- Nia S. Lewis
Marketing and The Psychology of Selling
This week on the With Purpose Podcast our topic of discussion is Marketing and the Psychology of Selling. If you’re having trouble selling products or you’re a new business looking to become well informed about how to put your best foot forward when it comes to sales, you are in the right place. For most entrepreneurs sales in a top priority.
Many times when our concern is increasing sales we tend to focus on the wrong things. For example, you may have found yourself spending months on brand development and social media content creation because you assumed that a visually appealing business will lead more customers to shop with you... WRONG.
These are time and money wasters when you are working toward increasing sales. You can have the best website, with the most visually appealing content, the most beautiful logo, and the best packaging, but without customers that care about any of that stuff, you actually have nothing at all; you have more or less a branded hobby. I'm not saying your visual presence doesn't matter. What I'm saying is that if brand development is your only course of action to attract customers to your business, then you are approaching sales the wrong way.
The reality is that messaging is the most important component of selling that many early stage entrepreneurs neglect to focus on. Messaging is the vehicle we use to pitch our business to our customers.
There is a psychology to selling, and understanding the principles of this psychology help us to craft more effective messages.
For most small business owners without and established client base, you have to build trust and credibility. Simply telling someone to shop with you because you say you're great isn't enough.
Ok, so you’ve launched, and that was exciting, but now what?
I work for myself full time. I depend solely on social media and word of mouth marketing to attract clients, and none of the marketing I do involves posting salesy content, or begging people to invest the products or services I offer.
I want to help you understand the psychology of selling, and give you some practical advice you can use to inform your marketing strategy now so you can more effectively connect with your target customer to ultimately sell more products.
Package messages based on what you know about your target customer. Your product is more appealing when you present it in a way that highlights what you know your customer is already looking for.
Take a moment to imagine how you would feel in this scenario. You’re searching for a new pair of shoes in a department store. A sales associate approaches you to ask you if you need help. You describe to this associate that you’re looking for a comfortable vacation shoe that is a neutral color that will match all of the outfits you’re bringing on your trip. The associate returns with EXACTLY what you’re looking for, in the perfect color and size. He/she even brings you a wide width shoe since you mentioned you need a comfortable walking shoe for your wide feet. You don’t think twice about purchasing the shoes, because they meet your needs 100%. Isn’t this the type of service your customers deserve from you? Why would you make a pitch about your product to a customer before understanding what that person really values about what you have to offer?
The sales associate at this department store took a moment to understand your needs, and pitched you the shoe based upon exactly what you were looking for. In this scenario, you were looking for a shoe that was comfortable for wide feet, and a neutral color.
Keep in mind here that there are so many other aspects of this shoe that the sales rep could have highlighted, such as the fact that the shoe was on sale, or the shoe was this season’s best seller, or that the shoe was made by a famous designer, or that the shoe was handcrafted in Italy with genuine leather, or that the shoe was recyclable, or that the shoe has a lifetime warranty… you get the point. You, the customer, could care less about any of those features of the shoe, because your concern was comfort and color!
Every opportunity you have to interact with your customer is an opportunity to pitch what you do, from email blasts, to posting on social media, to in person conversations. Make each interaction count by learning about your customer’s needs.
2. Research doesn’t have to be complicated.
Research can be as simple as:
Facebook polls
Instagram polls
Interviews with beta testers of your products
Collecting feedback through customer reviews
If you're new to the world of entrepreneurship, sifting through what is worth learning more about can be difficult and we certainly can't overwhelm ourselves with trying to be good at everything. When it comes to marketing and sales, I would recommend investing your time and resources in understanding the psychology of selling, as these principles will transform how you approach promoting your products and services.
If you’re reading and want to connect with other bosses, join my Facebook group called Hustle with Purpose. Visit my website, www.niawithpurpose.com to learn about how you can sign up for 1:1 business coaching.
I hope these tips help you in your journey as an entrepreneur. Continue to move onward, upward, and forward.