This is the second installment of a four-part series on the hidden Ps that support the Seven Ps of the Phoenix Sales Method.
June 09, 2021
By Rachel Smith
My family celebrates both Chanukah and Christmas, which means that every year, usually sometime in September, I begin creating the gift matrix. It’s an intricate Excel spreadsheet that details what each of my children are getting, which items are for which holiday, which presents are from Santa, and which night of Chanukah items are for. (Take it from a pro—calendar night and underwear night work best on days three and six. It’s not really eight crazy nights. Some have to be utilitarian or you’ll go broke.)
I like to think that my list is well curated with things that are educational (books!) and will promote outdoor time (scooters!), but I also do a lot of research on science-based selling for Maestro, so I know the truth. Most of my decisions are based on emotion and made in my subconscious brain. I’m a caveman just like everyone else—I’m just a caveman with a spreadsheet.
It doesn’t matter if you value critical thinking, have a Ph.D., or complete the New York Times Sunday crossword with a pen—your human brain is the result of millions of years of primate evolution. For much of our history, the individuals that survived were the ones who could make decisions quickly and get along with others, not the ones that spent time debating how quickly they would need to run in order to escape the bear.
As you hone your sales process, there is another hidden P that needs to be considered—psychology. No matter how wonderful the features are of the product you’re selling, you can’t forget that you are selling to a creature that can be swayed by color, their mood, or even the size of the greeter at the front of a store.
Understanding the basics of human psychology and how the brain works helps us be better sales professionals. If you have time, I strongly encourage you to read Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman and Amos Tversky are the prize-winning researchers who introduced behavioral economics: the idea that humans do not behave rationally when making economic decisions because they are, well, human.
Even if you don’t have time for such a meaty read, here is a list of some of the most useful psychological phenomena to keep in mind while communicating with prospects.
Humans are social creatures. While independence and self-sufficiency are often touted as laudable traits, for most of our history, you were either part of the community or you were dead. Our brains are primed for social interaction, and this has an impact on where we spend our hard-earned dollars. Prospects are more likely to purchase from an individual that they like.
Before I lose all of my fellow introverts and nerds, I have some good news—there are some simple tactics that make you more likeable. Our favorite strategy at Maestro is asking questions. People who ask others more questions are liked better.
You already know that asking questions is key to the information-gathering process, but it’s also important socially. Even better than asking questions is asking follow-up questions. Even better than that? Ask open-ended opinion questions. Being asked our opinion actually triggers the parts of the brain associated with reward and pleasure. If only that had been the key to likeability in junior high.
Another strategy we have written about before that increases your likeability is mirroring. Matching your body language to your prospect’s is something that happens naturally for some, while for others it requires a bit more practice. Studies have shown that by engaging in mirroring, sales reps get more sales and better evaluations.
Finally, gifting is a great way to build rapport with prospects. Gifting is actually beneficial on many levels. First, it helps you form a connection with your prospect. Giving the right gifts can let them know that you have truly been listening to what they have been telling you. It also taps into the human penchant for reciprocity. Finally, it turns out that it’s good for you. The act of giving triggers a reward system in the brain of the gift giver. (Now I understand why my gift matrix makes me so happy. I’m triggering my reward system for four months leading up to the holidays. Can I still pretend it’s a selfless act of love?)
Most humans have an intrinsic need to be part of the group. Again, our lives used to depend on it, so it’s how our brains are wired. This can be used to your advantage in several ways. One particularly effective strategy is the use of testimonials. Providing client testimonials on your website or in your sales materials shows prospects that others, often their peers, are using your product or service. Show prospects how others have liked and benefited from what you’re selling—via social media or online reviews—as much as possible.
It also helps people feel like part of the group when they have a common enemy. As much as you might want to make your biggest competitor out to be your common enemy, that tends to make you look tacky.
What problem are you solving for your customers? Do you help them manage business receipts with a cloud-based app? Piles of paper receipts shoved in envelopes and folders are your common enemy. Do you provide cybersecurity? Hackers and malware are your common enemy. Hating the same thing is a great way to bond.
Finally, our innate hatred of awkward silences stems from wanting to be part of the group. Avoid the urge to provide an answer for a question you’ve asked if your prospect does not answer right away. The silence is awkward for both of you, but learning to get used to a longer silence will help you get more valuable information in the long run.
Remember before when I mentioned that the humans that survived were the ones who could make quick decisions on their feet? Or quick decisions to move their feet in the opposite direction of danger? Our brains use heuristics, or shortcuts, that allow us to process information and make decisions faster. What does this have to do with sales? An awful lot. Heuristics is why the way we present information impacts how that information is perceived.
Heuristics is why:
Because of the way our brain works, even the order of which you see first, the product or the price, determine how you will think about that purchase. If you see the product first, you tend to ask yourself, “how much do I like this product?” If you see the price first, you’re asking yourself, “how much is this product worth?” It’s helpful to understand these shortcuts when designing something like a product sheet or endcap display.
Ages of sitting around a fire hearing stories has clearly had an impact on the human brain. People are much better at remembering something wrapped in a narrative than they are just plain facts. Stories actually stimulate more parts of your brain than do facts alone. A study by Adaval and Wyler found that individuals are less likely to come up with counterarguments to details that are told through a story than when those details are shared on their own.
When a story is shared, with more parts of the brain activated, people can’t help but put themselves into the story. If you’re sharing information about your product or service through a story, that means prospects are imagining themselves using what you’re selling. They are automatically engaged with your product in a way that a list of features could never have prompted.
Knowing something about human psychology and about how our brains function is key to understanding how people form decisions about what to purchase. It’s surely not a surprise to anybody that we don’t always act rationally when making purchases (if we did, $60 jade facial rollers would not be a thing).
No, there is not a lizard controlling our decisions, but our survival as a species selected for some traits that aren’t entirely rational. As sales professionals, the more we know about how people make decisions, the better we can understand our prospects, and the better we can do our jobs.
Do you want to do an even better job? Schedule a workshop with Maestro! You can reach us at mastery@maestrogroup.co.
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