The Emotional Sale - The Next One That’s Not Will Be The First

Let’s face it as a person selling in a technical industry we have been taught that people need a logical reason to buy repairs, equipment or other improvements in their home.

The question then looms: Do you need a logical reason to present to people when they are deciding to purchase from you?

If using logic was the answer, then selling would be easy. We would simply build a logical case to tell the customer why it makes logical sense to buy. If people DID buy things logically, then they would listen to your logical argument and then buy every time. It’s only logical right.

Yeah right! If that was the case, we’d all be giving each other the ‘Vulcan’ greeting and our president would be named Dr. Spock.

One of the biggest mind changes you must make is for you to quit being so logical and enable your customer to discover, and in turn tell you, their deepest needs or desires as they relate to your product or service.

Most of us who sell services, simply do not know how to help others clarify their feelings and desires.

The way you present your facts, features and benefits can either reinforce or destroy the emotions that are behind every sale. That’s right, I said EVERY sale. In fact, the next logical sale will be the first one in history!

For instance, last year the people of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania purchased more big screen plasma televisions in the two weeks prior to the Super Bowl that year than in the entire TWO YEARS prior to that time.

What happened? Did all of their television sets break down at the same time? No. The Steelers were in the Super Bowl that year and their emotion took root and they made these record purchases. Did they make more money? No, they just decided that they wanted to buy. No doubt while telling many contracting techs that ‘had no money’ to fix their furnace or water heater. No logic, all emotion,

So what can you do to let someone buy emotionally? The answer is to not take the first reason as the real reason why they want to buy. People are usually afraid to tell how they really feel about purchasing with you.

For instance, I sold a single job for a client that amounted to $157,987 at 65% gross profit. How? It was easy.

When I first asked the customer why they were considering an upgrade of their heating, cooling, IAQ and home energy, the customer replied that the house was getting old and that it needed it.

Unconvinced I asked again. I told him that I didn’t believe that was the reason. After all, the home was built in 1864 and was in the family for three generations. ‘Why upgrade now after over 100 years?’ I asked him.

He could scarcely believe that I challenged him. But then he thought for a moment and told me ‘off the record’ that his wife was coming after him in court for custody of his daughter who was suffering from asthma.

In his words he said, ‘I can’t write a check big enough to make this home safe for my daughter to live in. I’ll be damned if my wife will accuse me of not creating a place where my daughter is comfortable and can breathe the air.’

That’s right. The reason for this purchase was to ’show’ his ex-wife that he CAN take care of his daughter and also his fear of losing her. This is powerful stuff that you may only see on Oprah or Dr. Phil if you’re lucky.

After I got to the real reason he would buy, the rest was easy. We got the job for over $150,000 and my CLIENT could barely breathe as we walked away with the sale which we completed in only 20 minutes from start to finish. How? It was easy. We simply found the emotional reason he would buy and then just got out of his way and let him purchase.

Remember, emotion in the sales process is good. Logic is really just a neutral factor or cause that has possibly triggered the call but will not trigger the purchase of the solution. Let your customer purchase emotionally and then you can justify it logically if you wish. Get out of the way of your customer and let them tell you the REAL reason they will buy next time.

Joe Crisara
www.contractorselling.com