If you want to be successful in business, marketing, or any area of your life which involves communicating and serving other people, it’s vitally important you learn about the psychology of selling.
When you hear the word “salespeople” what comes to mind? If you’re anything like most people you think of a pushy person, talking really fast, trying to manipulate you with fancy words to get you to buy something you don’t want or need. Sound about right?
Unfortunately, this is the idea that the majority of people have when they think of salespeople, but it’s an outdated and (mostly) inaccurate representation. I agree there are definitely some salespeople who continue to live up to these stereotypes, but the true sales professional is different.
What is the psychology of selling?
Sales are at the core of every business. Every business on earth is selling something in some form, and the most successful organisations are the ones with consistent and high-volume sales.
If you’ve ever watched Shark Tank you’ll often hear the sharks saying, “sales cures all”, when talking about a failing business. Anytime a business isn’t doing well it normally means their sales are low and need to be improved.
All other functions in a business such as marketing, customer support, customer acquisition, etc are all geared towards making sales. But what is selling?
“Selling is a psychological process that you as the salesperson guide your prospects through.”
You take them from the mental stage of being unaware of your product to being a paying customer. How do you do that? You do that by asking the right questions.
You see, selling is about solving the problems of your target market. They have fears and problems they need to solve. Your job is to identify those problems and recommend the relevant product or service as a solution.
Selling is about solving problems
At its essence, selling is all about serving people and solving problems. That’s it. Whether you are a commission sales professional selling premium business services, or a retail sales assistant – the basic nature of these roles is to serve people and solve their problems.
If you are a salesperson reading this right now please understand that you are a problem solver! Doesn’t that make you feel great?
When you know that true selling is problem solving, you’ll realise that selling is a noble and a much needed profession.
The more problems you solve = the more sales you’ll make!
Successful entrepreneurs and businesses are able to sell more of their products and services than their competitors. What they are really doing is solving more people’s problems than their competitors.
The most successful companies and brands are always thinking about how they solve their customer’s problems better than their competitors can. When our customers have a problem they want to solve and a burning desire to solve it
The problem being solved is not always obvious
Sometimes the products that a business sells solve a problem that is not always obvious at first.
McDonald’s may be in the business of selling burgers, but they also sell more than that. They sell convenience – a fast and cheap solution to hunger, which saves you the time and effort of having to cook something yourself.
A university sells the idea of a good education; a dentist sells the idea of perfect teeth; a gym sells the idea of being fit and strong; a beauty parlor sells the idea of looking and feeling beautiful.
Sell the end results – not the product!
The product or service is a vehicle to deliver the result your customer is seeking. A person who buys a 4-inch drill doesn’t need a 4-inch drill, they need 4-inch holes!
Customers want results, and your product or service is how you deliver those results. As a salesperson you must always remember – you are selling the 4-inch holes, not the drill.
The psychology of a sales person
A true salesperson thinks and acts like a consultant. They like to speak with their prospects to understand their pain points and problems. They want to understand what solutions (products or services) they have tried so far, and what result they are seeking.
Professional salespeople don’t sell someone something they don’t need; that’s what amateur salespeople do. Amateur salespeople are constantly trying to force products and services on people without even taking the time to find out what the prospect’s real needs are. I’m sure you’ve witnessed or experienced this yourself.
Professional salespeople think of themselves as consultants and proceed to take customers through a professional sales process.
The 3 stages of a professional sales process
The 3 stages of a professional sales process can be likened to a doctor’s examination.
1. Examination – Uncovering needs and identifying problems
2. Diagnosis – Identifying the cause of the problems
3. Prescription – Presenting the solution
Let’s go through this stage by stage:
- The sales professional asks their prospects lots of questions, trying to gather as much information as possible – Examination
- The salesperson then delves deeper in to the prospect’s situation and diagnoses the cause of their problems – Diagnosis
- Once the cause of the problem has been diagnosed, the salesperson then presents their product or service as the solution – Prescription
When to make the sale or walk away
Once you have conducted the examination, if your product or service does not solve the prospect’s problem you must tell the prospect so, shake hands, and walk away from the sale. Never try to sell a product or solution to someone if you know they will not benefit from it.
If your product can solve your prospect’s problems and will add value to their life, you have the moral obligation to tell them so, and to make the sale.
Embrace selling!
When you think and act like a professional salesperson you will never feel guilty about trying to sell someone something. That’s because you will only be selling to people whom you know will benefit from your product or service.
All good marketers, entrepreneurs, and business people will benefit from continuously improving their selling skills. You should feel good about selling!
