Dark Psychology of Sales.

Dark Psychology of Sales.

Whether you're an expert salesperson or a novice, there will always a time when you need a few extra Sales tricks to turn around the sales figure in your favour. With those tricks, you can always manipulate customers buying behaviour in a very subtle way in your favour; that's why it is called the Dark psychology of sales.

?As you've seen before, the best salespersons are born winners. But this is not always correct. The best salespersons have a tried and tested sales tricks that they use time and time again to generate additional business for themselves.

Those magic tricks are nothing but Science-based selling; modern Salespersons uses Science in their sales. Science-based selling combines social psychology, neuroscience and behavioural economics – and the combinations of these make the sales process effective smooth and result oriented for both sides of the business.

This new Modern Sales approach is called Sales Psychology or Science-based selling.

What is science-based selling?

Science-based selling is a modern sales technique that includes social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural economics. This new modern approach to sales is based on tried-and-tested scientific methods to help boost sales performance and productivity at every part of today's buying process. Every day people are spoiled for choice in every domain of life. All of us make hundreds of decisions daily, which includes some critical buying decisions also. Nowadays everyone wants to buy everything, choosing from countless options with many great diversities of brands and goods available everywhere. It makes customers picky, excessively demanding, and confused.

Trying to get the best available option, Fear of not making a correct choice and other psychological factors might force a customer not to buy your goods or even avert the sale at all. However, customers` decisions are not always as chaotic as they may look. By evaluating their behaviour and seeing common patterns, a Smart salesperson can understand what a customer wants, which leads to success.

When you understand and learn how potential customers think and what they want, you can present your services and product in the best possible way.

Moreover, looking at customers from a psychologist's perspective will help you understand which products you should offer to a particular person to close a deal fast and quickly. That is what sales psychology is all about. The better you know and understand your buyer, the higher are the sales.

How exactly this behavioural psychology used in sales?

Understanding your customer needs and expectations is key to converting leads into loyal customers. Sales psychology techniques play a vital role in any Sales and marketing campaign and are widely used by many well established and famous companies. Scientific-based selling uses scientific research to understand what is happening inside the customer's brain and how their brain can be influenced. When you start your sales in a way that matches how the customer's brain is wired to make purchases, you'll increase sales.

But let's be clear about this: We're not discussing any Jedi- magic mind tricks here.

We're talking about applying decades of sales research into your sales process to help you increase sales.?Have you ever noticed how differently selling the same product might turn? Some customers immediately order what they want; they get impatient if a retailer gives them too much extra information. The others are doubtful, ask many questions or even need more detailed discussions and prefer to understand almost everything about the product they plan to buy.

Sales psychology is all about understanding and connecting to customers' needs and wants rather than forcing your product or service on your customer.

Sales psychology can be well-defined as a process and method that studies the psyche of your target market to sell your offering and products. For example, a salesperson can tap into a customer's emotions to close a sale by comprehending their customers' needs and wants and connecting them with a well-defined sales process. People or buyers always want to be understood thoroughly, and being able to relate with them through your brand and product can increase your probability of making the sale.

Understanding more about the Sales psychology behind customer or Human Behaviour and why we do things the way we do them can give your company an extra competitive advantage in sales and the market. The more you study people mind and their buying behaviours or responses to your actions, the more you can give them what they need and wants, how they need it and when and why they need it. In the end, sharing with people what they need and want is the only way you can get more sales coming your way.

Know Your Customer

The first thing is to know your customer completely. Who are your customers? What keeps them awake at night, where is their exact pain, and how do your offer and products help ease that stress and pain? Truly getting inside your customer's minds and understanding their fundamental pain points will give you the critical elements to a successful sales pitch.

The person whom you are selling needs to know that you understand what their problem or issues are. As social human beings, we always want to feel validated, understood and cared for. Focusing this on your sales method or in your sales pitch will help to become much more effective, resulting in better conversions and a distinct advantage over your competitors.

Whether you offer your product and services online or offline, or just in a local retail shop, convincing customers can never be too simple and easy, especially when it comes to psychology practice. The customers` requests are often entirely implicit, vague and tricky to use an individual focus approach that all the customers love and demand.

However, this cannot be an excuse to let things go away quickly. Just think about all those cases and situations when your customer seemed to be very close to making a purchase but suddenly changed their mind without any valid reason. A couple of small psychological tricks could turn things around and in your favour very quickly, and at the same time, it's not complicated either, just a piece of cake.

Although Many modern sales and business experts sometimes come up with amazingly sophisticated and complex strategies and ideas, which are too complicated to understand and implement also, these subtle psychological tricks and techniques are effortless and effective; however, an essential thing in any sales success is that you should genuinely believe in what you're selling. As we always said, sales are nothing but a transfer of emotions. Therefore, if you believe in your product, the customer will bound to believe it.?

What gets the customer to buy is belief in the offered product. What gets the customer to buy is a salesperson's belief in his product; sales are nothing but the transfer of emotion and energy, so whatever you feel about your product will transfer to your customer or client at the same time, you cannot fake your feelings and beliefs as a salesperson to you customer,?When a salesperson genuinely believes the product will make a significant and genuine difference in the customer's life, it gives hope to the customer as well. A good salesperson thrives on this hope.

Now we will discuss two types of Sales psychological science-based techniques which we often use to improve our selling skills and overall sales performance.

Traditional Psychological trick of Sales and persuasion.

Modern Psychological trick of Sales and persuasion.

The Old Psychological trick of Sales and persuasion technique revolves around from seller point of view, whereas Modern sales and persuasion technique revolves around consumer behaviours (Buyer).??

Gravitational Power of Ethos Pathos Logos in Sales

Twenty-four hundred years ago, Aristotle came up with?the three elements needed to move an audience or customers —Ethos, pathos, and logos-- You may have heard these terms ethos, pathos and logos many times before also., but what do these ethos pathos logos mean, exactly? All these three are techniques of rhetoric meant to persuade others toward a specific action.?And sales is all about an act of persuading someone to take particular action & it is a fundamental human skill, and we often see these skills being used in political speeches, commercials, and even movies and nowadays more and more often in product selling also.

?These classifications are just as important and applicable for today's salespeople as they were back then also.?Because as earlier said, sales are an act of persuading someone to take a specific action; in today's challenging marketplace, where little difference exists between two products, hence the act of convincing someone in your direction is the epitome of all sales success. In today's challenging sales market, every salesperson needs to employ and equip with not only logos but, more importantly, pathos and Ethos as well to persuade today's digitally aware customers to buy

. Ethos: Credibility is everything

?First, you need to establish your credibility. It would help if you got people to listen to your ideas. They will only listen to you if you have credibility. Or you sound credible to them. But why should they believe you? So, before trying to sell your ideas or any product, make sure people believe you, trust you, and want to listen to you. Ethos is a certain kind of appeal to the ethical fabric of the buyer. Sellers must also establish how buying the offering is moral or the right thing for everyone. This means that it is the right thing for the company, but it also means that it is the right thing for a broader societal sense. Ethos is a sincere appeal based on the credibility of the seller or character associated with a company or brand; the buyer or prospects will have an impression of the level of credibility of the salesperson trying to persuade and convince them.?This impression will be based on their past interactions, goodwill, reputation, and manner of communication, among other factors.

