Would you like to increase the number of customers who are eager to buy your products and services?
It’s easier than you think to improve your revenue without resorting to manipulation or deception. Instead, focus on giving your potential customers what they really want.
If you want to be successful in business, it’s important to understand psychology.
Everyone has mental triggers that influence their actions. To influence and understand your customers, learn what those triggers are and how to use them in your marketing message.
Why?
Because the decisions on what to buy are made by our minds. Whoever understands how minds function will be able to influence these decisions. The marketing lessons that follow will be interesting for anyone who wants to learn how to do this.
Psychological Triggers to Convert Leads into Customers
The following are psychological triggers that you can start using today to increase your sales by 100%.
The Driving Forces of All Human Behavior
Pain and pleasure are the root motivators for all human behavior. We associate pleasure with even the most painful actions because we believe that there is some sort of payoff at the end.
For example, I read that in May 2012, someone spent one month dragging a 190-pound sled 350 miles across the second largest icecap in the world in temperatures as low as -40 degrees. Most of the journey was spent in misery and struggle. Yet, the person chose to make the crossing because he associated pleasure with the challenge, hard work, and, ultimately, the sense of accomplishment that comes from an expedition of that magnitude.
Firefighters run into burning buildings because they want to help people and save lives. Likewise, marathoners put themselves through 26.2 miles of misery because they want to complete the course.
This basic trigger underlies the motivation for every single action we take daily.
To take advantage of this trigger in your marketing, you must first understand what your customers associate with pain and pleasure. This is because not everyone associates pleasure with running a marathon or crossing an icecap.
A key point in any marketing message is that you need to understand what influences your audience so that you can more effectively influence them.
First, identify your target audience and what they want. Then, use the A to Z technique to craft your marketing around this trigger.
Novelty
We love novelty because it makes us feel like there is a possibility of reward waiting for us.
Apple releases a new iPhone and iPad frequently in order to stay ahead of the competition and keep their customers happy.
We both know that there is only a small difference between the older and newer model phone, yet hundreds of thousands of people still get rid of their old phone for the latest model.
Car companies release new models every year in order to stay competitive and appeal to customers. Like Apple, the difference between models is often barely noticeable, yet companies continue to release and promote new versions.
That is no accident.
Explain Why
I will give you a free plan to double your income, or 100 dollars, in exchange for one hour of your time.
What went through your mind as you read that?
Why would I do that?
Our brains are always searching for answers.
In his book Who’s in charge?: Free will and the science of the brain, Dr. Michael Gazzaniga found that our rational mind is always searching for meanings, even when there is no inherent meaning. We essentially seek out explanations to understand everything we experience in life.
People are more willing to do something for you if you give them a reason, even if that reason is arbitrary.
People who were waiting in line were more likely to let someone else cut in front of them if that person said they needed to do so for a specific reason.
Tell a Story
Humans have been telling stories since ancient times. This has been a way for messages to be communicated between different generations.
Why? (See what I am doing here!)
Zaltman found that the majority of our cognition happens without us being consciously aware of it, in our subconscious, emotional brain. This suggests that emotions play a big role in our thought process.
When someone tells a story, the parts of their brain associated with sight, sound, taste, and movement become more active.
Think about what emotional needs your customers are trying to satisfy and make sure you are providing a service or product that will answer those needs. They allow us to feel an emotional response to a situation without directly experiencing it. This triggers our emotional brain which then decides whether we want to buy the product or not. As a business owner, you need to think about what emotional needs your customers are trying to satisfy and make sure you are providing a service or product that will answer those needs.
Simplify Your Solution
Kahneman discusses the “law of least effort” which posits that people will gravitate towards the least demanding course of action if there are multiple ways of achieving a goal. He argues that laziness is natural to humans.
We tend to choose the easiest option to get the results we want. So it’s not surprising that Stephen Covey’s book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” was a bestseller and made him millions of dollars. It provides a simple 7-step plan to become a highly effective person.
Psychology Tools for Sales
If you want to improve your sales skills, it’s important to learn about The Merrill-Reid Method. This approach can help you understand your customers and identify their needs.
Understand The Merrill-Reid Method
The Merrill-Reid method is an efficient way of profiling someone’s personality. This behavioral model identifies four key personality types; Analytics, Drivers, Amiable, and Expressive.
