It’s always the number one thing on every sales rep’s mind—to pitch better, sell faster and win more customers. I can tell you for free that it is possible and can be found in the power of persuasion.

Mastering and practising the art of persuasion is a must for anyone looking to set up a successful business. If that’s you, below are a few timeless switches to help you tap into the possibilities of human psyche and eventually turn potential customers into real buyers.

But first, did you know that the most seasoned and notable marketers worldwide don’t consider marketing as an “art form” but as an exact science? I thought you should know.

This is simply because marketing, just like any other science, has been researched so extensively, tested since time immemorial and proven to the point of predicting exactly what will work or what won’t.

I’ve been deeply interested in understanding the art of persuasion and marketing, and this has compelled me to study and learn from the very best—Seth Godin, Robert Cialdini, Gary Vaynerchuk among others.

After tapping into the experience of these marketing gurus, putting into practice and trying out a few marketing methods for about a decade, I can confidently confirm that there’s no brand in the world that can’t sell if you and I can just hit the five switches hidden in the human psyche.

1. Solution Switch:

Prove that your product provides a solution to their problems

People don’t just buy products; they buy solutions to their problems. If you can convince your potential buyers that your product offers a solution to whatever problems they might be facing, you will capture their interest and ignite the most important switch needed to make a successful sale.

For instance, if you are making a sales video to promote online businesses, as an innovative online entrepreneur, first ask yourself what would lure you into purchasing a sales video from another seller for your internet business. Is it the humour or creativity in the sales video or the additional effort and attention involved in making it? It’s definitely none of the above given that true excitement has nothing to do with features of a video but more about the leads and prospective customers generated by the sales video. So the next time you have a product, don’t market it, instead sell the source of your potential buyer’s excitement.  

2. Trust Switch:

Become the authority figure

Trust is a fundamental element of making a successful sale and regardless of whether consciously or sub-consciously, every customer wants to confidently purchase from a legit source. One of the effective ways to gain a customer’s trust is to convince them that you’re actually an authority figure—a trusted expert in your field.

To demonstrate how crucial the trust switch is, try and recall the last time you went to see your doctor and why most people trust their doctors. It’s because doctors are considered as authority figures when it comes to matters health and medicine. That’s why when doctors tell us to do this and that to fix our health issue; we obey because we trust them even though we have no idea about the medical reasoning behind the solution they recommend. This very reality underscores the reason why trust is a great persuader. When you consider someone as an authority figure, you will buy anything he or she sells to you.

3. Likeability Switch:

Befriend your target customers

People resonate well with those who share their beliefs and values, and find it difficult relating with those who don't. In the same way, customers will prefer buying from marketers they like. This is the main reason why some sagas like overbooking by United Airlines and BP oil spill became a PR nightmare for the respective companies and resulted in significant declines in business. It’s no wonder that companies will go out of their way to publicise their philanthropy acts.

This switch works best on a higher level particularly of a company’s image, but is even more powerful when applied at the customer level.

Customers always want to feel that you are truly dedicated to their well-being and that you’re listening and understand their needs and wants. This means you should know your customers’ needs and tailor your product or service in a way that solves their distinct problems.

When you befriend your customers and build robust relationships with them, you curve for yourself a niche that is above your competition since customers will not view you as a selfish corporate brand, but rather as a friend.

4. Evidence Switch:

Give proof, not promises

In most cases people are sceptical as to whether or not the product or service will provide the ultimate solution they hope to get from the purchase. This uncertainty leaves them teetering on the edge, given that sometimes it can be challenging to determine the quality and usefulness of the product or service you’re selling before buying and using it. In essence, customers are wondering, will signing and paying up for this marketing course truly turn me into a smarter salesman and multiply my earnings? Will purchasing this brand new outfit make heads turn? Will paying a little more to get a professional resume writing service really increase the number of interview invitations I will get?

This is where you need to come in. Give your prospects some sensible reasoning, customer testimonials and quantitative data that validate the truth and solutions they are looking for.

Feed them with hard evidence that supports the fact that they should expect to reap all the benefits they expect when they choose to purchase your product or service, and be sure to win them over as enthusiastic consumers.

5. Emotional Switch:

People buy on emotion, then they justify with logic

This may seem like nonsense however the statement makes perfect sense to me. I learned this basic sales fact at the start of my career yet can confidently say that I relied on my teachers experience when practising in my first sales role.

Hey, I didn't have a psychology degree but it worked!

Through an extensive career in sales and business I have experienced first hand the pro's and con's of not only applying this to sales. What's more important is understanding the psychology behind it.

The choice to buy a product or service is a subconscious choice, and it's these subconscious decisions that are developed deeply through an empirical mental processing system followed by it's own logic or justification.

In short, turn your product or service into a customer-centric story, allowing your prospective buyer to feel a part of your idea. Do this by identifying your customers needs and emotional triggers.

How you say? well this depends on your marketing strategy. For example, in direct sales you can develop a series of questions that escalates the triggering of the emotional switch so that you can efficiently close.

In conclusion, it is the understanding of human psychology that will aid your efforts to increase sales within your role or your business. If you are making sales without applying this then imagine what you can do to your bottom line when you adopt these 5 hidden switches.