To use Ethos effectively in a sales environment, you need to remember and know your client inside out; what do they need to hear to believe in you? What kind of background details can you give to them? Keeping in mind that Ethos is highly relative since the qualities that are expected in one field or customer aren't necessarily the ones another client will value or honour, remember whom you're talking to and simultaneously arrange your sale pitch accordingly. If you're a motor car salesman trying to convince a customer, you can mention you've been in the business for 30 years and know what you're talking about. If you're applying for a job interview in a start-up, say your attributes that the interviewers might value honesty, ambition, and tech-savviness.

Focus on what will strongly build up your character in the eyes of the client and buyers and establish your Authority with them. The more relatable and trustworthy you sound, the more effective your sales pitch will be. Equally important, don't mention all those factors that will destroy your credibility and are not related to the topic. All salespeople who are trying to earn the customer's trust. They will give a sympathetic ear and will always try to become a trusted advisor or consultant. Hence to prove they're dependable, they always follow through on their commitments.

The basics of Ethos are wisdom, virtue, and goodwill. When salespeople share their experience with customers, they are using their knowledge to their advantage. Ethos is charisma as well as the character of the salesperson. Salesperson's definition of charisma is transparency and truthfulness, the ability to be exactly who you are and the tendency to be perfectly honest about it.

Building Credibility is the essence of All Sales.

1. Always avoid selling a solution or product that isn't in the customer's best interest. For example, sometimes you don't have the correct answer or effect at the right price. In that case, it is always good to be honest with the customer instead of offering something that you know and realize will not fully deliver the customer's results.

2. Never wrongly represent the features, advantages and benefits of a product or solution. Customers always want a product or solution that comes close to meeting their needs or usually functions appropriately per their expectations. So give them the whole factual truth about your product and solutions and decide if the proposed solution will work for them.

3. Don't over-promise anything that you can't deliver. Some sales professionals find it extremely difficult to say no to the customer about certain things. Telling the customer that a particular solution with specific features and benefits will be delivered by a specific deadline will always better, rather than giving any fake date or deadlines.

?When problems develop after the sale, don't make excuses and don't place blame; fix the problem. You are the face hence don't hide it.

It would help if you always gave your customer's an excellent reason to buy from you. In another way, you need to build your credibility by your efforts and deeds; whenever your customers are listening to your sales pitch or content, they do not have to get their defence shields up, or they should not go sceptical on you. And one of the thoughts that should not be floating through their head is this: "Why should I listen to this person?"

As we all know that, we buy from those whom we trust wholeheartedly, And Big question over here is?How does a seller make himself trustworthy in the eyes of the buyer in such a short period, Actually all you need to do that you should give your customer a solid reason to buy that's it.?And That you can build through your robust and credible approach. Many times, people don't fall for tricks. They have a more rational approach to buying and prefer neutral information. The best way to win them over is to provide them with reliable and credible statistics and studies that justify the overall quality of your brand, service, or product. Just keep it straightforward, in all such cases, avoid any kind Sales psychological tricks is the most effective trick you can play.

?Pathos:?Sales is all about Emotions

Pathos is related to human emotion.?It is an effort to persuade by appealing to the person's emotions whom you are trying to convince or persuade toward a specific action.?These kinds of appeal are primarily based on analogies, metaphors or stories which evoke the emotions of your listener or buyer.?It is well known that humans are familiar with learning and passing on knowledge and wisdom through various levels, so being able to weave a good story, sales pitch, or content that will touch someone emotionally is an excellent way to convince.

Human being loves stories. We give complete focus to anything directly or indirectly connected with any tale, time we fill in the blanks to create them also, and We like stories with peaks and valleys with a wide range of emotional deviations that we usually hold deep in our minds. And if our sales pitch or product has some kind of emotional story connection, then persuasion can be easier to handle.

As per Aristotle, persuasion cannot occur in the absence of emotion. And sales are nothing but a transfer of emotions; People are moved to action by how a persuader makes them feel. The best way to transfer feeling from one person to another is through the rhetorical device of persuasion. More than 2,400 years later, neuroscientists have found this study accurate and perfect.?these studies have found that narratives trigger a rush of neurochemicals in the brain, notably oxytocin, connecting people on a deeper, emotional level that enables them to decide, including buying decisions.?

?Pathos is all about making your client emotionally connected or manipulated in your favour through emotions. All you want to ensure that you gather enough emotional responses from prospects. It can be either be positive or negative, but feelings must come out. Think about all those advertisements for acid reflux. We usually see people in pain, but medicine makes them feel better. Or think about advertising where we see people having fun or doing good works.?The objective here is how your product can make them feel better and improve their lives.

A word of caution here:?you MUST do and act whatever you say or care.?Any fakeness or Non-sincerity in trying to make a connection with your prospect will get caught easily. So, if you are not sincere and just looking to make some quick money from your clients, change your ways, or find a new profession immediately. Because genuine empathy and connection are the only practical and reasonable approaches in today's connected world. Emotions are subconscious, biological 'effects that can provoke very easily. When companies pair ideal states, mates, or stature with their products, we start to make an intense physiological association with that product or company. This is the starting process of branding your product; this whole process of loyal customer base generation comes from here only; the loyalty of any customer base comes from Deep-rooted Pathos only.?

Pathos is used these days widely by marketers;?Many sales and marketers use pathos by making customers feel what they need them to feel and see things from their point of view, whether it's fulfilment, anger, humour, pity, or any other kind of emotion. You may call it pulling on the heartstrings or connecting to the feelings.

Pathos speaks to the emotional end of the buyer's essence. What is the buyer is experiencing that is being caused by a problem or by the absence of any solution, and what are the exact solutions available to eliminate it. Thus, pathos requires both a solid and intense relationship with the buyer and proper emotional appeal to change.

When something is hurting you very severely, the desire to eliminate the source of that pain is all you want at that time. Therefore, pain Avoidance at that moment is one of the best purchase motivators because customers are bound to act quickly and decisively in that moment of pain to eliminate it.

Many salespeople associate this emotional appeal or pain to unreasoningly trying to persuade customers to buy from them, which might not be the correct solution at that time. This selling needs to be avoided at any cost because pathos is far more complex than we think. It creates a favourable character of your product in potential Mind customers through an emotional or psychological appeal, thereby representing your competition in an unfavourable light.

?Being well-served or well treated is one of the essential desires of any customer. It weighs heavily in customers' minds at all times, making customers feel that their hard-earned money is safe in your hands is a top priority. Ideally, through pathos, you could make them believe that the competitive proposition is also a threat to their money.

