How to sell the feeling and close the sale

It’s no secret that people (yes, you too) buy based on emotion, then justify their purchases later with facts and logic. Regardless of what you sell ― a product, a service or advice ― people buy based on feelings. No matter how much we think that people are rational beings who occasionally act emotionally, the reality is that they are emotional beings who occasionally act rationally.

Buying decisions are always the result of a change in the customer’s emotional state. While information helps to change that emotional state, it’s the emotion that’s important, not the information. Never underestimate the importance and power of emotions. Feelings are the fuel that prompts people to buy from you.

Except for necessities such as gas and groceries, almost everything that people buy, they buy on emotion. Sure, logic is and always will be a small part of a buying decision, but a decision to buy is primarily driven by emotion.

Since nothing about buying behavior is logical, you can’t use logic to sell. Think of a situation where you had bulletproof facts, reason, and logic on your side and believed that there was absolutely no way that the other person could say no to your perfectly constructed argument.  And then the other person dug in their heels and refused to budge. They were not at all persuaded by your logic.

This happens every day in the dance of buying and selling. Professionals sit down at the table to hammer out the details of a deal, armed with facts, attempting to use logic to influence the other party. They figure that by piling on the data and using reason to explain their side of the situation, they can construct a solution that is simply irrefutable and get the other party to say yes.

This is a recipe for disaster because decision-making isn’t logical, it’s emotional. You must take the time to tune in and turn on the emotions in your prospect.

Are prospects and sales disappearing before your eyes?  You know they type. The sale you thought was guaranteed to close but slipped through your fingers at the last second. Or found yourself working diligently on a promising opportunity when suddenly, with no explanation, the opportunity spins into a downward spiral?

You’re certain you have successfully connected, communicated and engaged the customer. You clarified everything your prospect needs to know about your service or product, and they have a sufficient budget. Then out of nowhere, you hear something like this.

“We’re very impressed and will give it some thought!”

“Your presentation was great.  We’ll keep you in the loop.”

“What you say makes a lot of sense. Let me run it by the others.”

“We need to think about it and get back to you.”

Why? You were most likely attempting to move, motivate and inspire someone to buy from you using logic not emotion.  Logic only gets people to think not act.

You may have the greatest products, services or solutions in the world. You may make every rational argument to demonstrate why it makes sense for someone to do business with you, but if you don’t appeal to your prospects on an emotional level, you’re just another person trying to sell them something.

You are missing a big part of what is driving their buying decision. Emotion! Emotion trumps logic, every time.

Buying and selling operate on the emotional level. Feelings trigger people to buy. Feelings trigger people to say yes. Feelings trigger people to take action. People are motivated and influenced to buy, or not to buy, through their feelings and emotions, just like you. 

If you keep hearing prospects say, “I need to think about it,” “We don’t have the budget right now” and “We’re going to think it over,” it’s a sign that you are masterful in the wrong part of the sales process. You’ve mastered the art of keeping your prospects stuck in their head and thinking logically.

The quickest way to close more sales, grow your business and significantly increase your bottom line is to embark on the journey from selling logically to selling emotionally.