Sales is All About Psychology

I’ve seen a number of people write on LinkedIn that somebody is telling them not to sell.

Then there is a long line of comments, which usually can be summarised as “Selling is a human right” and “it’s snow flake people” telling people not to sell.It might come as a shock, but nobody is telling anybody not to sell.

BUT and it’s a big but. Nobody likes being sold to.

This is where the “selling is a human right” people will jump in and say. “Tough, I have a human right to call you up and bully you into buying.” Sure you do, but go with me a second.How about if I could show you a better way to sell more? Where you didn’t have to bully people and you could sell more?I’m not a boxer but I do know a boxing match is not just about getting in a ring and punching people, but I can imagine it might seem like that. You look at your opponents strengths and weaknesses and applying your strategy to that. Mohammed Ali wasn’t the best boxer in the world, but he was one of the first to look at his opponents and then adjusting his style. As his opponents trashed about, he bidden his time. It was having a strategyand understanding the psychology of his opponent that he became the best boxer in the world.I know you have a human right to sell, but think about the buyer for a second. (OK 5 seconds). Buyers don’t like being sold to. I know you don’t “care” but, how about this concept to sell more?Now this will sound disingenuous, but, on the basis that people don’t like being sold to? How about if you didn’t sell to them (as they don’t like it) you did something else? Like using psychology, that you could sell more? Keeping up?Related: Rain Makers vs. Rain Barrels: Prospecting with Social Selling

I know it’s a difficult concept to grasp.

We have been told since the beginning of time to sell to somebody. But what if we stopped a second and didn’t charge into a prospect and start pitching, but we used some psychology?As Thomas Ross, Managing Director of one of our North American resellers said “surely sales is about selling and the other person doesn’t realise it”.This isn’t about selling people things they don’t want, but if we are helping them, the business is more efficient and effective. Selling is good, yes?So, nobody is telling anybody not to sell, we are suggesting that using some psychology you could sell more.Sales has always been about Psychology, maybe it’s time to use some?