Another emotion that we can generate through pathos is provoking the Selfish Ego of the Customer, which directly or indirectly helps us closing many deals. Human beings have a selfish ego, and self-gratification is our wish to put our desires before everyone else. Customers will go to any lengths to purchase something that makes them feel better about themselves and superior to others. Customers buy products that they believe will improve their stature and protect their group position. We chase the approval of others. Self-preservation, the desire and want to be recognized for our exceptional talents and self while still belonging to a group, apply to customers and salespeople both at the same time.

Hence, we can say that Egos drive the business world. But, unfortunately, many times, salespeople are taught to sell solutions based upon customer pain when, in fact, ego and self-preservation can also become the real motivators behind the closing of many big deals.

Pathos is exceptionally effective to bring the customer over to your perspective, but you have to be keenly aware of the kind of emotion you want to produce and what truth you're going to draw on to trigger that emotion.

Pathos mostly appeals to the emotions of the customer. Aristotle believed that the persuader or presenter could use their words to lead the client to experience virtually any type of feeling. He thought that to succeed, they should be continuously aware of few main factors:?the prospects frame of mind, how emotions vary from person to person, and the influence the speaker or presenter has over the prospects.

People tend to feel comfortable and at ease with those like them; most people like each other when they are like each other in many ways, i.e., behaviour, dressing, etc. Focus on the commonalities which you and the customer have. For example, mirror the customer's physiology or speak at the same pace of speech and volume. Validate what the customers are saying with an agreement frame. When you start mirroring the customer's physiology, tonality and everyday interests, the customer feels that you are just like him. We don't mind opening to a person like us because the likes and dislikes are the same.

Finally, one of the most influential and essential psychological marketing tricks is to tug at your audience's emotions. The human brain is made in such a way that it focuses on emotions before logic, and first impressions play a significant, influential role in what your customer finally decides about your product or service. Hence, it's crucial to focus on making customers feel comfortable and feel good on an emotional level first before following up with facts and rationalizations.

Ultimately customer's perception is the key. How they view you and your product simultaneously, whether they trust you or view you with doubt, will make or break your effort and sales both. So, don't just try to act and behave trustworthily. Be trustworthy and credible always. Don't just try to act as if you care. You do need to watch.

Moreover, pathos is most effective if used carefully. You don't want to be too much sentimental or forced. Customers can usually smell a faker a mile away. Don't forget to use analogies, humour, surprise, body language, maybe even visuals if the forum is correct.

Logos:?Reasons are Epitome of Buying.

Once Ethos and Pathos is established and connected, it's time to make a logical appeal to the customer.?And without sound logic, you cannot sell to anyone, therefore only after Ethos and pathos are properly places then you need to provide the sense of why someone should buy from you or take some other action in favour of you, most important if you show up and don't develop credibility and a connection with your customer, but instead just move right into "sell mode," you are likely to have unfavourable results, hence Finally, after addressing credibility and empathy, then only go to the solution, i.e. features, functions and other details of your proposed resolution or products.?

Now question over here is, Why should your customer's care about your product or solution, is your product saves your customer's money or time, then they'll need to know how much money will be saved them and how the savings will be done. These are logical appeals that will help you gain support in your favour, use data, evidence, and facts to form a rational argument.?Here, the seller effort is to focus on the sensible authenticity of the idea proposed. Generally, this comes together with the use of facts, data, statistics and other logical demonstrations. As with Ethos, logos doesn't need to be logically sound to be correct and effective, but it does have to appear to be. The logical demonstration is inductive reasoning (drawing general conclusions based on factual evidence) or deductive reasoning (starting with a hypothesis and validating it with logic and reasons). Data, statistics, facts, figures, and common sense are all elements of logos to convince your prospects. It relies entirely on the strength of the argument itself, regardless of the buyer's emotions or the seller's expertise. A statement with logos should be able to stand up by itself.

Logos is a potent tool because it often stands on irrefutable solid data and statistics. It doesn't need the seller's charisma or the buyer's emotions to make a well-reasoned buying decision.?That said, how the buyer receives it is another topic entirely dry fact can come across stilted if not cushioned by the seller's charisma.

To use logos most smartly and effectively, temper it with a standard speech that everyone can understand. If your sales pitch is complex, use simple words to explain it. Don't hide your strong sales pitch behind complicated words, jargon or big statements. You have to be as specific and concrete as possible, with examples and stress the most critical points.

You can use the syllogism method with logos, whether you combine two premises and draw a logical interpretation from them. The most famous quote from Aristotle "All men are mortal. Socrates is a man. Therefore, Socrates is also mortal." To use such logic effectively, you should be keenly aware of the accepted premises shared with your buyer. You can use what is judge by your buyer to be common sense or social truths to solidify a greater, more universal truth that you want them to accept. To sell your ideas, you need to understand how people make decisions. People rarely make decisions intellectually; they make them emotionally. Ethos, pathos, and logos are powerful, emotionally driven, non-manipulative formulas for persuading others to make intelligent buying decisions.

Share and provide independent confirmation of your facts wherever possible with quotes from Authority's customers, analysts, and the press.

Quantify beneficial claims with precise numbers and use real-world examples, which are more potent than hypothetical statements.

Be prepared for any contradictory facts from other vendors and have accurate responses ready.

Create your synonyms that show the significance of your idea or product or a particular feature. For instance, rubber can be called a "multipurpose business instrument."

Quantify results from adverse consequences, for instance, loss of revenue due to equipment downtime.

?Always use the rule of three: whenever you make a claim, support it with three different facts. Then, brighten up the facts with exciting graphics that represent them pictorially.

Nowadays,?marketers and advertisers are using logos to give you the evidence and statistics you need to understand that what exactly the product does and how it can make your life even better than it was before you used to be. The facts used here should be simple and straight. things like "You get 100% of your vitamin D from a glass of milk," or "an hour of every day play helps prevent childhood obesity."

Aristotle was also fond of using logos in such a way as to guide the audience to conclude the argument on their own. By suggesting the decision with logic, rather than stating it outright, the buyer will be more accepting of your point. Simply put, they will feel confident in the overall reasoning if they do the work themselves. Emotions are an excellent way to win them over.

Social proof is also a type of logos. We often rationalize our decisions based on the fact that others have purchased them. Have you ever observed how every design and marketing agency is award-winning? The truth is that the average user and even potential client will rarely do fact-checking, so often, these awards are from non-credible institutions.?Does anyone go deeper to see if the prizes are credible? The chances are that the average individual never researches it. We usually assume that if it won some award, it must be good. This is a crucial outcome when questioning and opposing marketing.

Always keep in mind that logos are a very effective form of rhetoric in selling; it is usually used to supplement some burning emotional value promise that marketers try to touch. What logos, more importantly, does, though, is that it gives one way to justify their purchases consciously. E.g., studies show that roughly 95% of our purchasing decision subconsciously occurs; however, we explain it with the obvious logical facts when confronted about our spending. 'I bought it because it was on sale, more effective, or faster than the alternative'.

