Would you like to learn how to increase your customer base and have people eagerly waiting to purchase your products and services?
Making more money is simpler than you may realize and by working to increase revenue you will actually be providing potential customers with a better service. There is no need to trick or coerce people into buying from you, instead you simply need to offer them what they want.
The key to success in business is an understanding of psychology. Businesses are successful when they understand what motivates their customers and employees and use that knowledge to make decisions.
To influence and understand your customers, you need to know what mental triggers drive their actions and how to utilize them in your marketing message.
Why?
Since our minds determine what we purchase, if we understand how they work, we can sway the choices they make. That’s why, even though this is a lengthy article, the marketing insights that come afterwards are well worth reading.
1. The Driving Forces of All Human Behavior
The root of human behavior is the avoidance of pain and the pursuit of pleasure. Even when we do something that seems painful, we do so because we associate it with pleasure.
The triggers mentioned are the basic motivations for every action we take.
To employ this trigger in your marketing, you must first comprehend what your patrons relate to pain and delight. Not everybody associates joy with running a marathon or crossing an icecap.
When creating a marketing message, it is important to keep in mind that in order to influence your audience, you need to understand what already influences them. The best way to do this is to get to know your audience.
Once you know your target audience and what they want, you can use the A to Z technique to implement this trigger in your marketing.
Actionable Takeaways
The A to Z technique:
Your customers are trying to achieve a certain goal, and you need to help them get there.
In your marketing message, your goal is to teach your leads how to move closer to their desired end result (Z). The closer you get them to their desired end result, the more likely they are to buy from you in order to go the final few steps needed to arrive at their desired end result.
This creates a positive association in their minds between your business and the good feeling they get from reaching their goals.
2. Novelty
Our brains release dopamine when we’re exposed to something new and unfamiliar. This happens because novelty makes us feel like there is a possibility for reward waiting for us just around the corner. The potential for pleasure motivates us to seek it out.
Why do you think Apple releases a new iPhone and iPad every few months? Many people believe that Apple releases new versions of the iPhone and iPad so frequently in order to keep customers interested in their products and to encourage them to keep buying the latest and greatest versions. By releasing new versions on a regular basis, Apple can also get feedback from customers about what features they like and don’t like, and make changes accordingly.
We both realize that the distinction between the older model and the newer one is tiny. Even so, hundreds of thousands of people get rid of their old phones to buy the latest model.
Car companies release a new model every year to keep up with the competition and attract new customers.
That is no accident.
Actionable Takeaway
If you want your customers to buy your products, release new ones or update the old ones with a few tweaks and rebrand them. You could also use the scarcity trigger by releasing a certain product once every few months, so that it creates a perception of novelty each time it is released.
Many successful online marketers release new products every few months and only make them available for a week or so. While they could have their products available for purchase throughout the year, this would not take advantage of the triggers that create a sense of novelty and scarcity, both of which can increase sales.
If you want to seem new and novel, be careful not to come across as inexperienced or unreliable. To avoid this, pair this trigger with others from below, particularly those that create social proof, simplify your solution, or arouse curiosity.
3. Tell a Story
Since ancient times, people have told stories to communicate messages between generations.
Why?
Because they trigger emotions and we are emotional creatures.
When people tell stories, the parts of their brain associated with sight, sound, taste, and movement become more active.
Movies transport us into the world of the story and stimulate our emotions, which influences our decision to buy something. Similarly, business owners need to create stories that touch on emotions.
Actionable Takeaway
I really like how Red Bull tells stories to advertise their product.
The company’s energy drink has become popular because their brand story speaks to people who want to explore and find their own potential. Their marketing features tales of regular people who have gone above and beyond, which inspires others to do the same.
4. Simplify Your Solution
Daniel Kahneman, a Nobel Prize winning psychologist, says that people tend to choose the easiest option when given a choice of how to achieve a goal. This is because effort is seen as a cost, and it is not worth acquiring a skill if it requires too much effort.
People tend to gravitate towards the simplest method of achieving their desired outcome. Therefore, it is not shocking that Stephen Covey’s book “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” was a massive success, selling millions of copies. The book lays out a clear and concise 7-step plan anyone can follow to become successful.
Actionable Takeaway
By creating a simple, easy-to-follow framework, you can show your audience how your product can help them achieve the results they want in a shorter amount of time. People often want the quickest and simplest solution to their problem, even if they know that achieving their goal will take some work. So give your audience what they want on the front end, and teach them what they need on the back end.