To optimize your chances of converting a lead into a customer, you need to understand the four types of buyers and shape your pitch to match.
Analytical Personalities: Know Your Product Inside Out to Sell to Them
To win over a methodical and cautious customer, you need to have all the facts straight and be able to answer any questions they might have.
Driver Personalities: Don’t Waste Their Time – Just Sell
When selling to drivers, be efficient and to the point. Drivers are mostly interested in how the product will make them satisfied. Mentioning how other people are happy with the product will be mostly ignored. If you do mention past clients, focus on how much money they made, instead of how emotionally satisfied they were.
Amiable Personalities: Focus on Making Them Feel comfortableÂ
The types of buyers who are more likely to be calm and anchored are the ones you need to be patient with.
Expressive Personalities: Don’t Be a Salesperson, Be a Friend
If you want to win over an expressive personality, you need to be just as enthusiastic and excited about your ideas.
It is more important to tap into the emotions of expressive personalities than to show them an array of statistics. They care about what you think, so you need to be as empathetic as possible and try to connect with them personal as much as possible.
The sales tactic of identifying different personality types works because it allows you to customize customer experiences and optimize communication. If you are verbose and dawdle with a customer who is more of a driver personality, you could potentially lose the deal.
If you try to finalize the deal too soon with someone who is undecided, they may feel pressured and back away. To avoid this, keep checking in to make sure you’re both on the same page. You can do this by asking questions, giving reassurance, or mentioning reviews from other customers.
Labeling – Put Your Prospect Into Buckets
Try to identify what type of buyer your client is in order to better understand how to approach them. Research has shown that there are three main types of buyers: Tightwads, spendthrifts, and average spenders.
Tightwads: Focus on the Price
These clients are focused on saving money and are not interested in spending it.
Something like 24% of customers you approach will be this type. The key with them is to use facts and figures to persuade them; empathy and eye contact won’t do much.
Spendthrifts: Impulsive Buyers
A spendthrift is someone who is impulsive with their spending, and a tightwad is someone who is all about saving.
If you’re trying to sell to someone who is emotional, you should make eye contact, nod, engage, and use anecdotes. However, only 15% of buyers are emotional.
Average Spenders: Somewhere in the Middle
It is the majority of the population (approximately 60%).
The average spender usually has a budget in mind, but is not as restricting as a tightwad. You have to be able to show both emotion and facts when working with this type of buyer.
You can improve your marketing strategies by understanding the three types of buyers.
Why Does Labeling Your Prospects Work?
Don Draper’s character in Mad Men is saying that we often make assumptions about people based on our own biases and never really see the person for who they are.
Listen to your customers and try to determine what type of customer they are. Don’t try to sell them what you want them to buy, let them show you what they are interested in. This can be important, as different types of customers will react differently to your different sales methods.
To create successful marketing approaches, it is essential to understand what kind of client they are – tightwad, spendthrift, or average spender.
Basic Tactics That Barely Require You to Open Your Mouth
You are more likely to make a sale if you use mirroring and use active listening when engaging with a customer.
Mirroring: All About Body Language
When someone mirrors your body language it means they are copying you. This sends the signal that you and the person you are talking to are on the same page.
The synchronicity of some movements subconsciously makes your customers view you in a more friendly manner because you ‘act’ the same. Here are some examples of body language you can mirror:
- Leaning back/forward
- Putting your arms behind the head or on the table
- Legs crossed during a meeting
- Turning slightly to one side
Your counterpart is copying your nonverbal communication in order to be in agreement with you. This also works for communication that is spoken, such as using the same words or expressions. You can do this even when you are talking on the phone.
If they they are using the same gestures it means they are making an effort to be like you.
Active Listening
Active listening is a method to understand your client’s wishes and explicitly show that you understand their needs. The main guiding points to being an active listener are:
- Let your client speak without interrupting them
- Encourage them through nodding and other forms of positive body language
- Show them you heard what they said by repeating key pieces of information in your response
Active listening is a way to show your customer that you are taking their needs seriously. You can learn more about your customer by using active listening skills. This technique involves being silent and engaged while the customer is speaking. You might want to avoid commenting, but it is important to remain silent so you can better understand the customer.