Logos is a call to the logical mind. It's about facts, figures, and evidence. In a B2B or B2C scenario, the Logos part of the sales process call to the economic impact of buying your offering. It established that the business would be financially more robust due to buying your offering and puts forth a strong business case.

There are two things to take care of when it comes to using the Logos argument. The first is using false or misleading information or data to convince a potential customer to buy your offering. Unfortunately, tricking someone is wrong, but it is also hardly successful in the long run.

The second and more common thing is not building or creating the Logos in your business case or sales pitch at all. Even if you able to make strong Ethos and Pathos arguments for your offering, your customer may not move forward without the Logos component and conclude the sale because they don't have the business case to justify the investment.

Conclusion

In the end, I advise building your selling pitch story and approach to implement and address Ethos, Pathos, Logos, to become more successful in sales; scientists and psychologists have been researching the art of influence and persuasion for decades. In addition, however, there are many articles, presentations, and sites dedicated to the education and application of the effectiveness of Aristotle's philosophy in sales and marketing.

To build the most compelling case for why someone should buy from you, think about what exactly you are selling, whom you are selling to, and who will be the main responsible person in the buying decision but don't forget to keep in mind when and why they will ultimately buy from you.

I know it seems pervasive sense that you should be honest. But the truth is, many people think that salespeople are not always trustworthy. Just ask anyone you know what their impressions are of any salesperson they know. That's an entire profession where every salesperson tends to get lumped into the "dishonest" pile.

Of course, salespeople don't help their image. While most salespeople don't tell out an out lie, but many hide?the truth with "errors of omission." In another way, these salespeople don't let customers know what's wrong with their product.

Now here's a trick to improve your conversion rate by being honest with your prospects, telling them all about the flaws, and turning these perceived flaws into assets.

Just that you're honest about a product or service will make people trust you more, increasing your sales.

Moreover, the other part of this is that you're handling an objection by turning a perceived defect into an asset. As you learned earlier also handling complaints is another good way to boost your conversion rate.

The Ethos, pathos, and logos approach are equally applicable online and in-person. However, regardless of how you communicate with your prospects, you are not likely to get anywhere if you don't establish a connection and credibility before selling or persuading.

Modern Psychological trick of Sales and persuasion

After understanding the most ancient phycological tricks of sales and persuasions, let's check some of the Modern Sales psychological tricks of Sales and persuasions.

Salespeople are in the business of persuading people to buy from them. It takes skill and experience to be continually successful in convincing people to buy. There's always a science to persuasion, and you can use it to your advantage in understanding and influencing consumer behaviour and the modern Psychological trick of Sales and effectiveness revolve around consumer behaviour as a whole.

Consumer behaviour is the study of what influences individuals and organizations to purchase certain products and support certain brands.?Marketing campaigns can influence consumer behaviours because they bring out reactions, apply imagery and word associations, and cause you to feel more emotions such as nostalgia and Fear.

What is consumer behaviour?

Consumer behaviour is the study of how any customers, groups or organizations select options, buy, use, and dispose of ideas, goods, and services to satisfy their needs and wants. It refers to studying what causes individuals and organizations to purchase certain products and support certain brands. This study focuses primarily on behaviour, motivations and psychology, influenced by the following three critical factors.

Personal factors are most affected by demographics such as age, gender, culture, profession, background.

Psychological factors – Everybody's response to a particular marketing campaign will be based on their perceptions and attitudes. So, their ability to comprehend information, their perception of their need, their attitude will all play a part.

Social factors –A person's social groups affect how they purchase. For example, their disposable income, education level and social class influence their buying behaviours.

How can sales phycological tricks and persuasion techniques affect consumer behaviour and decisions?

Previously, we learned and studied the Ancient persuasion technique given by Aristotle, i.e. Ethos Pathos Lagos, which directly or indirectly influences buying behaviour; basically, these old sales persuasion tricks revolve around the seller behaviour, ultimately controlling the selling process.

Modern sales persuasion techniques can be highly effective in influencing consumer behaviour.

Almost 30 years ago, Dr Robert Cialdini wrote a book on persuasion and influence. In it, he listed science-based six principles of persuasion according to research in the field of Psychology.

Even now, 30 years afterwards, people marketers and sales use his persuasive techniques to increase conversions of their customers, no matter the industry. After all, knowing the ability to influence people is extremely powerful, especially when selling a product or service.

THE MODERN SCIENCE OF PERSUASION

Researchers for many years have been studying all those factors that influence customers to say "Yes" to the requests of companies and businesses for over 60 years. There can be no doubt that there's a science and technique to how others persuade us, and most of this Science is surprising.

When making any decision, it would be nice to think that people consider all the available information to guide their thinking. But the reality is very often different. In the increasingly overloaded lives, we lead, we need shortcuts or rules of thumb to guide our decision-making more than ever.

In his ground-breaking book, Cialdini shows us that people generally get agreed with us based on a few essential principles of persuasion technique. Knowing them and how they operate strictly on people gives you a better chance at convincing others effectively. Being aware of them will also stop someone from negatively persuading you to do things that are not in your interest.

These principles are Social proof, Reciprocity, Authority, Liking, Scarcity and Commitment.?Each of these principles explores a person's psychological responses during a sales environment.

As a sales professional, it is essential that you must be aware of these six well known and effective universal?principles of influence and how to apply them to become a skilled sales professional:

Social proof. When we are not sure of something, we look to others to provide us with the right direction to follow. The more people going that direction or action, the more likely we are to think it is the correct thing to do

Reciprocity. Humans were often feeling the need to return a favour or reciprocate some good gestures. For consumers, this means offering a free item or a big discount, for example.

Authority. We often say yes to others who are authoritative, i.e. carry great expertise, knowledge, or experience.

Liking. We have a stronger tendency to agree with people we like, and just as important, a higher tendency of others to agree with us if we want them.

Scarcity. People tend to want and need what they think they cannot have. Therefore, making a product or service seem exclusive or going out of stock if they do not act swiftly often makes it more enticing to the consumer and increases the likelihood of buy-in.

Commitment. Once someone is engaged with something or some product, they are very likely to stick with it. In business, it usually means developing brand loyalty or customer loyalty; once someone is engaged with a?particular product or using a service, they are more likely to commit to paying for it again.

Let's understand these Modern Sales Persuasion Principles in detail.

?Social proof

The principle of the social proof state that people will look to the behaviours and actions of other people to establish their own, especially when they are specific. As the old quote goes, "I'll have what she's having." That's the basis of social proof. It's one of the most famous and well-known principles. It is highly applicable to your customers' buyer journey since, at that stage, they're looking out for social proof b to back up the decision they are about to make. It's essentially people's tendency to want and choose products and solutions that other people like, other people recommend, or other people promote.

