Our Feelings Drive Us

The decision-making process is often complex and influenced by various factors, including emotions and intellect. However, when making purchasing decisions, emotions tend to play a dominant role.

Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman says in his book?How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market?that 95 percent of our purchase decision-making occurs in the subconscious mind.

The strongest subconscious urge is emotion. Emotion is what drives purchasing behaviors and decision-making. Feelings drive us.

On the other hand, intellect is the rational part of our brain that evaluates information and makes logical decisions. For example, it helps us weigh the pro and cons of a particular product and decide whether it is worth the price. However, intellect is often used to justify our emotional decisions rather than make them.

Uncovering the prospect’s emotional purchasing motives can be tricky, as they are often deeply personal and may not be immediately apparent.?Here are two strategies for discovering your prospect’s emotional buying motives.

• Search below the surface. Emotional buying motives often exist below the surface, so looking beyond the apparent problem or key challenge the prospect shares with you is vital. Ask open-ended questions such as: “What is most important to you in solving this problem or achieving the goal?” Or “What internal factors are contributing to the problem or blocking you from achieving the goal?” Listen to understand as you probe deeper into your prospect’s experiences and motivations, and pay close attention to their words, tone, and body language. This will help you pick up on cues that may reveal their emotional buying motives
• Ask thought-provoking questions.?I’m not talking about check-the-box random questions. I’m talking about high-value, thought-provoking questions that get to the core of the prospect’s needs or wants. It’s as if you start thinking like a doctor to get past initial remarks and reveal the prospect's needs and desires. For example, you can ask: “How certain are you that the problem you identified is the actual problem?” Or “What if you invest a lot of money to fix the problem and discover you’re trying to fix the wrong problem?’ How would that make you feel?” These questions are designed to shift the conversation from an academic discussion to real human engagement.?

Free Webinar 5/17/23. PROSPECTING METHODS THAT CONVERT INTO SALES.

This powerful webinar will help you gain a new perspective on selling, upgrade your prospecting and closing skills, set more qualified appointments, skyrocket your sales, and increase your income.?Register for free .?

Register if you cannot attend the live webinar on Wednesday, MAY 17, 2023, and I will send you the recording.