Secret
Sales Techniques
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What new sales techniques are coming out of
the science of behavioral economics? Mostly better explanations
and applications of old techniques. Though the science it is
relatively new, many of its findings have been known
intuitively by good salesmen and marketers for ages. Maybe now,
however, it is time to apply this knowledge more systematically
in the real world of business.
There are dozens of principles that have
been identified by the scientific research. Each of them can be
used to develop or refine sales techniques. Three of them are
explained below.

The Science
Behind The Sales Techniques
Confirmation bias is the scientific name for
the tendency we have to act economically in a way that confirms
our current beliefs. A great example is found in a study of
Mercedes Benz buyers. When buying the same model, it was found
that current owners, who presumably already believe in the
value of a Mercedes, paid $7,000 more, on average, than new
Mercedes customers.
You can imagine the value of this knowledge
to companies that sell high-priced items more than once to a
customer. You can use this principle in other ways too. Suppose
you are selling homes. Asking the buyer what style of home he
thinks is best, and letting him make his arguments might also
make him much more interested in a home if you show him "his"
style.
Decision paralysis is the phenomenon of
having too many choices to fell comfortable making a decision.
In one study, customers had four samples of jam available..
Then for several hours, customers were offered twenty jams to
choose from. You might think that with more options, people are
more likely to find and buy the one they like, but the first
group actually bought more jam.
How would you apply this as a sales
technique if, for example, you sold paint? Maybe you wouldn't
tell the customer about all 84 colors he can choose from.
Limiting his options may be a useful technique, according to
this research finding. Of course good salesmen have
historically overcome this "decision paralysis" by using the
either-or sales technique: "Would you like me to order the x or
the y for you then?"
Extremeness aversion refers to the fact that
people avoid extremes. No big surprise there, but the power of
the effect in a consumer situation probably surprised even the
researchers. In a typical study, for example, customers might
be given a choice of televisions costing $300, $500, and $700.
Not many choose the $700 one, unless one simple change is made:
add a $1200 television to the selection. Consistently, then,
more will choose the $700 television, because it is no longer
the most expensive one (the extreme).
It doesn't take much imagination to think of
applications for this principle, does it? Add an expensive
table or two to the showroom to sell the previously
most-expensive ones. Show a buyer a few expensive homes to
adjust their price expectations. Put a more expensive cereal on
the shelf with the others. Sales techniques don't get much
simpler than this.
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