It’s True… Emotion Sells.
As salespeople, we can become very familiar with our own product or service.
We work with the product or service day in and day out, so it’s only natural that we would know it inside and out.
This can be both a good and a bad thing.
On the one hand, we are able to speak confidently and authoritatively about what we’re selling.
On the other hand, we may become too close to our product or service and lose sight of what the customer really wants or needs.
In other words, our emotional intelligence can disconnect from the sales pitch.
And familiarity does indeed breed contempt, or at the very least, a certain amount of apathy.
When we are constantly exposed to something, we naturally become less interested in it.
It’s simply human nature to take things for granted when we see them all the time.
As we become more familiar with what we are selling, we may begin to lose our sense of wonder at it and the possibilities it offers to our customers in terms of bettering their lives and really adding value to their situation.
Over time, it is easy to forget the potential impact that our product or service can have on those who use it.
It is important to keep this sense of wonder alive, as it is what drives us to continue innovating and finding new ways to improve people’s lives.
These are the very hooks that will sell them if leveraged properly and applied in our sales strategy: emotion sells.
Losing the Indefinable Quality: Selling by Flowchart
Many salespeople find that their excitement about their product begins to wane after a period of time.
Instead of relying on emotions to sell the product, they begin to think logically about why someone would want to buy it.
They add up the facts and the figures and then they structure their presentation accordingly, without taking their customers’ emotions into account.
If you take a close look at any sales presentation you’ve ever been given, you’ll notice that it probably doesn’t make much sense.
It’s full of empty words and phrases that don’t mean anything.
In other words, it’s complete nonsense.
It may contain plenty of facts, but no emotion, nothing to make an emotional connection with.
What it is, it’s a logically-based presentation of, well, if you want this, it’s basically an “if… then…” kind of a thing, usually: If that, then this.
If this is your situation, if these are the things you need to do better at in life or you need to solve these problems, then this is the answer and we provide it.
And now that we’re here talking to you about it you want to go ahead and buy it, right?
No.
Understanding the Value That Can’t Be Measured
If I were selling you a house for you to live in and I’m telling you it’s 3,500 square feet, 3 bathrooms, two floors, blah, blah, blah, statistics, that wouldn’t necessarily impress you too much.
You feel no sense of attachment to any of these qualities.
But if I said I’ve got a home that equals the very criteria you yourself told me about, you might be surprised.
You see, you told me that you wanted a home that would make you feel comfortable and happy.
You said you wanted one to do this and this and this because of that and the other thing.
And as you see it, you’re going to have a feeling that you’re at home.
It feels really good. Really, really good.
And then I take you to the house and show it to you, and you may well go, “Oh, my God. This is it!
You hit it right on the money.
That is what I want, give me this house.
This is the perfect home for me and my family.
We would be so happy here.”
Why?
Because instead of just quoting statistics, I actually listened to you when you told me the qualities of the place you were looking for.
Emotional selling relies on really listening to pick up on your customer’s emotional triggers.
This helped me get a much better understanding of what it is that you truly need and want; I knew what you would react favorably to and I understood that emotion sells.
I found a property that perfectly matched the specifications you gave me, and I was able to sell it to you use emotional selling tactics by highlighting those same qualities.
When you work with me, you’re not just buying a property.
You’re buying the home of your dreams.
Selling to the Emotion That Underlies the Need
If you’re an adviser and someone comes in to see you and you say, “Look, I’m going to recommend the following portfolio.
This stock we’re going to recommend because of that, and this mutual fund we’re going to recommend.
Here’s the specific performance over the last ten years.”
And if you break out your charts and graphs and “blah, blah, blah, blah, blah…” you’ll probably put them to sleep within seconds.
But if you’re telling them…
“I understand that you’re tired of working with faceless advisers who are hidden behind a corporate veil and never interact with their customers.”
“However, I believe that I can provide you with the service and support that you need.”
“Here you are today in the exact opposite situation, sitting belly to belly with me. This is my calling. I choose to do this because I am proud of it and because I can help people like you who have struggled with bad money advice and unaccountability in the past. I want to show you that there is a better way and that you never have to be afraid of losing your money again.”
“I’m telling you that when you work with me, I’ll be on your side to help you. I know what it takes to succeed and I’ll do everything I can to help you reach your goals. You can count on me to be a reliable and reachable adviser who is always looking out for your best interests.I’m not claiming that I am perfect all the time, just as the market is not always perfect.”
“Careful thought and planning is essential for success, but having someone on your side who you can trust makes all the difference. I will not see you as just a number, but as an individual with specific needs. You would be able to pick up the phone and call me whenever necessary. It makes you sleep easy at night. You know what I’m saying?”
Well there we go.
There’s emotion being delivered to help you with the sale.
You know that I have your best interests at heart, that I will be looking after your investment, and that you can always call me if you need help.
What I’m offering you is more than just a financial service; it’s peace of mind and security.
With me, you’ll never have to worry about your finances again.
You can relax and enjoy your life, knowing that everything is taken care of.
Not Features and Benefits, But an Experience
And I know that as I’m writing these words right now many, many people who are reading this article are selling based on logic, not on emotion.
If you’re a sales rep, I’m telling you that emotion is what drives the sale.
Emotion is what motivates people to buy something.
Sure, logic plays a part in it too, but it’s not the primary factor.
To be successful, your persuasion must be both logical and emotionally compelling.
A simple list of features and benefits is not enough to persuade someone to buy. In order to win them over, you need to connect with them on an emotional level.
This means understanding their needs and desires and being able to communicate with them in a way that resonates.
Only then, when your customer grasps the personal benefits of your sales pitch with their emotional intelligence rather than just the product features will you be able to build the kind of rapport that is necessary for a successful relationship.
Emotional selling can help you connect with your customer and create a bond that goes beyond the transaction itself.
I can tell you that even the most logical person ultimately buys based upon their emotional response.
They will then use logic to justify the purchase to themselves, but by that time the decision has already been made and they are using selective logic to confirm an already done deal.
In other words, even though people like to think of themselves as rational beings who make decisions based on logical reasoning, the truth is that our emotions play a much bigger role in influencing our choices than we realize.
This applies to every one of us, even those who don’t like to admit it.
Life is Emotion: Realize How Your Product Enhances People’s Lives
People aren’t generally excited to buy a product defined by its function in stark black and white.
But they’ll fall over themselves to buy an experience, something that elevates them and brings a little wonder into their life.
When you are marketing your product or service, it is important to think about your customer’s emotional experience.
Recognize where your product or service touches that emotional experience and sell that to them.
For example, if you are selling a skincare product, you might want to focus on the feeling of having soft, smooth skin and the associated emotions connected with youth and beauty and attraction.
This is likely to be considerably more effective than a list of the product’s ingredients. Emotionally connected customers are much more likely to buy.
Remember: you’re not so much selling a product, you’re selling what that product can do for people and how good it will make them feel.
Archimedes said, “Give me a lever big enough and I can lift the world.”
Well let me tell you, emotions and using them well in an emotional selling based sales strategy will extend the length of your persuasion lever significantly.
So with this you can lift sale after sale the way you want it to go if you do it really, really well.
