Never before has there been more choice for the consumer. Regardless of your site’s niche, you will have significant competition, and every trick in the book needs to be used to beat these competitors to the sale.
An often-overlooked area of sales is psychology. Using some simple psychological hacks can turn a skeptic into a believer, a browser into a buyer
Here are seven psychological tactics you can use alongside your current sales strategy, regardless of the industry you’re in.
Leverage the Power of Social Proof
People will nearly always be skeptical about your intentions. They know that you’re trying to sell to them, and this will always leave a small seed of doubt in the back of their mind. They’ll be far more inclined to believe fellow consumers though, which is where the power of social proof comes into things.
But how do you get into a position where you can leverage the power of social proof? Well, there are, among other things, conversion counters that display the number of purchases of a product, tickers that show how many people are currently browsing a particular page, and testimonials from satisfied customers.
Less is More
It’s very tempting to provide as many choices as you possibly can for a customer. Red or blue? Long or short? With or without? The trouble is, this just creates more doubt in the mind of the shopper, as they’re overwhelmed and don’t know if they’re making the best choice.
A better approach is to simplify your selection. Instead of offering every bag on the planet, why not just push ten that you know are big sellers? Or, instead of trying to up-sell by introducing 10 different products, why not just offer them one product that really complements their purchase perfectly?
Give a Free Gift
A fantastic way to make a sale is by creating the perception of obligation. You’ll probably have noticed that many companies give away free gifts. Sure, this is to increase brand visibility (eebewdotcom), but it’s also a great tactic for sales. If you’ve given them something, then they’ll almost feel like they have to return the favor by buying something.
You don’t even have to give a physical gift away. Instead, you can use your own knowledge. Solve a problem for someone, and they’ll want to effectively thank you for your time. So, take the time to speak with customers and really understand their issues.
Other ways to promote this kind of obligation include:
- Providing a free demonstration
- Granting an exclusive bonus
- Offering a free trial
The Power of FOMO
FOMO = Fear of Missing Out. It’s a very powerful way to encourage sales, as people simply don’t want to potentially miss out on something that they want or need. It’s actually one of the oldest tricks in the sales manual, as all you do is create a sense of urgency.
Just think: how many times have you seen “sale ends Tuesday” notices, or signs saying “just five pairs left?” They might be true statements, they might not, but they’re designed to make customers buy there and then. After all, if they don’t, they could find themselves missing out on something fantastic.
The infamous so-called, “standing room only” tactic that works exceptionally well online.
You can put countdowns in email messages, stock limits on products, and much more. Essentially, do everything you can to persuade them that the thing they want, whether it’s a product or a discount, might not be there tomorrow.
Benefits, Not Features
Many websites make a very simple mistake when trying to sell items: they assume that people care about the features of a product. In truth though, they don’t. Instead, they care about what these features can do for them. Most people are intrinsically egotistical, and this is something you need to tap into.
Let’s look at an example. You could be selling a laptop with a massive hard drive. A customer will only care once you explain what this means to them — faster loading and increased storage for photos would be two benefits to push.
Quickly explain the benefits for a particularly helpful strategy if you’re selling something people don’t always understand, such as technology products. Lay it out simply for customers: what are the exact reasons why the product will improve their life? You can then talk about features if they push you to.
Understand Objections
Does it ever feel like the best salespeople have an answer for everything? This is because they do. They realize that customers will have objections or concerns about purchasing a product, and they do everything they can to resolve these concerns and make the sale.
This isn’t hard to do. Just ask customers why they’re not buying – this can be done online via email by using email marketing tools to customers who only got partway through a sales funnel. Your product knowledge should then be strong enough to counter their objections, and the more you answer their objections, the more they’ll feel like they have to make the purchase.
There is an important line not to cross here though, as responding to objections can easily look like you’re pestering or desperate, which is never a good look for a business. So, know when to stop and realize that not every potential sale converts.
Make it Relatable
People really do love a good story. This is why many sales experts use personal tales in order to promote their products – tales about how something came in handy while they were in a tough spot, or how a product really made the difference to a result they achieved.
Explaining how a product makes the difference can be achieved in a few ways in the online world.
Good content is perhaps the most important, as a top writer will be able to inject that personal feeling into everything they write. We’ve already mentioned them, but testimonials are also fantastic – stories that have the benefit of not coming from a biased seller, which will also build trust in the product.
As you can see, psychology really does play a massive role in the sales process. The overriding thing to remember from what you’ve read above is this though: put yourself in the shoes of your customer and then sell in a way that would work on you.
Just a few simple tweaks to your sales process could lead to some impressively large improvements.
Asim Mughal
Asim Mughal is Co-Founder of Webbee Inc. He is a business analyst who helps companies to improve the search visibility and grow their business sales and revenue ($$$).
