“Selling is the most important skill as an entrepreneur. I’m not talking so much about selling a product so much as selling yourself, team and dreams.” – Robert Kiyosaki
Selling drives business. But what drives business sales? You need to influence consumer buying behavior, right? … And how do you key into the psychological factors that influence that buying decision?
What are you doing to understand your consumer’s buying behavior?
If you’re lagging behind your targets and expected profits, then taking a minute and thinking about how to influence your prospects buying behavior is a good idea. To help you break the shackles and move towards getting better results from your selling and marketing strategies, we are going to share some important tips that will help you understand how to get more people to buy.
Need is the mother of purchase
Now you all would have heard the quote – necessity is the mother of invention. And, in business need is the mother of purchase.
The biggest example of this philosophy – we buy food when we feel the need to eat. Don’t we? We do things to solve problems that we have in our life. Your customer is not different.
As a business owner, you need communicate in terms of the solution your product or service provides in the market. The bigger the need, the greater are the chances of people buying it.
The key lies in convincing your customers that your product or service is something they cannot live without. And, this can be achieved only with successful marketing strategy and sales copy. In the words of Shiv Khera – 90% of selling is conviction. And 10% is persuasion.
The word ‘Free’ does magic
If you ask any marketer about the most powerful word, chances are you will get the answer ‘Free’ in unison.
There is something magical about this word. People love to buy stuff that’s for free!
According to Dan Ariely, “The word free gives us such an emotional charge that we perceive what is being offered as immensely more valuable than it really is.”
It is human psychology to be attracted to something that’s marketed as ‘free’. The thing might not even of the consumer’s interest, but when human brain sees something is for free it is bound to be more attracted.
Don’t believe it? Give it a try.
Even things like free eBooks, guides and other types of lead magnets can work toward bringing the consumer attention towards your product or service! In content marketing, you can think of those things as content upgrades… They give your prospect a deeper understanding of the solution their seeking!
“Want to see how we build automated sales funnels that tap into these psychological sales factors? Click here to register for free!”
The hidden power of social proof
According to statistics product reviews available online are trusted 12 times more than what the product description says.
The buying behavior of consumers is heavily influenced by what they get to see online – which in marketing language is referred to as social proof. As a business owner, you need to leverage social proof, because it does what even the strongest marketing and copy cannot…
Some of the factors that you leverage as part of your social proof building strategy encompass –
- Your social media presence
- The number of followers you have
- Endorsement by social influencers
- Surveys, polls, and reviews online
In order to make the most of this “x factor,” you need to have expert social media marketers working towards building a strategy that is aligned with your ultimate goal.
You might have a good social media presence, but it is of no use as long as you are not able to leverage it to convert those loyal followers into paying customers.
After all, the ultimate goal of every business is to get more sales.
Subject matter expertise
“The authority principle is so powerful that it can cause people to do things that would normally conflict with their most deeply held values.” – Adam Honig, Serial Entrepreneur
People get easily influenced by someone who holds authority in a subject.
This is the psychology that has been adopted by marketing forever. Remember those ads or hand wash products showing models dressed as medical professionals recommending the products. Now just imagine the same advertisement being carried about by models dressed in normal clothes, and recommending the product. Would it create the same impact? Of course not!
You need to focus on creating an image of you or your business being an expert in your space. Things like showing your accreditations, awards, success rate, customer stories and more can work wonders at influencing buying behavior.
In fact, participating in forums and places where people regularly discuss the problems related to your niche, and helping individuals with your expert solutions, can single handedly make you an expert in the eyes of your target market.
Adaptability, conditioning, and a human touch
The most important thing to remember is that you are dealing with humans. So, your marketing and sales strategy should revolve around the core reality i.e. you have to somehow make that human connection.
Leverage the power of emotions. Emotion drives sales.
Human emotions are ever-changing, so you need to adapt according to changing market trends.
This is where understanding your consumer’s beliefs and behaviors becomes key. Once you are able to understand your customer avatar’s problems and beliefs, you can condition them on how your product, services, and offers can prove to be of value for the things they’re experiencing in their daily lives.
Adding a human touch to your marketing can lay the be the thing that pushes them over the edge, converting them into a loyal customer.
Conclusion
Remember, in the end, it is all about understanding your target market and giving them what they need. You can easily influence consumer behavior by studying the habits of your niche and feeding them what they’re looking for.
You might have the best product or service in the world, but unless you’re able to influence your customers, you’re sunk.
Get your metrics right, study consumer behavior and then get going with building a marketing strategy that can influence the attitude of your potential customer, converting them through your sales funnel.
If you’d like a hand coming up with an Action Plan for your business, make sure to schedule a call with us here!
