One BIG reason why you lose sales‏… plus a few tips on how to Increase sales!

Did you know that, without meaning to, you’re turning away up to 40% of your potential customers?

Let me explain. In a nutshell, when choosing products or services, your customers will be motivated by one of two things; pleasure or pain. Never is the pain and pleasure principle more apparent than in the selling arena.

What about your customers?
Therefore it’s crucial you know whether your customers and prospects are motivated towards what they want (gain/pleasure) — or away from what they don’t want (pain) when they buy. Once you have established whether they are pain or gain motivated you can communicate with them in a way that is bound to build rapport, make them feel understood — and more likely lead to a fruitful supplier/customer relationship.

The Pleasure
Typically, when selling a product, the seller will concentrate on the positive features of the product (pleasures). The xyz widget can do this, so you’ll get more of that. That works well if the buyer is a goal focussed, ‘towards motivated’ individual.

The Pain
But what if the buyer is not motivated by moving towards a goal? What if they’re very ‘away from’ in their outlook? Whilst you’re drumming in the positives of the product, they’re not listening because all they want is for someone to ease the pain they perceive they’re in. They’re not listening to your pleasures, because you’re not acknowledging their pain.
It’s the same scenario — but two completely different outlooks.

What’s Your Personal Preference?
You will have a natural pain or gain motivation yourself. Up to now you will have unconsciously imposed that on your customers, prospects and colleagues…in fact anyone that you’ve communicated with! To those with the same inclination, you will have had great rapport and connection. To those with the opposite inclination, you will have noticed less connection and rapport…even friction! From now on you know you can achieve great rapport every time just by matching their preference!
Think about your team. How much better could they perform if they knew this concept?

Finding out their pain/gain motivation
Clarifying their pain/gain motivation is very straightforward. Simply ask a few open questions and check their responses. If they start to talk about things they don’t want or are keen to avoid then it’s clear they are motivated away from pain. From there on in your language should talk about their problems and how a relationship with you will resolve their problem or help them avoid one.

If they talk about what they want to achieve, what a new product would give them, their goals, then they are clearly gain motivated. You should therefore talk in positive terms of what they will get from a relationship with you.

Talking in their language
There isn’t a right way or a wrong way regarding pain and gain. Just talk in their language, what’s right for them. If you find yourself presenting to a group where it’s not possible to clarify their individual pain/gain traits, use both towards and away from language to cover all bases.

In your marketing, brochure, websites, email campaigns, be sure to include both ‘towards’ and ‘away from’ language to ensure you engage with everyone. Currently your marketing content will most likely be based on those traits of the person writing it, which engage some readers but leave many others cold. By ensuring your content includes both towards and away from language, you’ll engage many more potential customers.

Ascertaining the pains and gains of your customers and prospects and reflecting their preferences back in your own written and verbal communications will turbo charge your sales success results.

It’s all about the psychology of selling

Until next time.

Leigh

PS: 7 things not to do in 2014…

For previous ‘Tricks of the Trade’ go here