1. Psychology of Selling
Last updated
Last updated
Sales psychology is a type of process that involves considering the psyche of your target market to sell your products and services. Instead of convincing customers they need your product or service, you find a way to market to their current needs.
In sales psychology, the most important human needs are crucial. In addition to things like money, security, a loved one, prestige, health, praise, leadership, love, personal growth, travel is a part of it.
Good experiences on a trip increase the quality of life. Based on these requirements, ask questions to understand your prospect and analyze how your product or service can help them. There are a number of techniques marketers can use to get people to act - flashy design, catchy copy, celebrity advertisements, etc. However, it is most effective when used with psychological triggers.
Psychological triggers are the common psychological motivators, cognitive biases and behavioral patterns that move people to act. Completely outside of our consciousness, our brain evaluates new stimuli in our environment and almost instantly determines our emotional and physical response.
Around 80% of our purchase decisions are made in our subconsciousness, which is why it is crucial that our marketing messages generate a positive response. Even if the product or service we are selling is not an "impulse buy," there are dozens of customer touchpoints in the buyer's journey that are directly influenced by these quick, emotional judgments. Whether you're getting someone to fill in their email address, answer a sales call, or start a trial, it can all be influenced by clever use of psychological triggers.
Storytelling is a great way to stimulate your customers' brains so you can sell more. Stories trigger emotions. 95% of our perceptions take place in our subconsciousness, the part of our brain that makes emotional connections. Stories creatively use words, pictures, and sounds that, when done well, will help you stand out from all the noisy content. A well-told story helps people have experiences they haven't even had by activating areas of their brain related to sight, hearing, taste, and movement. A good story can increase the perception of your credibility. Connect people with your product through a good story.
PRO TIP: For example, tell a story of a wonderful experience in a hotel that you had yourself with your girlfriend or boyfriend. Or tell nice stories about hotels that you have already visited yourself.
Authority is one of the scarier psychological triggers.
Where social proof, which is covered below, relies on the power of crowds — i.e., people “just like me” — authority takes the principle a step further to utilize the power of specific individuals.
The reason authority is scary is the same reason it’s powerful.
Customers will react to the CTA if they hear from an expert, a guru, or a celebrity. Dr. Robert Cialdini, often referred to as the Godfather of Influence, points out:
"When reacting to authority in an automatic fashion there is a tendency to often do so in response to the mere symbols of authority rather than to its substance. Three kinds of symbols that have been shown by research as effective in this regard are titles, clothing, and automobiles."
In other words, people not only respond to legitimate authority, they also respond to the appearance of it.
However, what do you do if you can’t afford to hire David Beckham, Catherine Zeta Jones, or Neil deGrasse Tyson? The answer is … logos.
Logos are short-hand endorsements that immediately convey authority. Even smaller companies — like Coding Zeal — can take advantage of this by featuring clients:
PRO TIP: Make a Local Guide about your home city. YOU AER THE LOCAL EXPERT in your neighborhood and town.
Whether we like to admit it or not, crowds are powerful forces. Humans are inescapably social and the simple truth is we love to act in packs. Social proof is exactly what it sounds like, leveraging the testimonials, endorsements, and ratings that come from real people instead of you.
In addition to traditional forms of social proof — like testimonials, endorsements, reviews, and ratings — there are two other forms you can employ online; namely, positive social-media mentions and in-depth case studies.
Curiosity is one of the most powerful human emotions. They are so naturally curious that once they have some information they can't help but want more, if that information piques their interest enough. So give them an itch to scratch. Start a story but don't end it. Let their curiosity get the most of them to move them in the "sale" direction you want.
PRO TIP: Always strive to do the unexpected and reward those who pursue their curiosity. Even small things, like a funny animation on your landing page, can be enough of a reward to grab people's attention.
Psychologically, the human mind tends towards simplicity rather than complexity, so people tend to avoid situations that put a strain on their cognitive burden. Whether it's the product itself or the brand experience, customers are looking for minimalist experiences.
Note that the simplification is not limited to eliminating steps or clarifying the language. It is also about mapping the customer journey, identifying pain points and addressing them with a user-friendly solution that makes the user's life easier. Simplification also means creating a holistic, seamless brand experience that customers can navigate easily and without barriers.
PRO TIP: Make your landing page simple and easy to understand and thereby move your potential customers to a Call to Action.
Neuroscientific studies have shown that people make purchases based on emotions rather than logic. Desire is often the trigger that leads us to buy something. Our rational brains then usually intervene and justify our decisions with a reasoning story.
So from the marketer's point of view, there is a very good reason to target the emotional brain. And a great way to do this is to activate the senses. This is particularly relevant for the travel industry. After all, traveling is an extremely sensual experience - it is a time when our senses are often revitalized by new sights, sounds, smells and tastes.
The neurotransmitter dopamine is released in our brain when we try new things, which makes us feel happy. That's why people love upgrades, improvements, new features, and innovations. You don't have to add a new product to your listing to use novelty as a psychological trigger to sell more. Just add a new feature or change how it works (don't forget to tell your customers about it!).
PRO TIP: Use novelty to explain benefits: "Open decentralized booking engine eliminates intermediaries and helps You save up to 60% on your next hotel booking!"
The images you use are hugely important. A strong high quality image creates an emotional response from viewers, helps people connect with your product or service, and increases the recall potential of the website visit.
PRO TIP: Choose images that make your customers happy because that's what they want after all. A picture of a happy person or customer hits the spot and helps you sell more because you create happiness.
Colors trigger more emotions than words? The color red is associated with energy and passion, orange with fun, positivity and health, yellow with optimism and joy and blue with confidence and trust. Colors define our moods and have the power to influence our reactions, so you should use them to get your message across effectively. In addition, the brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text! Color psychology is a great way to predict and guide your customers' decisions so you can sell more.
Companies tend to advertise the features they have developed for their product. After all, these features will make people see results, right? Yet the traits lack emotional connection. They are purely logical. People care about their own problems and how you can solve them. Selling the benefits really helps people understand how the product would improve their lives. This way you evoke people's emotions and inspire happiness.
Reciprocity is powerful and deeply ingrained psychological trigger. Actually, it’s inescapable. The principle is simple: when you receive, you’re more likely to give.
So how do you trigger reciprocity online?
The most obvious way is through what are often called “lead magnets” or “carrot content offers.” By offering your audience a free but genuinely valuable Tour Guide, Special Report, or even a Discount Code they are far more likely to take the next step in the sales process when it’s presented.
A proven recipe for successful sales is the close-of-gate panic principle. Those who credibly convey to their customers that if they do not make a quick decision, they will go away empty-handed, have almost won. Because people tend to stop thinking about the benefits of a product out of sheer excitement. Especially in times of online trading, this sales principle is extremely important.
The thought of missing out on an opportunity or being late is so uncomfortable that it is enormously powerful.
The principle of scarcity has been psychologically well researched and confirmed. The nice thing about it: It still creates a good mood with the customer even after the purchase: as a feeling of superiority because he has received something that others will not be able to use.
PRO TIP: Offer a discount code that is only valid for a day or few days.
The human brain is so intricate that there are so many different ways you can take advantage of it to sell more. Experiment with some of these tactics, spin them different ways, and mix and match to see what is most effective for you. Using these psychological triggers, you can surely sell more than you are now, even if you’re already selling a lot!
