your pitch to fit the ways brains actually work. With these scientifically sound methods, you’ll see real results.
Ready to apply these scientifically-tested methods in your marketing?
Do it with an animated explainer video!
We use storytelling and behavioral psychology techniques to create effective explainer animations. We tell your story so that customers have all the information and persuasion they need to make a purchase.