People buy with emotions, and later justify with logic. We like to think of ourselves and logical, rational creatures but in reality our decisions are driven by our emotions, feelings and biases. There are a large number of psychological tricks that can be used to help a person agree to whatever it is that you wish them to do.
People buy with emotion, justify with logic
Psychological tips that help increase sales
- SCARCITY – By announcing that a particular offer is for a ‘
limited-time only ‘ or has ‘limited stocks’, can help target people who are on the fence to take a decision in fear of missing out - CURIOSITY – People are naturally curious, so if they come across some marketing material or content that they don’t know about, they feel compelled to find out more. This is often used by marketers by not providing enough information leading to an ‘information gap’, that people feel compelled to fill
- ANTICIPATION – By creating a buzz around a product launch, people get excited and are more likely to buy on the launch
- SOCIAL PROOF – Recommendations from other users, friends, family, celebrities and other known personalities help build trust that others have tried and also liked a particular product or service
- RECIPROCITY – The principle of reciprocity implies that when you give something to someone, they feel compelled to give you something back in return (their email, participate in a trial, a review, recommendations etc.)
4 P’s of Personal Selling
- PROMISE – the hook, that allows you to get consumer’s attention
- PICTURE – need to be able to paint a picture in your consumer’s mind
- PROOF – can be testimonials, reference from authority figures or word-of-mouth
- PUSH / PITCH – when you introduce the product & ask for a buy
4 P’s of Marketing
- PRODUCT – you can only sell to people who want or need your product
- PRICE – have to pick the right price for your target market, neither too cheap nor too expensive
- PLACEMENT – where is your product available
- PROMOTION – how to people get to know about your product and what’s the special offer
AIDA Method
- A way to funnel average consumers, into a customer who takes action
- ATTENTION – buying social media ads, blogging, asking friends to post
- INTEREST – you need to be interesting and be able to catch your consumers attention
- DESIRES – companies try to sell logically (by selling features), but forget that people by emotionally (focus on selling benefits)
- ACTION – need to introduce your offer by providing a call-to-action
When dealing with people, let us remember that we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion.
Dale Carnegie – Self improvement Guru, Author – How to Win Friends & Influence People / How to Stop Worrying & Start Living / The Leader in You
Psychological Tricks
Make a person say yes multiple times: Get a student to say ‘No’ at the beginning, or a customer, child, husband, or wife, and it takes the wisdom and the patience of angels to transform that bristling negative into an affirmative.
‘Socratic method,’ was based upon getting a ‘yes, yes’ response. He asked questions with which his opponent would have to agree. He kept on winning one admission after another until he had an armful of yeses. He kept on asking questions until finally, almost without realising it, his opponents found themselves embracing a conclusion they would have bitterly denied a few minutes previously.
Dale Carnegie – Self improvement Guru, Author – How to Win Friends & Influence People / How to Stop Worrying & Start Living / The Leader in You
Top 7 Books on Persuasion
Persuasion, is as much a science, as it is an art. These 7 books help decipher the secrets behind persuasion, and how you can use specific tips and techniques to persuade people towards your desired outcome.
Contagious: Why Things Catch On
Authors: Jonah Berger,
There is something that makes some products stand out while others don’t — but what is it? What is it that makes some advertisements become a global hit, while others are barely watched? Jonah Berger gives you 6 basic principles that will make your product or idea contagious and shows you how you can answer those questions for yourself.
Unmarketing: Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.
Authors: Scott Stratten,
Conventional advertising has no impact anymore. If you want to reel your customers in, you have to foster meaningful, trust-based relationships. Not only does this generate an impact, but it also increases customer loyalty. In Unmarketing, Stratten reveals secrets of effective marketing that will make you your customer’s first choice and keep them coming back for more!
Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal
Authors: Oren Klaff,
Working hard could give you the desired results. But working smart guarantees those results. Oren Klaff teaches you how to act smart, as well as the science of sharing ideas with the world in a manner that grabs the audience’s attention. His pragmatic advice and case studies will change your career and open the doors of success in your life.
Yes! 50 Secrets from the Science of Persuasion
Authors: Noah J. Goldstein,Robert B. Cialdini, Steve J. Martin
This book teaches you that how to make someone say “Yes” by pulling the right strings. Based on extensive research on the psychology of persuasion and influence, Noah Goldstein shares the reasons why people say “Yes” to some and “No” to others. Learn to get your own way, using the science of persuasion.
Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade
Authors: Robert B. Cialdini,
If you want your message to influence the person you are addressing, you don’t have to analyse their credentials or demographics. According to best-selling author, Robert Cialdini, all you need is excellent communication skills. Specifically, the ability to capture your listener’s attention before you even start speaking. This is what he calls “pre-suasion.”
Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions
Authors: Guy Kawasaki,
Business guru, Guy Kawasaki, reveals the art of enchantment — not the manipulation of a person’s thinking but rather the genuine transformation of relationships and circumstances. Kawasaki also teaches you how you can change the heart, mind and actions of your customer by simple being trustworthy and likeable. This book is the embodiment of customer loyalty.
Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy and the New Science of Desire
Authors: Martin Lindstrom,
If you have ever wanted to know why you buy what you buy, Martin Lindstrom’s Buyology has the answer to your question. Based on a three-year neuromarketing study with 2000 volunteers from around the world, Lindstrom was able to dissect the science behind our buying habits. His findings will shock you, while providing valuable insights into how to market to potential customers.
Other concepts on Sales & Marketing
Sales Process – Key Steps
Any sales process goes through a series of steps – from making the first contact, getting the meeting, making the pitch, handling objections to the final close. To be successful in sales, you need to learn and master each of these steps individually, to be able to ensure that a bottleneck in one part does not impact your overall sales.
Viral Content
Everyone wants to create viral content, but only a few succeed. While there is no guaranteed method or set-formulae that helps make content viral, there are very clearly some elements that significantly increase the chances of your content going viral, while missing these is a clear recipe for a lack of virality.
Niche
A niche denotes products, services or interests that have a high appeal to a select smaller group of people, as compared to the general populace. By laser focusing your services and communication to the needs of this smaller group, you can gain much higher relevance than trying to target everybody.
Negotiation tips
Experienced negotiators use a set of techniques, skills and etiquette to ensure that they manage to extract a favourable outcome from almost any negotiation. These techniques and skill can be used in any negotiation and situation – from family discussions, pay raises, negotiation with clients or vendors, bargaining while purchasing something and more.