The simplest way to explain this is you're searching for a place to eat, so you're looking for somewhere. You're walking in the street, and you're looking for a place to have lunch. You see two restaurants, one after the other. One has a long queue of people standing outside waiting to be seated, and the other is empty. Now, assuming you have all the time in the world, which one would you choose??Would you choose the one that has a queue of people standing outside to be seated or the empty restaurant that has no one in it? What would be your move??Most people are going to say, "Always choose the busy one," right, where the queue is either long ", Yes, we will go for the one that is the busiest that has the biggest queue outside," because it tells you something. It means you, oh, okay, many people like this place and favour it over the other one. That's kind of a way of looking at social proof.

Sales organizations can easily use this principle by showing customers relevant case studies, displaying reviews and opinions of others; in this way, your existing customers sell for you, and their actions speak for your Organization.

Salespeople will often describe their product as fastest growing or best-selling. With this, they are suggesting that many other people think it is good. Indirect persuasion on social proof always works the best.

The customer wants this awareness of social proof to stay in your subconscious mind. And not seems like a straight attempt at persuasion. If presented correctly, our rational mind might question the data. But our subconscious prefers this decision-making shortcut. And takes us to it more effectively.

Few other examples come from online retailers. They generally show you products that other customers have purchased before for similar search words. Again, to remind you to consider buying those extra items because many others have done the same.

Social Proof at Work

When people are indecisive about a decision, they are most susceptible to getting down to social norms. Thus, the principle of influence works best in guiding people in the workplace in areas where they lack confidence and experience.

If you need to push people to take a risk with an initiative, pointing to how many other customers or organizations do the same thing will be the most influential. Use visuals like photographs or videos of others demonstrating the behaviour you are persuading on. Or give statistics and examples from outside sources.

Reciprocity

Marketers make often use of this principle all the time. The idea and secret behind the principle are that the person at the receiving end will feel like they ought to return the favour in exchange for the value offered to them. Using the reciprocity principle of res in your sales technique is an excellent way to sell more to your customers.

?In short, we basically feel obligated to treat others the way they treat us, which is a good thing, right? Someone does you a favour, and then you owe them a favour. If someone invites you to a party, you're more inclined to ask them to your own. In that context, I guess people are more likely to say yes to those who have helped them in the past.

However, you also need to be very careful in using the reciprocity technique in sales, just like you need to be very cautious about all parts of your customer's onboarding; hence over here, you need to switch it up. You cannot keep doing or offering the same thing repeatedly.

Ideally, you can do the free trial the first time by simply following that up with a well-written thank you email and maybe a letter opener. These small gifts and the feeling of what they will miss out on once the free trial gets over would together serve to build a special bond that is critical to forming customer loyalty.

?Our subconscious minds are burdened with this sense of having to repay the favour. When the gift-giver then requests us later, we are generally prompted to say yes. In most cases, we are usually not aware that we are complying because of the gift. The mental push happens below our reasoning level, making it surprisingly easy to succumb to this persuasion tactic.

When trying to develop a strategy based on the reciprocity principle, always try to think through what you can add within your pitches to give your customers something proactively, not reactively. It should fit in simply and come across as an improvement of your overall complete experience. Only then will it benefit both of you and your customer.

The most prevalent reciprocity in our sales world comes from gifts samples and initial periods of free service. The small amount of gifts leads to multiples in future purchases and increased chances of staying with a provider.

Many charitable organizations have used the persuasion principle of reciprocity to significant effect. For example, along with their envelope that contains their appeal, they will provide a small gift.?Many studies have shown that charities receive significantly more donations from people who have been first given a small gift.

Let's just recap. In Sales, like in life, remember to give first and provide people with meaningful, valuable solutions that they can use. All these contribute to people feeling the need to reciprocate and create a meaningful connection with your product. It is a great one to start thinking about what you can offer for free, and I don't think it means that you have to give away your product or your solution for free. That's not what I'm saying. It's just taking that step back and thinking about the initial ways that you can help people before asking them to take action because, again, we're far more likely to help people out after they've helped us.

Authority

The Authority state states that we are more likely to get persuaded or convinced by a person we believe carry more knowledge or power than we do. When you are known as a subject expert in your area, other's will be more likely to defer to you. Why? Often, experts can offer a shortcut to good decisions that would otherwise take a long time to devise themselves. The idea then is to establish the credibility of Authority and expertise. When it comes to closing deals, this means that customers are more likely to be persuaded to complete a specific action if the request seems to be coming from a source that perceived as credible.

Trust and faith are the epitomai of any purchase decision. Whom does a customer turn to? A salesperson may be part of this process, but an endorsement by an authority holds reliability that no one with any other interest can attain. Knowledge of a product, trends field, trends in the area, and even research can make a salesperson more effective by appealing to the principle of Authority. It may seem like additional work to educate your customers, but you need to reveal your expertise to gain credibility. Reading just the manual of a product is not just enough to develop the expertise; you have to do some extra homework for that. The principle of Authority includes referencing experts and expertise.

People defer to those in Authority and expertise -- Consciously, they may follow the direction of an authority figure. At a non-conscious level, they will tend to weigh the opinion of Authority more highly than that of others. Those are in a position of Authority are inseparably persuasive. Why? Because people often trust others with higher status, more significant roles, or in uniform. If customers trust a brand of product, they're more likely to get convert. That's why high-converting landing pages have authority badges and figures.

We comply more willingly with requestors whom we view as subject experts and authoritative personalities on the subject.

People typically don't know what their best choice is. They generally lack the expertise and knowledge. But are not willing to admit this to themselves and others. So during uncertain situations like these, we look to secondary aspects of the persuader or seller, as their qualifications and Authority.

If we know that someone has a doctorate, we will wholeheartedly take their medical suggestion without any doubts. That is why all doctors and lawyers display their degree certificates on their office walls.

Expert reviews have to be from whom your target customer acknowledge as an expert on the subject matter or a figure of Authority, generally speaking. Especially for B2B sales, the higher the person's rank presenting the review, the more valuable the study is perceived.

This is one of the most effective ways in which one can establish Authority in all likeliness. To do this, you need to produce data and content around your business, and you need to do this regularly. These can be a?book review template, blog, infographics, checklist downloads, eBooks, case studies, white papers, videos, guides, opinion posts, product reviews, link pages, podcasts, lists, research, interviews, and numerous other types of content.

Authority seems like social proof, but it's based not on numbers but perceived expertise, status, or power.

Now, this principle is all about our tendency to believe and feel more comfortable with authoritative figures. In short, we tend to follow people with Authority even if they ask us to perform actions we don't necessarily feel pleased with. When I talk about this, the example that I give that I always imagine is this. Imagine you're at a crossroad, at a zebra crossing if you're Indian, and you're waiting for the light to turn green. Now, while the light is still red, a kid in front of you on roller skates starts crossing. Do you travel too? That's my question for you. Most people will say, "Heck, no. Of course not."

