In my sales career, I have encountered several frustrating moments after hitting the so-called Invisible Wall. You can have a great track record, a way with words, a suave appearance, and a charming personality — but that will only take you so far. The best, most well rounded salespeople have mastered a non-physical, or relational side of the game.
There’s a deep psychology to sales, and your success depends on your ability to understand the “How” and “Why” of your clients’ decisions.
I am penning down 7 psychological sales triggers which I found after trying out various permutations and combinations. I made multiple mistakes and grovelled my way ahead. These worked well for me and enabled me to quickly build deeper, more effective rapport with my current and prospective clients. The points below may be helpful to people who are beginning their career in B2B sales.
Personalise your story
You want your story to help clients connect their desire for a product to an emotion. Someone who feels something about a product is much more likely to purchase than someone who merely knows about it.
A good way to accomplish this is to add personal anecdotes to your pitch. For example, if your client is a Pharma firm, start your story with the phrase, “In commonly working with pharma firms, this is what I’ve found.” In doing this, you are creating a personal connection with your client and opening the door for an emotional response as well exhibiting your understanding of the industry albeit in a subtle manner.
Spark curiosity
Once the client hears your story and begins to feel the need to acquire your product, you must give those positive feelings a viable destination. In other words, you need to ignite a spark of curiosity that causes him to visualize how he’ll apply your product to his life or to his business.
When cultivating this curiosity, it’s important to share the right amount of information. If you under-share, your client will leave the meeting with too vague of an idea and possibly lose interest. But don’t over-share because you’ll run out of things to talk about at the closing meeting. Finding the correct balance will lead your clients to leave the initial meeting feeling understood and eagerly awaiting the next one.
Be specific
Everyone who works in sales knows that most clients naturally distrust salespeople. That’s why it’s so important to provide clients with something concrete rather than a general sales pitch. By giving specifics, you step outside the salesperson box and become an educator — a much more trusted figure.
Again, this is why it’s vital to study your clients as individuals. Handing everyone an 800-page manual that covers all your products just won’t cut it. Add specific twists and turns to your pitch that caters directly to each client’s personality and interests.
Demonstrate expertise
Another way to build trust and depart from sales stereotypes is to present yourself as an expert in your field or as someone who has direct access to authority figures.
An example – In my previous role in a SaaS company, many customers expressed interest in other products of the company but many a times to seek only information. At that time instead of me sulking not been able to sell my product to the client or not knowing details of the product he is seeking information on, I used to take control of that requirement and put them on to the relevant colleague handling the product and then ensure that I take it to closure. By leveraging my colleague’s product expertise, I was not only asserting myself as someone who could meet their needs, but I was also sparking curiosity by creating excitement around a meeting with him.
Emphasise scarcity
Scarcity is an age-old sales tactic. Consumers are commonly told to hurry up and buy something before it’s too late. But scarcity doesn’t always have to refer to quantity; it can also mean a limited-time offer or a temporary bonus. In suggesting that your product is scarce, you’re urging clients to move your offering to the top of their priority list and give it their full attention.
Scarcity is a powerful tool, but be careful how you use it. Yes, you want your client to feel a sense of urgency about buying your product, but don’t use this trigger to manipulate them into making decisions that aren’t right for them. When you use scarcity to mislead and fluster clients, you risk losing the ability to sell to them in the future.
Tailor your reason
Every client has different reasons for wanting something. Displaying one overarching utility of your product is an insufficient tactic. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to effective sales.
In this day & age of internet, it is always advisable to research your client’s profile through LinkedIn, Facebook, news article on individual / the company etc and try finding a common ground which will help you be better prepared with the pitch that you will use for the organization as well for the individual.
Consider legacy
Getting your clients to think about legacy means helping them look at the big picture while maintaining attention on the current sale at hand.
How you focus on legacy depends on your audience. If your client is a business, communicate how your product will help it move toward its long-term goals and better express its core values. If your client is an individual, speak directly to his personal goals.
Don’t just be a general salesperson who delivers general sales pitches. Be a human who seeks personal connections while selling a product or service. These tailored connections are the key to the psychological side of sales. Becoming a reliable, relatable salesperson will help you knock down that pesky invisible wall.
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