Sales: The role of Human Nature in Sales

Let's get started with the cost of human nature to your sales.

Everyone knows all about human nature. It is the way we can count on people behaving when they operate on "automatic.“

If you clearly know how people are going to behave in advance, you can plan to use it to your advantage.

Here are a few aspects of human nature that you can begin to think about, as well as a couple of ideas about how you can use these aspects of human nature to your advantage:

• People would rather be right than anything else.
• People's knee-jerk response to most offers, is "No."
• People view the world from a "fear of loss" standpoint, as opposed to an "excitement of gain" standpoint.
• People operate from a collection of "mental tapes," unique to each individual, that tell them how the world should be. Most of the time, they are listening to these tapes when we think or hope they are listening to what we are saying.
• People the world over react negatively to opinions stated as facts

The result of these, and many other aspects of human nature, is that people don't buy from you when you don't align with them at a very basic level. If you operate on "automatic," just like they are doing, the results are usually poor.

The good news is that there is a simple set of fixes. These fixes lead to results in sales, marketing, leadership, and any other area where you want people to change, or move in your direction.

Here are some of the strategies to consider:

• Just let people be "right." Once you have let them be right, ask them if they are willing to consider some additional points of view on the subject.
• Get aligned with their values and priorities prior to making an offer. Most offers are rejected out-of-hand when not previously aligned with the person's values and interests.

• Ask people what results they are committed to achieving. For many, this will leave them blank. It is usually a good idea now to share what you have externally observed about their honorable commitments and perhaps what you might assume about their commitments that could relate to what you are selling. For example, "I know you are committed to quality and ROI when you make an investment. Are you willing to discuss what qualities and ROI you require for your investments?"
• Ask them what possibilities they have considered for a solution. When they run out of these (which they usually do very quickly), be prepared to give them a number of other possibilities that directly or indirectly involve what you want them to do. I like the wording, "Are you also looking for way to..." This just gets them thinking in new ways, and seeing you in new ways.
• Always make offers that give people some choice. I prefer a choice between two things, rarely more.
• Confirm your relationship over joint commitment to certain values: "We are both committed to having a great reputation and doing the right thing for our respective businesses." Isn't there some way we can briefly explore this situation and see if we can find something that provides both of us a win?
• Never state anything as a hard fact, but rather, say something like this: "I am not certain of this, but it has been my observation that X, Y, and Z, seem to be factors in success." You might be astonished to find that people's ability to listen and act on what you say, will suddenly improve dramatically.
• Acknowledge the other person honestly for something that is observable. Flattery, in my experience, is dangerous. Clear, clean, honest, acknowledgement is powerful. This helps people listen and be open to what you have to say.

The conversations outlined here, engage different areas of the human brain than the knee-jerk, "No," or automatic response area of the brain. These tactics help engage the part of the brain that is open to new possibilities. New possibilities, such as buying from you.

"Reprinted with permission from Eric Albertson's SucceedingInBusiness.com Newsletter. (Copyright, 1998-2007, Eric Albertson, SucceedingInBusiness.com.)"