MARKETING PSYCHOLOGY:
4 Tactics to Make Customers Sell Themselves
Implementing sales tactics based on psychological principles doesn\’t mean using deceptive or dishonest means to somehow trick your prospects into making a purchase. Instead, it focuses on taking note of certain sentiments and biases that may influence consumer buying decisions.
There are countless ways to incorporate these principles into your sales strategies and marketing messaging. Here\’s a look at a few of them.
1. Use mirroring
Have you ever engaged in a conversation with someone and noticed how your speech sped up or slowed down, matching theirs as a result? That is an example of mirroring. When you reflect the verbal patterns and physical cues of your customers, they subconsciously grow more at ease with your presence. The more comfortable they are with you, the easier it becomes to build a rapport, which makes them more likely to trust you and buy from you.
That doesn\’t mean that you should become a mimic, only that you should maintain the same speaking pace and overall energy level as your prospect. If the person is enthusiastic, be enthusiastic; if they\’re more laid back and straightforward, then so should you be. It may take some practice to master the art of mirroring, but you\’ll find that prospects will open up to you faster once they\’re more at ease.
2. Create rivalry
Every company has at least one to five leading competitors in their industry that they\’re continually looking to outperform. Find your biggest competitor and spark up a friendly rivalry. Consumers love to pledge loyalty to brands that they\’ve come to trust, and instigating an \”us versus them\” tactic can create some of the biggest brand ambassadors your company has ever seen. This form of social proof can help you quickly build more brand trust and win over new customers.
3. Make them self-qualify
Everyday living has equipped most people with an innate ability to recognize when someone is trying to sell them something. The goal with this tactic is to scramble these \”spidey senses\” by tossing up a roadblock to their purchase ability, and in some cases (and if applicable) disqualifying them entirely as buyers. The types of hurdles that you can create will vary depending on sales medium, i.e., phone, online store, or in-person.
Be careful when using this method, as you don\’t want to be dishonest with your prospects or turn them away altogether. However, you do want to give them the impression that you won\’t lose any sleep if you don\’t get their business, and in a way, make them work for your sale. Instinctively (and ironically), prospects will let their guards down and begin to demonstrate their qualifications to buy from you.
These are examples of the self-qualifying mindset:
1. \”We CAN afford to buy the higher-end homes.\”
2. \”I AM still young enough to feel comfortable buying this sports car.\”
3. “Oh, my business does qualify me to be in that high powered, expensive mastermind group.”
4. Showcase specific features that reduce risks
Fear is the number-one deterrent to buying decisions. Consumers don\’t want any buyer dissonance after they purchase your products. To alleviate this, highlight their biggest concerns and craft the messaging around your product\’s features to address them. Just the mention of their interests will immediately trigger their fears and emotional response as a result. Then, by illustrating how your product can help solve this problem, you\’ll look like a hero that\’s come to their rescue.
Look at the example of this below:
Product Marketing Copy: \”Why are your Facebook ads not converting like they use to?\”
Product Feature/Benefit: \”Our Facebook Sales 101 guide will show you not only how to increase your conversions, but how to recognize the five main reasons that could be causing your conversion rates to drop.\”
There is no end to the ways that you can incorporate psychology into your everyday sales practices, both online and offline. There are also several books that you can refer to for more strategies to increase your conversions using these types of psychological tools. Understanding what drives your customers to buy can open up a world of sales tactics that you can implement for your business.
Top Tip for Every Sale Forever —
Above all, know this one simple business truth about sales —a confused mind never buys. So, if you aren’t getting the sales you want, you might be confusing your customer somewhere along their customer journey and the work you truly need to do is on your own businesses and your own sales process.
If you need help, we are here for support and assistance, feel free to reach out and see if we may be of service.
