The Psychology of Sales: 12 Steps to Selling that Actually Work
I’ve been a salesman for 15+ years and I’ve seen many “scripts”, “techniques” and “hacks”.
Here is a less slimy way to sell and have some fun in the process!
1/ RELAX
Drop the fake “salesy” enthusiasm
Be real
Be genuine
Show you are in control and get the conversation started off on the right foot. Selling isn’t slimy or cheesy. You are helping someone solve a problem they have.
2/ REPLACE THE SALES PITCH WITH A CONVERSATION
99% of salespeople pitch early
Never start with a pitch EVER
Ask open questions
Have a conversation
You run the risk of pitching to the wrong problem if you don’t know what it is yet.
3/ TAKE THE PRESSURE OFF CLOSING right now
If you try and force the sale you will lose the sale
Have an air of calm
Prospects can feel the desperation
Also…
4/ ITS NOT ABOUT YOU
People only care about themselves
Ask questions about the prospect’s challenges and concerns
If you are talking more than the client
that’s a bad sign
5/ PUT YOURSELF IN THEIR SHOES
Get into the mind of your buyer
- Why you?
- Why now?
- Why not your competition?
If you can attempt to think like your prospect you can better solve their problems
6/ QUESTION LIKE A PSYCHOLOGIST
Use these:
“Help me understand why you say that?”
“If you were able to solve this problem how would that make you feel?
Create value through the questions you ask and listen
7/ “NO” ISN’T ALWAYS A BAD THING
Not every lead is a potential sale
Not every conversation is a customer
Sometimes it’s just a bad fit
Finding that out early saves you and the buyer a lot of time
8/ DIG DEEP WITH GOOD QUESTIONS
Most people tell you the surface level issue
The real problem is usually going on underneath
If they could solve the problem themselves
they wouldn’t need you now, would they?
Don’t be afraid to probe a little more
9/ SAY WHAT YOU FEEL
If you get a feeling the energy is off
Be bold and say so
“I’m getting the feeling like you aren’t quite with me on this. Am I right?”
Get the resistance out in the open
10/ TIE SOLVING THE PROBLEM TO THE VALUE IT WOULD BRING
Bring the buyer towards the good outcomes after they have solved the problem
“So if you were able to solve X what would that mean for you as a business?”
Link solving the problem to something tangible
11/ MAKE IT A TWO WAY CONVERSATION
When you pitch, check the buyer is still with you
“Does that make sense?”
“How does that sound so far?”
Build the connection with a feedback loop
12/ TALK ABOUT THE BUDGET EARLY AND LATE ON IN THE SALE
This is a controversial one.
Some like to build value first before introducing price
My ethos is you need a basic level of engagement budget otherwise 1–11 were a huge waste of time.
Hey, thanks so much for reading!
Catch me on any of the below.
