Five Simple Secrets of Sales Psychology
Psychology plays a surprisingly important role in the sales and negotiation process, and the smart salesperson will use psychological ploys and tactics to their advantage in order to gain the upper hand and enhance their chances of closing the deal.
Expert sales training providers Maguire Training can help sales managers and salespeople to recognise and master the "mind games" and psychological ruses that are often employed during sales discussions. The Psychology of Sales is a valuable and comprehensive training course in which delegates will learn the different buyer types, how to respond advantageously to negotiation tricks, how to control the balance of power in negotiation, and the art of influencing.
Armed with the knowledge and strategies this course provides, anyone involved in selling will have a better understanding of the games people play during negotiations, and will be able to overcome them.
Without them realising it, customers' judgements and decisions can be subconsciously influenced by a salesperson who knows which psychological buttons to push. To give you that edge over your competitors and to help you improve your sales technique and close more deals, here Maguire Training reveals five simple secrets of sales psychology.
1) You have just seven seconds to make the right first impression
Research has demonstrated that people make snap judgements - rightly or wrongly - about a person's character and trustworthiness within seven seconds of meeting them for the first time. Once made, it is difficult to change a person's initial summation of you, so for a salesperson, giving a prospective customer the best possible first impression is crucially important to conducting successful business with them. At the very least you should dress smartly, smile, offer your hand in greeting, make appropriate eye contact and project an aura of warmth, honesty and friendliness.
2) People automatically look for connections and common ground
In any environment or when introduced to new people for the first time, it is human nature to seek out things that connect us to each other or our surroundings. Finding common ground or shared interests breaks the ice and instils feelings of comfort and mutual trust. For a salesperson, this means taking the initiative to discover mutual links which can be used to establish a rapport with a potential customer, since human nature also dictates that we are more likely to buy from someone with whom we have a relationship or bond than a complete stranger.
3) Emotions overrule logic
Purchasing decisions are frequently based upon the satisfaction of emotional needs and desires rather than for logical reasons, this is a psychological trait that is well understood and exploited by the advertising industry. Appealing to customers' emotions, such as fear, "if you don't buy now, you'll lose out and regret it", pride "our product will put you way ahead of your competitors", or greed "buy one, get two free", is a powerful sales gambit.
4) Believe in yourself and your product and the customer will too
Confidence is everything in the selling game and it is important for salespeople to project both self-belief as well as their total conviction in the product or service they are selling. Confidence is a naturally attractive trait, and being able to deliver your pitch without stumbling over words or hesitating whilst displaying genuine enthusiasm for your goods is a major key to sales success.
5) Become your potential customer
The best way to psychologically outsmart your customers and gain the upper hand in the sales process is to find out as much about them, their needs and drivers and the thought processes that inform their purchasing decisions, as you can. With this information, place yourself in your customer's shoes and anticipate how they might react to your sales pitch. Occupying their mindset, ask yourself what sort of objections, concerns or questions you might raise if you were the customer. Imagine how they will relate your product to their business needs and overall vision. By doing this you should be able to anticipate and address potential barriers to a sale as soon as they arise.
How can we help?
The use of psychological techniques in the field of sales and negotiations is a fascinating and diverse topic, and the knowledge and strategies it provides can be immensely beneficial to salespeople. For those busy salespeople who do not have the time to attend classroom-based training, you can take advantage of our excellent The Psychology of Negotiation training as an eLearning module, delivered courtesy of Maguire Training's versatile and intuitive E-learning platform.
