Salespeople tend to believe their ability to give a smooth product presentation is the best to move a potential customer to close. No so fast.
That’s what NY Times bestselling author Dr. Robert Cialdini (Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade) advocates by focusing his expertise on creating a particular state of mind in a potential buyer that will make them receptive.
For openers, immediately look for some common ground with the prospect. “It’s not only that people want to deal with someone they like,” contends Cialdini. “They want to deal with someone who likes them, and who is like them. It’s a fact that people trust those who are like them to not steer them wrong.”
So, at the first point of contact with a prospect, a successful salesperson should be looking for any visual clues (like, fishing caps, college rings, sports emblems, etc.) that could signal some sort of common ground where some early small talk can be channeled.
Now, if you’re dealing with a prospect that has set up an appointment, your door is open for some deeper pre-meeting research. It’s never been easier than it is today. Fire up the computer — check out the prospect on the social media scene, like Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., for the likelihood that you’ll find some good information around which you can build some common ground and connection, all well before any sales pitch.
Another recommendation Cialdini offers concerns your competition. Forget about them! Research has shown there’s a real advantage when the prospect can be kept focused on the product you’re selling in isolation from any competitors. Specifically, when you ask a prospect to consider a certain product, their intention to purchase increases. But when they consider the same product after any mention of a competitor’s offering, the impulse to purchase yours takes a nosedive.
Rather than shoot yourself in the foot, go to your strength and showcase your top features. Visual clues can tell you whether a prospect most values speed, comfort, family accommodations, follow-up service or some other features.
Researchers created an online furniture store with either fluffy clouds or shiny pennies on the landing page. They found that people who saw the clouds ranked comfort as more important than those that saw the pennies. The cloud group was also more likely to seek added information about comfort features and purchased more comfortable furniture at a higher price.
When questioned after, most participants said neither the clouds or coins had any influence on their purchase selections. But Cialdini contends that by purposely drawing attention to the prospect’s favored feature is effective not only in getting him or her to consider it fully, but also leads them to give that feature inflated significance in the purchase decision.
Two notable ideas that Cialdini presents are the benefits of scarcity and the hot coffee trick. First, he says scarcity sells products. One need only to think about the lines of cars hoping to get some gas before the stations ran out as Hurricane Milton is hitting Florida as you read this. “FOMO (fear of missing out) is real,” he says. Anything that plays to that fear — the only one of this model available; this boat has a special feature not on others; this is a limited-time-offer, etc. — can create a sense of urgency and trigger the decision to buy now.
Second, and this one may raise your eyebrows, but research has concluded that a hot beverage in a prospect’s hand will evoke “warm thoughts” about you and your dealership. Seriously. The research documents people holding something warm are more generous and more receptive. So, having fresh coffee (tea, cocoa) ready for your prospect could be one of those subtle things that favorably impact the way they receive your pitch.
One of Cialdini’s initial books, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, was based on three “undercover” years applying for and training at used car dealerships and fund-raising organizations to observe real-life situations of persuasion. The book has sold over five million copies and has been translated into 41 languages. Remember: the more we identify ourselves with others, the more we are influenced by these others.
Another of his books, The Small BIG: Small changes that spark a big influence, was a Book of the Year in Great Britain, while still others have been named best sellers by the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, and more.
Finally, Cialdini is the Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Marketing at Arizona State University, and the visiting professor of marketing at Stanford University.