However, what if it were a man in a business suit, or a woman wearing a doctor's robe, or anyone who looks more authoritative? Good for you, anyone who looks more authoritative. Research shows that most people would cross, so when you see someone that looks to you like an authoritative figure, you will cross after them; we trust people with Authority more easily.

An easy example is the celebrity endorsement of a product or the doctor or dentist endorsing a health-related outcome. People react positively to peoples they believe is an authority on the topic in question. This is not about getting a celebrity for name recognition, however. That is something different. In other words, we can say it is more about getting a leading cricket player to help you sell Sports Shoes than it is to get the Cricket player to help you sell butter. The Cricket player might eat butter, but he is unlikely to be an authority on

In sales and advertising, the most common use of the persuasion technique of Authority is the use of celebrities to endorse brands and products. Even in cases where the star is famous, it has nothing to do with the approved product, such as Some cricketers promoting Motorbike engine Oil.

Such kind of celebrity endorsements might not be possible for small business owners. That is why you ought to find out more economical options like a review from local experts or some unpaid reviewing sites or creating informational content around your business for building Authority.

?Dr Cladini explains the three factors that trigger the authority principle:

Titles: Dr., Prof., PhD, CEO Founder, Chairman

Clothing: Religious outfits, Uniforms, suits,

Trappings: Accessories that?go along with certain roles?or positions, e.g. police badges, expensive suits, cars and jewellery

Such factors can trigger the principle of Authority even in the absence of actual genuine Authority or any celebrity; using authority symbols such as awards, seniority, industry accreditations, and expertise can help persuade users to undertake the desired action on your site.

Ideas to trigger Authority

Titles and accolades. Identify and show publicly any tags, awards, and prizes that make your brand seem authoritative.

Boldness. Make your business seem more authoritative by using bold and direct wording in your marketing. For example, don't just lightly offer your product. Instead, sell it like it's the best available thing in the world. The boldness and firmness will make people see your brand as authoritative.

The look. If you're planning to make up a website, make it highly professional, including an official contact and about us page. When meeting with top clients and customers, dress formally to command respect and Authority.

Authority is not something you can give to yourself.?People need to feel or see and experience your Authority.?You can't tell people that you are an expert; they have to discover this for themselves.?Therefore, you should have specific things you are doing and presenting something to people who show your Authority. Use the principle of Authority tactfully. Make your brand and product so potent that industrial influencers and reviewing sites write about you.

Examples of this would be testimonials, awards recommendations, and introductions.

Not only you have to believe 100% in what you say, but you need to back it up with social proof or to have someone swear for what you are saying.?Authority is critical when trying to pass on information to persuade people to make a prompt purchasing decision. Not only does it matter what do you say but how you deliver it to them.?If you provide something but don't believe in it, people will read this and lose confidence. Therefore, you need to feel 110% what you are offering and believe 110% that you are the expert and that this product and service is good for the customer.

Liking

People tend to agree more with those they like. As a result, they are more likely to follow requests made by someone they know and want. That's why they always ask close friends rather than acquaintances to help them. That's why mentions from social influencers and celebrity endorsements work well, not to mention word-of-mouth recommendations.

The most powerful thing about this sales tactic is that it doesn't necessarily have to be someone we know personally. It could be a stranger.

?Strangers who are good looking and well-dressed tend to be more favourably received. By everyone. The subconscious thought is, " if they look good, so they must be good also."

Salespeople should always strive to be liked by customers. There are three actions that salespeople can do to increase their likability. First off is building rapport by giving a warm, enthusiastic, and sincere greeting supported with a smile. The next step is to create tension by finding similarities with the client regarding personal interests, cracking a joke, or complimenting their attire. Salespeople need to take a little risk when creating tension. The object is to stir emotions. It's pretty hard to move forward if the customer doesn't warm up to a salesperson or shows no feelings at all before a sales pitch, even after the salesperson has put down all the groundwork. The last step is escalation, where the salesperson works toward closing the sale.

. Find a means to make your customers like your brand in some or another form. They will be far more interested in trusting it and buying it from you only.

There are basically two ways to make people like your brand:

Physical attractiveness. Make all of your physical visuals look aesthetically pleasing, including your logo and the product itself. If it looks good, people will respond and react more favourably to it, regardless of the actual content.

Similarity. Show your customers that your business is very much aligned with what they believe in. It could be a social cause like climate change or any social cause or a particular aesthetic that appeals to young millennials. If they can relate to it, they'll like it, and they want you to.

?People who are similar and familiar to the target consumer are more likely to convince the consumer to buy. Whether in terms of socioeconomic, ethnicity, class, religious inclination or even shared interests, People from similar demographics– are far more effective at persuading consumers than those they perceive as vastly different.

We are often willing to say yes to someone whom we view favourably and like.

If somebody takes the time to invest in us, we immediately started to like them also. Our minds give them a special place as affirmative advisors to us. Enjoying someone hints that we know them more closely. They are like true friends to us.

Thus, liking can quickly produce acceptance in us. We are motivated to be more receptive and reactive to the needs and advice of people we like. We don't want to lose the connection we've set up with them. When we like to ask ourselves to do something, we have less resistance to reconsider other choices. Or look for additional proof. We comply.

People want to do business and deal with people they like; they get on with and have a good rapport with, who are relatable and somewhat similar to us.?People want people with, common values similar interests and common backgrounds. People act more likely to do business with people they like and get on with than presenting vital facts and being more precise.

Be yourself.?This allows you to build authentic, honest relationships with people.

Compliment people more often; people like to be get complimented.?Compliment what people have done as this will help you to construct good relationships.

Liking, simply put, is that the more you like someone, the more prone you are to say yes to them. It's that simple. What people do we want when we think about it? We like people who are similar to us, right? We like people who compliment us, and we also like people who want us, right? Think about the immediate reaction you have when you find out someone doesn't like you. We tend to, almost immediately, find reasons not to like them back, right? I mean, it's just kind of this automatic thing that happens. We also want people who work with us towards achieving specific goals.

We like people who are similar to us. We want people who compliment us, and we like people who work with us towards a specific goal. Liking is one of the most astounding principles that you can use to increase conversions, and I like using it.

The principle of liking states that we are very much likely to comply with requests made by people we prefer. Therefore, customers have a greater probability of purchasing something recommended by people close to them or those they like.

Factors such as intelligence, physical attractiveness, similarities, trustworthiness;?in terms of interests, opinions, being complimented for something; having common goals and mission, conditioning and association, establish the principle of liking.

While it may seem that these factors are usually practised offline, your sales team can use them online too. For example, you can have a minimally designed website to naturally understand what and how to do next and that the entire experience feels natural to them. For sales representatives, you can very well arrange some seminars or workshops to educate them about the importance of this principle and technique and how they should be conducting themselves.

