Emotions in Sales: How They Help You Sell

Why use emotions in sales?

If the words emotions in sales make you raise an eyebrow, let me explain - it is not a mistake. Neuroscientist António Damásio conducted a study involving people with damage to the brain areas that generate emotions. The results turned out to be remarkably interesting: Damásio discovered that the participants could not make even the simplest decisions, although they had no problem logically justifying the pros and cons of each option. He thus confirmed the key role of emotions in decision-making.

The example above is the perfect answer to the question. Making a purchase decision (or any other) without reference to emotions is impossible. That is because emotional processes let us prioritize the elements of our daily life, making it easier to navigate. So if your proposal does not stir any emotions in the client, it is very likely they will not be interested in it.

Emotions are also the greatest motivators for making decisions. To increase your effectiveness at the proposal stage, refer more often to the negative ones, e.g. fear. Why? Negative emotions affect clients in the sales process more strongly than positive ones.

Which emotions can you use in a proposal?

Fear. One of the strongest emotions we feel in life and, at the same time, a factor that strongly affects clients. You can appeal to it by showing the client what they may lose if they do not decide. People are far more inclined to react when they risk losing something than when they can gain something. Present a case study of a similar client who succeeded after starting to work with you - it will show them vividly how much they may lose, now or in the future, if they reject your proposal.

Greed. The desire to possess does not have to concern only material means - it can also refer to the pursuit of high status, recognition and outrunning the competition on as many levels as possible. How do you use such client motivations in a proposal? An effective argument is the recognition they may gain in their boss's eyes, greater authority among colleagues or faster career growth thanks to choosing your solution. You can also present the financial gains that cooperation with you will bring, backed with data for credibility.

The need for security. Running a business, you want to feel safe. You need the sense of having everything under control, of protection and of certainty that support will come if problems appear. For that, you turn to trustworthy people. You can prove your support in a proposal in several ways. Above all, share your knowledge and experience - include references from existing clients. Describe how you helped your clients out of difficult situations and what results they achieved. Show off completed trainings and certificates - emphasize your will to keep improving your services. Demonstrate readiness for comprehensive customer care.

Excitement. Although conveying excitement in writing within a proposal may be a bit tricky, it should be no problem in direct contact with the client. What is necessary, though, is a sincere fascination with the product or service you sell and faith in what you are selling. Seeing your genuine conviction, the client will engage in the sales process faster and more effectively. All thanks to your contagious enthusiasm.

Pleasure. B2B sales is not exactly about selling pleasure, but contrary to appearances, the two can have a lot in common. How can you use pleasure to sell better? Describe in the proposal what benefits your solution will bring the client, how much good it can do for them. Prove that with it they will be able to achieve their dream results in the future. Also make sure that using your product or service is pleasant - even genuinely fun.

Hope. The client is not happy with their current business situation. How can your proposal be their hope for a change for the better? Start by asking the client in detail what is wrong, what does not work, what may be causing it and what solutions they have already tried. Your interest will encourage an honest conversation, which in turn will let you propose solutions perfectly matched to the client's situation and needs. This way the client will believe that working with you can bring them benefits.

Robert Cialdini's principles of influence

Robert Cialdini is a world-famous professor of social psychology. In his book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion he described six principles of influencing other people. Beyond psychology, these methods also apply to sales:

Reciprocity. According to it, we should always repay the party that did something good for us. We feel obliged to return the favor so that others do not consider us exploiters.

use in sales: offering free samples, offering a free subscription to the service.

Commitment and consistency. Once we have made a choice, we feel obliged to stay consistent and act in line with the decision. We want to come across as consistent - both to others and to ourselves.

use in sales: engage the client in your services, e.g. by offering something inexpensive to tie them to what you offer.

Social proof. The principle by which, when deciding whether something is right or not, we rely on the reactions of other people.

use in sales: include references from your existing clients in the proposal - their positive opinions will be real proof of the benefits of working with you.

Liking. We say yes much more willingly to people we like and know.

use in sales: bet on personalizing your communication with the client - direct, human messages will make you more memorable and the client more willing to work with you.

Authority. The inclination to make decisions stems from the tendency to yield to authority.

use in sales: point to large, respected market players who use your solutions - it will encourage the client to work with you. If your offer meets the requirements of the biggest in the industry, it must be good and worth using.

Scarcity, according to which we assign greater value to what is rare, limited and available to the chosen few.

use in sales: limited offers, time-limited deals or ones with a set number of spots prove particularly attention-grabbing. Limited availability speeds up purchase decisions, especially when the offer lasts today only, for just 2 hours or only 3 spots left.