Sales psychology

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sales psychology and sales technique in Tanzania .

As a sub-discipline of market psychology, sales psychology deals with the psychological processes of perception , conviction and motivation , the creation and targeted awakening of emotions , with customer-specific use of verbal and non-verbal communication in sales talks . Their application is a core element of sales technology and, depending on the degree of individual business ethics , can also be the basis for targeted manipulation .

The focus of this article is on field sales and high-quality store sales.

Basics

Sales psychology deals with the following questions:

  • What special statements can be made with regard to human purchasing behavior?
  • Which regularities and connections can be found in the experience and behavior of people during personal, institutionalized or mechanistic (web-based) purchase processes?
  • How do people react to advertising and arguments , price negotiations and complaints ?
  • Which targeted incentives and concepts lead to overcoming reservations about providers and to a sale?
  • How can salespeople recognize individual preferences and aversions of customers at an early stage and integrate them into their customer acquisition strategy ?
  • What possibilities does psychology offer to manipulate the interested party?

Since the establishment of an experimental psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig by Wilhelm Wundt in 1879 has become the psychology of their original homeland, the philosophy , resolved and has become an independent discipline with many areas. In this context, sales psychology corresponds to the following disciplines:

In addition, sales psychology integrates the following areas in particular:

From the analytical perspective, the sales process represents both the exchange of individual seller and buyer characteristics and the social interdependence of the market parties . Franklin B. Evans writes about the character of the dyadic interaction between buyer and seller: “Selling is a social situation in which two people participate. The interaction between the two people in turn depends on the economic, physical and personal characteristics of each one of them. However, in order to understand the process it is necessary to view both parties to the sale as a dyad, rather than each one individually. In particular, the hypothesis is: The sale is a product of the specific dyadic interaction of a given salesperson and a potential customer and not the result of the individual characteristics of each of them in and of themselves. "

The main finding of empirical research by Evans is that the more similar the seller and customer are, the greater the likelihood that a purchase will be made. The similarity was measured in the dimensions of age , height , income , religion , upbringing , political attitudes and smoking habits . A closer look at these dimensions shows that non-verbal characteristics - especially body size and odor - have a signal effect for people about the potential status and acceptance of the counterpart. This knowledge is reflected , for example, in the pursuit of status symbols and attentive personal hygiene for salespeople or in the selection of socially appropriate typologies in recruiting .

history

The exchange of goods and services in exchange or for means of payment is as old as humanity itself. A systematic research into the psychological processes involved can be ascertained in connection with the emergence of individual psychology at the end of the 19th century .

A first approach to the systematic structure of a persuasion interview was written by Elmo Lewis in 1898 . He developed the so-called AIDA model as a guideline for persuasive communication in sales. The model has been extended by other authors. The relatively new collection of methods of NLP offers the seller far more differentiated tools to convey images to one customer, for example, while another is provided with kinesthetic experiences (e.g. with samples). It is not blind action based on the manual and guidelines, but systematically individualized performance that determines the likelihood and credibility of the offer in transparent buyers' markets. Depending on how empathic the salesperson is, he will adapt the sequence and design of the conversation to the customer, taking into account modern behavioral research and perceptual psychology , and consciously try to use diction , customer characteristics and customer preferences.

Motivation and perception of the customer

Apart from purely philosophical considerations, which also include questions of ethics in connection with the terms information , power and morality , practical sales psychology is based on findings from needs theory and motivation research . The Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often taught as a basis for the assignment of a customer in a particular situation need because of their simplicity. This area is shaped by an understanding of motivation and the needs that arise from it. Other authors name the following basic motivations of the customer: social recognition, security and security, trust, (uncompromising) self-respect as well as independence and responsibility.

The seller tries to assign the customer to the prevailing needs on the basis of verbal and non-verbal statements and his living or working environment. Almost all observations in connection with the customer are relevant here. If the seller has made such an assignment, he can adapt his arguments to the needs of the customer. What is interesting here is that there is also a corresponding option for adapting to the needs of the customer for every subject matter.