Secondly, as the world becomes social, brands that behave like corporations feel unrelatable and cold on the customer's end. If your customers think that you can understand the issues they are facing at that moment and able to relate to them, they can understand your brand better and develop a sense of similarity. Customers can feel attracted to your brand because of what you stand for.

As per Cialdini, people fall for even the perception of liking during the buying process. That's why this principle of liking is so powerful in the context of sales and marketing, especially when it comes to getting people to say yes to a purchase.

?Scarcity

People usually want what they think they cannot have. Therefore, making a product or service seem exclusive or a going of stock if they don't act swiftly often makes it more enticing to the consumer and increases the likelihood that they will buy in.

This is the principle that is most abused. You will often see offline stores with offers for a limited period, and you have to buy them now only.?No reason could not extend this offer in future, but the scarcity has been created, essentially a "false scarcity".

The scarcity principle often proactively outlines the assumption that your customers will always want more of what is less. Customers place a more excellent value on services or products that are scarce than on abundant ones. Psychologists note that when an offering is considered to be insufficient, people want it more.

?Scarcity works because it is rare, exclusive or a limited edition; it will cost more.?Fear of Missing out FOMO" or Fear of losing out is used to push people over the line, effectively helping you encourage people to decide.

Scarcity is not new, and it is just an excellent way to get people interested in committing now instead of shelving it for the future. If there is little of something, people want it faster. Savvy marketers use this influence strategy from Cialdini, for example, by deliberately creating scarcity. One way to do this is, for example, selective distribution. Many luxury brands only allow stores that meet a certain standard to sell the product. If you can buy iPhone at the gas pump, it is no longer remarkable to own. If you have to go to an Apple-exclusive store, this gives more status and value.

We are always drawn towards things that are rare and limited. We assume that short items must be valuable and rare because not everyone can access them.

Think of the diamonds everyone wants. Mining companies are limiting the available supply of diamonds to create higher demand, which drives prices up. If there's a low supply, we will have high demand.

?Scarcity is the notion of inadequate supply or a limited resource. For the salesperson, scarcity may be a key selling point—the particular car, theatre tickets, or pair of boots you are considering may be sold to someone else if you could not decide on a time. By reminding your customers of what they are bound to gain and what they will lose, the representative increases the chances that they will shift from contemplation to action and decide to close the sale.

The principle of scarcity is typically based on the concept of supply and demand. Therefore, you can create an insufficient supply of your product and develop high demand simply by promoting the supply of your product is limited.

there are few simple ways to develop scarcity into your marketing messages:

1.Limited number. Advertise that your product "limited number available."

2.Limited time. Set time limits offer on how long your product will be available. For example, if you're running a sale like 50% off, make it for the weekend only.

3.One-time special. Market your product as if it's the only time it will be available now and, in the future, as a limited-edition version.

This covers all those "limited time offers" and "limited stock" sales messages that you see. When an item is scarce, people want and need it more. Keep in mind how many times you've seen an advertisement stating limited quantities available, limited time offer only, while supplies last, only a few items left in stock, etc. The false scarcity causes a surge in demand for the product/service, further accelerating the speed at which the deal is closed.

Salespeople should constantly harp on what is unique about their product or service. Special product features that offer more benefits and are not provided by the competition underlies the scarcity principle. Also, it's about what customers stand to lose if they don't place an order. This is often used in insurance selling with their "income protection" pitch. In real estate, salespeople would drop the line by saying that many clients are making their reservations. In fast-moving consumer goods selling, the possibility of stock-outs motivates buyers to order more.

When people think that something is in short supply, they want it more and more. Short supply signals demand. That's why savvy marketers use scarcity on landing pages. You've seen this technique many times. "Hurry, only two left" is a prime example. Upping urgency, as in "act now, offer ends at midnight," increases the scarcity

Online retailers will regularly remind you of how few items they have left in stock. "Only five items were left," they will say. Or they tell you that the current ongoing discount is a limited-time offer; people place a higher value on limited resources. We are reluctant to missed opportunities and do our best to avoid losses.

Sale times like Black Friday Weekend sales help to boost sales in a short period by triggering the FOMO effect. Often will push customers into buying something they may not need now, but often they buy it just for Fear of regret later!

Amazon has taken this one step more further by offering "lightning deals," or offers that are only available for a brief period to encourage more sales:

We automatically think that things that are in short supply are highly prized and beneficial. Otherwise, why have all the other people used them up? This unconscious bias compels us to want to act quickly in our decision-making before losing the chance to attain the item.

And it is not just the opportunity of losing out on something that invokes this principle of influence. It is also that we usually place a much bigger value on something rare. The very reason that gold is very valued is due to its low availability on earth. Gold does not have many actual uses.

Several grocery stores used a somewhat deceptive adjustment of the scarcity principle. They placed a signboard telling customers that they could only buy a limited number of specific items. This encourages customers to purchase many more than needed as they think that the product is very limited in supply. When in fact, it isn't. It was only done to encourage people to buy more because of their mental Fear of losing out.

One excellent example of how can leverage this principle to boost sales is that of the success of Pinduoduo (U.S.-listed Pinduoduo (PDD) is now the third-largest e-commerce player behind Alibaba and JD.com in China). It has to count on its unique business model, a combination of group buying and social shopping. The business model of Pinduoduo is dependent on users sharing products with their network, which effectively lowers customer acquisition. Their website often adopts a limited time remaining trigger to encourage visitors to purchase a Group deal at the risk of missing out on a good one. The company uses psychological sales persuasion techniques like this one for several values to encourage customers to buy

Inject a slight potentiality for scarcity into the buying process, and customers start making decisions. But it's not the brand or product that motivates them to do it. It's the actuality of losing out on it entirely. The potential loss drives the behaviour, and that's hugely influential on people during the buying process.

When trying this technique to persuade customers using this principle, the Science is precise. It isn't simply enough to educate the customer about the benefits that come with the use of your product or service. You'll also have to indicate what's so different about your products and offering and create offers around it to grab your customers' attention.

Commitment- Consistency

?This principle is consistent because people like to be consistent with the things they have previously said or done. This principle points out that people tend to honour their commitments. They want to be compatible with what they have once done or said. A salesperson can apply the principle of consistency through the process of building small commitments from customers.

If a salesperson was able to secure a lot of yes answers from the client regarding the product or service during the sales process, that is the opportune time for a salesperson to go for a close

We want to be ourselves and to be seen as consistent. Cialdini once said that his behaviour tells him about himself. It's a primary source of information about his beliefs and values, and attitudes. Essentially, this is very similar to the foot-in-the-door technique if you've heard of it before. We'll talk about it later on in this book, too and the different cognitive biases, but once people have taken one step with you, as small as it is, they're far more likely to perform another action.

Customers generally want to feel good about their actions and decisions, and they want to feel consistent, so when they decide, they try to follow through because it helps with their self-image and social image.

Once individuals commit, their need for regularity will make them more likely to follow through with said commitment. This is known as the consistency principle by sales psychologists.