5. Understand The Merrill-Reid Method
The Merrill-Reid method is a good way to learn more about your customer’s personality. This model focuses on four different personality types: Analyticals, Drivers, Amiables, and Expressive.
If you want to increase your chances of selling to a customer, it is important to be able to pick up on cues that will tell you what type of personality the customer has. There are four main types of buyers, and each one requires a different type of sales pitch.
Actionable Takeaway
Analytical Personalities: Know Your Product Inside Out to Sell to Them
To win over this type of customer, you need to be well-prepared and have all the facts straight. Be ready to answer any questions they might have, paying close attention to detail.
Driver Personalities: Don’t Waste Their Time – Just Sell
The driver personality will want to get straight to the point and be efficient. Answer their questions, but make it clear how your product will make them satisfied. Mentioning other people’s happiness will be disregarded, so focus on how your product will lead to profits.
Amiable Personalities: Focus on Making Them Feel comfortable
Type B buyers are more relaxed and settled. With this type of customer, you need to be patient.
If you try to seal the deal with someone too soon, they may feel pressure and be pushed away. It’s important to make sure you’re both on the same page by asking questions, reassuring them, and mentioning reviews from other customers.
Expressive Personalities: Don’t Be a Salesperson, Be a Friend
To win over someone with an expressive personality, you need to be very passionate and enthusiastic about your ideas.
For people with an expressive personality, tapping into their emotions is more important than presenting them with a lot of facts and statistics. It’s important to be understanding and try to establish a personal connection with this type of person.
The reason this sales tactic is effective is that it allows you to identify different personality types and then customize customer experiences and communication accordingly. For example, if you are verbose and take too much time with a customer who has a more “driver” personality, you could lose the sale.
6. Labeling – Put Your Prospect Into Buckets
There is another way to approach your client, and that is by trying to identify what type of buyer they are. Research from neuroeconomics has identified three main types of buyers; Tightwads, spendthrifts, and average spenders.
Tightwads: Focus on the Price
These clients care more about saving money than spending it.
Almost one fourth of the customers you approach will be reluctant to spend money, according to research. The key with these kinds of buyers is to present them with facts and figures. You won’t be able to persuade them by using empathy and eye contact; you’ll need to hit them with the facts.
Spendthrifts: Impulsive Buyers
A spendthrift is someone who is impulsive with their money and likes to spend it, whereas a tightwad is someone who is thrifty and likes to save it.
If you are trying to sell something to someone who is emotional, you should make eye contact, nod, and engage with them. This type of person is only 15% of buyers.
Average Spenders: Somewhere in the Middle
It is the majority of the population (approximately 60%).
When selling to buyers who fall in the category of average spenders, it is important to show both empathy and emotion along with the facts and figures. This type of buyer usually has a budget in mind, but is not as restrictive as a tightwad or as loose with their spending as a spendthrift. Therefore, it is important to strike a balance when selling to this type of customer.
There are three broad categories of buyers – those who are looking for a bargain, those who are willing to pay for quality, and those who fall in between. Knowing which category your buyers fall into will help you to tailor your marketing strategy to better suit their needs.
Why Does Labeling Your Prospects Work?
It’s easy to overlook who you are speaking to because you might have your own assumptions about that person.
When you are selling to a customer, they will usually tell you what kind of customer they are. However, it is easy to ignore this as a seller, so try not to do this. Instead of thinking about what you want the customer to be, let them show you who they are. This can be very important, as different types of customers will respond differently to your different sales techniques.
7. Active Listening
Active listening is a method to understand your client’s wishes and explicitly show that you understand their needs. The main guiding points to be an active listener are:
- Let your client speak without interrupting them
- Encourage them through nodding and other forms of positive body language
- Show them you heard what they said by repeating key pieces of information in your response
If you want to show your customer that you’re taking their needs seriously, practice active listening. This will not only help you understand them better, but it will also show them that you care about what they’re saying. Try to avoid interrupting them, even if it’s difficult, and really focus on what they’re saying.
Why Does Listening to Your Customer Work?
Hearing refers to the process of perceiving sound while listening is the process of interpreting and understanding that sound. In order to truly listen, you must be attentive and engaged in the conversation. Active listening requires effort whereas hearing does not.
Listening is an effective means of understanding your client because it does two things:
- It ensures that you truly understand your client’s desires, intentions, and potential concerns.
- It helps build a rapport with your client, potentially converting them into repeat customers.
Different customers have different personalities and spending habits. By labeling their personalities and their spending habits, you can try to customize your selling techniques.
Related posts:
