When putting together any sales and marketing campaign for your business you must consider the psychology of your ideal customer. To understand how to sell to your prospective audience you need to know what makes them tick.
By appreciating your customer’s psychological state (how and why they buy) you will be able to provide them with the right product or service that offers a solution to their biggest challenges in the right way.
Ask yourself a few basic questions:
- Do you make rational decisions when buying goods or services?
- Are you someone who considers the price, convenience, and choice available?
- Why do you buy one product over another?
Have you ever considered the subconscious forces at work that encompasses your emotional state or memories? It’s worth noting that these subconscious elements are at the forefront of your buying decisions.
Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman suggests that 95% of your purchasing decisions are subconscious.
I dig a little bit deeper into how your brain reacts when you purchase something in my book, Live It, Love It, Sell It.
How does the brain buy?
Technical information is processed by an area of the brain called the neocortex. This area gathers and processes information, but it has very little influence on decision-making. The decision-making area of the brain lies in the region called the limbic system, one of the oldest parts of our brain, which controls our emotions.
You may believe that your brain makes decisions through logic when, in fact, your buying decisions are significantly driven by the emotional area of your brain.
The logical part of the brain can interfere eventually, but you create trust through a gut feeling, and that is why you have to understand the customer’s ‘why’.
Tuning in to the deepest need of your customer helps you see where they are coming from and when they are considering making a purchase.
The emotional response a customer has when they are happy to buy from you and ‘feel good’ about their purchase is followed closely by logic. It’s at this stage that you, as the salesperson, can talk about price, benefits, and specifics. However, during this process, the customer will be working through their most important decision – whether they trust you!
The importance of adding value for your customer
The majority of my Express30 Sessions are business owners worried about pricing their products or services, delivery of their content, or the practicalities of sales. I’ll tell you what I tell them – feel the fear and sell anyway.
Learn to embrace your uniqueness, build your confidence, find your feet, sell yourself and your business, and discover your own sizzle. There is no other ‘YOU’ on the planet, and that right there is wonderful!
A customer needs to get to know, like, and trust you before they will buy and that’s where you can use a mix of the psychology of sales and storytelling to help you.
If you create something of value for your customer and build an authentic relationship with them, the price of your product or service is going to be a small part of the buying decision. Remember, the buying journey is not about you; it’s all about the customer.
If they can see the value you offer and build a connection due to your human-centered approach, they will be happy to buy from you.
How can you use the psychology of sales in your business?
I see small businesses marketing their services all the time on social media, in newsletters, and via blog posts or podcasts, but the biggest mistake they make is only talking about the features of their services.
Without including the subconscious side of your customer’s decision-making process you won’t get the sales and results you seek.
Think about the last television advert you watched that resonated with you. I often use the Christmas ads to demonstrate this point as they always try and pull at our heartstrings by using a human-centered approach to selling.
The sports brands will share stories about successful athletes and sell the possibility of your own physical success story. Fragrance ads appeal to our loving, nurturing, or relationship values.
One of my favourite adverts is for Extra Gum released as the restrictions to lockdown were lifted. This campaign is all about connection. It shows the world waking up again and being able to meet up once more, something the entire population craved and could connect with emotionally.
Yes, there is still a valuable place for sharing the features of your services, but your customer also needs to have an emotional response.
Think like a buyer
Step into your customer’s world for a while and find out what it would be like to buy from you. Why should they use your services or buy your products and what do you do to help them?
Are you telling your customers a story and letting them get to know you and your business?
Understanding how the psychology of sales fits into your sales and marketing strategy is the perfect way to build a human connection with your customers.
Want to learn more about the psychology of sales?
Joining the Sales Academy will help you understand your ideal customer, how your business and sales strategy can offer value, and build long-lasting relationships. It will also help you fall in love with selling while meeting like-minded business owners. Find out more HERE.
My article, 4 Reasons Why Joining a Membership Will Help Your Business Grow, gives you more information.
“Sales was always a cold, unwelcoming term to me…Encompassing conversations trying to persuade an unsuspecting individual that they needed my service. The Live it Love it Sell it – Sales Academy has been a real eye-opener. I’m learning to love sales, I’m learning that sales is all about me and my love and passion for what I do. The content, lessons, lives, and totally supportive community is worth every penny. Thank you, Jules!” Andrea Rainsford – Founder of SEO Angel
Want to find out more? Schedule a virtual cuppa with me, and we can chat about the membership or my other coaching services.