Mindset Training: Crush It with Emotional Selling

By Jamie Crosbie

As they say, looks can be deceiving.

As it turns out, actions may be a little suspect, too – at least when it comes to buying and selling.

Let’s pretend, for a moment, that you bought a doughnut on your way to work this morning. Why did you choose that particular doughnut shop?

It could be that you were in a hurry, hungry, and it was on your way. It could also be that you are a regular and have a habit of buying your breakfast items there. But why did you choose that place or that doughnut?

It may have more to do with emotions than you might think.

Good salespeople already know that most people make buying decisions based more on emotion than logic. Great salespeople bank on it – because even company CEOs who like to think of themselves as steely-eyed titans of industry may make large purchases based more on primal human emotions rather than sheer logic and reason. Of course, when people explain to others why they made a purchase (especially to corporate bean counters or people in positions of authority over them), they are probably going to seek to justify their purchase instead of admitting they had identified with the emotional message of the product.

Emotional Triggers Are Powerful Motivators

Nor are consumers likely to admit (even if they are aware of it) that they had made a decision because they identified with a product based on a perception of inherent prestige, power, security, or other social affiliation the buyer deems (however temporarily) emotionally fulfilling.

According to Antonio Damasio, professor of neuroscience at the University of Southern California, people think they are much more motivated by facts and logic than they really are. In his book, Descartes’ Error, he presents the idea that emotions are, to some degree, probably involved in almost every decision we make.  

He states, “When we are confronted with a decision, emotions from previous, related experiences affix values to the options we are considering. These emotions create preferences which lead to our decision.”

What Moves the Buyer?

Bottom line, when you are selling a product, look beneath the surface to find the hidden human emotional needs with which your product or service best aligns. Selling is, after all, a relationship. Good sales reps come alongside the client taking a genuine interest in helping the customer solve a problem.

In some instances, the client’s underlying need may be mainly emotional in the sense that they desire something that resonates with them on a basic human level. In others, the issue may be a combination of factors of which, emotion is only one.

Not only do salespeople sell more when they sell emotionally, they are often happier, feeling they’d helped someone achieve or obtain something that mattered to them. Customers, too, are happier, feeling they’d made a human connection through the interaction, as well as gaining something with their purchase.

By connecting with customers emotionally as well as logically, customers are also more likely to bring their concerns and issues to you in the future. This gives you the opportunity to create more win-wins. The client’s needs are met, you feel better about your job, and you sell more too.

Jamie Crosbie is an accomplished senior executive with a proven record of sales leadership success. Contact Jamie today and find out how to take your business to the next level. Call 214/720-9922 or email jcrosbie@proactivate.net