This need for consistency is believed to be the central motivating factor in many aspects of human life. If we have agreed and decided to commit to an idea, an act, a person, or amoral, we will have difficulty breaking this commitment. Commitment is the key element of consistency. Don't leave anything to assumption. Directly asking for the business of your customer will lead you that much closer to a sale. If they haven't committed, then you cannot expect it.

This principle can be effectively used to nudge your customers into taking action. Take commitment as that will assure they will remain consistent and move ahead.

We are bombarded with hundreds of options to make every single day. We simply create a single decision for convenience and then stick to it for all subsequent related choices.

The only way to earn customer loyalty using this principle is to make them commit to something, whether it is a stand a statement, a political or social affiliation, or a particular identity.

The principle of consistency states that they will then feel an automatic urgency to stick with the decision they've already made.

This is specifically helpful for you as a business owner or salesperson because it means that you need to spend less time convincing your customers to do something and get more time connecting to them with the product or service that best suits their stance.

Follow these three ways to leverage off this principle:

Ask your customers to start from small actions – so they'll have to stick to it.

Encourage public commitments – they'll be less likely to back out.

Reward your customers for spending time and effort on your brand.

You can almost always turn a NO or a "not right now" into a YES, with the right consistency and committed follow up process. The principle of consistency is entirely based on the power of public, active, and voluntary commitments, which results in people sticking to their word. Let's walk through these requirements in more specific detail. The first part is an active commitment. By active, means something that is written or spoken to others. Having customers say they will do something is a start, but they're much more likely to follow through when they actively commit to it.

The following piece is making it public and transparent. When other's witness this kind of commitment, it adds a level of accountability to their words and promises, And no one wants to go back on their word.

So how do you use this? Once you've persuaded and convinced someone to do something in your favour, get them to make these types of commitments to use the principle of consistency and make sure there is a legitimate commitment to their words.

We all look out for consistency. But the actuality is that achieving the kind of consistency we want is easier said than done.

People mostly like to be consistent in their decisions and behaviour and follow through with what they have already done.?People need to make commitments in your sales process, what we like to call micro-commitments

Looking at the principle of commitment bias, we start to understand how that influences decision-making.

Once we decide, we are more likely to stick to our decisions and be stubborn about that decision, called commitment consistency. As soon as we commit, we have a bias to stick to that commitment and not retreat from it.

This shows how important you use the principle of power and consensus to persuade people to decide to buy from you.

Instead of persuading your customers to buy a lot right away, it's often very easy to start a small and then sells big later. This is the very basis for the commitment principle, which states that people tend to continue with whatever they're already committed to rather than changing or moving away from it.

Find a subtle way to get your customers to commit to you in whatever way possible, even if it's small.?Rs100 purchase or quick click on the like button can be enough to get started. From there, you can continue to sell them more and bigger things.

The?Major idea behind this principle is to get people to say yes as often as they can. When they say yes, they commit, and people generally don't like going back on their commitments, even when it is not yet a commitment to buy. Take a car dealership as an example. A person visits the dealership's and says yes to the offer of a brochure or representative. The dealership then sends them an email or letter inviting them to an event to which they say yes to again. The SalespersonSalesperson then asks them do they want a test drive – another yes. You see the pattern.

The principle of commitment and consistency demonstrates that we need to be seen as consistent. For example, if we have publicly committed to something or someone, we are more likely to deliver on that commitment. In other words, once someone commits, his opinions and actions become aligned and are consistent with that commitment. Essentially, he feels bound by that commitment.

As a salesperson we can use specific ideas to trigger commitment & consistency:

Allow your users to book appointments for themselves

Ask the customers (Immediately after the purchase) if they think it's likely they buy again. Most will say "Yes". Now you've triggered their internal drive to be consistent with that statement.

Don't be afraid to spend marketing to small customers / new customers. Improve lifetime value for these smaller once

Salespeople will often try and sell you a low-priced item first. They usually do not make much money from that, but they know that they have made you their customer. The next time when they stop by to sell you their product again, your desire to be a consistent customer will lead you to keep buying.

Oral communication can be untrustworthy in memory many times. What we say at one moment or another can be difficult to recall and remembered. Once the symbol of agreement across globally, even a formal handshake has lost some of its meaning and social regard. In many cultures, the written word still holds special meaning. If we write it down and give it to someone, or if we sign something, we are more likely to follow through religiously. It appeals to the principle of commitment and consistency and bring the social norm of honouring their word to bear at the moment of purchase.

How do you get someone to commit to working with you fully? How do you able to differentiate yourself from others in your field?

The first thing you need to do is take the time to get to know someone, whether it's at a co-opportunity event or maybe someone you met standing in line at CCD.

Give them your best Brand Shake, a.k.a. your elevator pitch.

You can't just stop pursuing individual prospects. You MUST follow up. If you follow up professionally, people are more likely to give you more of their time because they know that you're serious and want to work with them.

Be consistent! Share your best work, share testimonials, and then when your prospects decide not to commit right away, follow-up again. Don't let a good opportunity fall through the cracks.

Finally, it has to be deliberate. If you ask someone to make an active, public commitment that they didn't decide on themselves, you will be accomplishing nothing.

Conclusion

Armed with these Ancient and Modern principles of sales psychology, companies can more adeptly navigate their potential consumers and convert more to sales. Unfortunately, many unscrupulous people might use this information to manipulate and compel people into buying a product or service that might not be needed or fit for purpose. However, we always need to beware against crossing the thin line between manipulation and influence, as the former could spell disaster in the long run.

These principles work when you apply them ethically and the right one for the situation. If you use them, it makes the difference. These principles of persuasion, sales and marketers alike are better able to attract new business while retaining current clients.

Many companies are not using these two sets of principles simultaneously in their selling framework and sales strategies. But if they can use both these principles together, their performance in sales will become much more effective and productive in the longer run.

If you are able to master the art of persuasive selling, you won't face any difficulties in achieving your monthly or quarterly sales goals. These principles and techniques of sales psychological persuasion can help you if used correctly and in a correct manner. They are a potent motivator for influencing a buying decision.

These Sales phycological tricks of persuasion are relative to selling situations. Salespeople should use them at the right moment. Consequently, that will enable them to secure more sales and will allow them to crush their sales quota.

The key is to understand the human on the other side of your conversation through sales psychology, so you can naturally relate to each other. persuasion is a talent every business owner, salesperson and marketer should study as it will help them improve their outcomes by pitching a product, securing investment and getting that new role

Finally, Sales psychological tricks are all about striking the emotional chord, establishing trust and building a relationship with your customers. You should be able to paint a compelling picture of your product. Become critical to your customer.

You should always present your product like a painkiller the customers cannot live without.

Connect and associate your product with their actual problem and convince the customer that it can be solved. They should feel that they are getting the best available option to resolve their ongoing issues. You need to play with your words smartly. That's it.