The knowledge of a subjective perception of people also forms the basis of sales psychology . As Immanuel Kant has already proven, in addition to the understanding, perception is also a source of knowledge. And Sigmund Freud has sufficiently worked out that it is not facts but feelings that guide people. If you also face the fact that perception always depends on external circumstances, the situational context, mood, intelligence as well as personal character and socialization (see: selective perception ), then it becomes clear what role sales psychology plays in adapting a so-called reality has to provide the subjective experience of the recipient.

An optimized perception of the sales promise aims, for example, to visually design the sales documents in such a way that important information is immediately visible and performance restrictions on the back of the contract are barely legible and only briefly recorded on the back of the contract in small print or on the TV screen. In this context, the effects of images and typography on the two cerebral hemispheres are also known. The different signal processing on the neural level (greatly simplified: the right hemisphere for feelings, images, holistic thinking and the left hemisphere for numbers, data, language and analytical thinking) paved the way for sales psychology to the realization that presentations are holistic, i.e. H. are to be shown with text and images. From brain research, the importance of smell perception in interpersonal dialogue is now known and has become part of sales practice.

Due to the unconscious and uncontrollable effects of the individual elements on the customer, the question of ethics often arises when consciously using this knowledge in connection with an evolutionary principle of competition for better strategies and the basic human need to dominate limited resources or to conquer genetic properties of other groups ( analogous to this in business terms: patents , methods and technical processes ). These possibilities have always been used to deceive other clans (market participants / customer groups) and to obtain coveted goods. Room fragrances, body odor, temperature, light and color in the sales room, the targeted use of positive stimulus words in conversation or the offer of haptic elements in a situational context are therefore just as much a part of sales psychology as the attention curve of learning psychology or the group behavior of people from social psychology .

Critical motivation of the seller

Knowledge of the psyche of people is used in sales as an instrument to disadvantage the customer and to create a one-sided balance of power vis-à-vis the potential buyer. Popular sales psychology also tries to produce asymmetrical information , often uses inductive arguments and encourages the formation of cartels .

If the customer benefit is not the primary motivation of the seller, but only the secondary motivation , the seller is more oriented towards the reward for the benefit, his own remuneration and the status symbols or his own needs to be achieved with them, as well as the expansion of power . The joy of dealing with people (the "sociability" ) is used to convince others and, in connection with marketing, to awaken a need. This gives rise to so-called hard selling , in which strong references to popular war strategies and Darwinist selection scenarios are taken. Successful salespeople, according to the popular opinion of this system of values, which is more based on a drive theory by Sigmund Freud , switch off competitors and earn a lot of money (in the sense of taking away an object ).

This observation is supported by the fact that salespeople can usually be motivated secondarily with money , high-quality travel , status symbols and similar goods. On cooperation efforts , or the desire for an equal bargaining position they are therefore included only if used like this in the best interests of their own group (company, family). However, in the course of their careers, very successful salespeople tend to lose grip and credibility in their private lives due to the permanent manipulation of their surroundings and more often lose stable ties.

In some companies, on the other hand, a sales culture is propagated that leads to a satisfactory, fair and profitable deal for everyone involved. Such approaches of negotiation technique are not based on persuasion tactics ( "boars" ) , but on the goal of convincing and creating sustainable growth for the contractual partner himself. Based on the so-called dolphin strategy , the Harvard concept or the win-win principle, the resources of the customer and in some cases even the competition are actively included. Companies that psychologically motivate their sales in this way primarily promise further training, social activities in a team, leisure or part-time work with a secure income and a high degree of creative freedom in the workflow (including the request to make mistakes and learn from them) . From a business point of view , this style can also be beneficial, as the seller's subjective well-being means that they are happier with less money than with high commission prospects under pressure.

However, multinationally successful corporations show that psychologically and economically sophisticated strategies lead to hegemony efforts that are not very humanistic and can hardly be effectively limited even by rule of law control mechanisms. Quasi- monopolists and oligarchs, for example in the food discount sector, in the IT market, drug cultivation, pharmaceutical or energy supply companies , i.e. above all in economic sectors that are capable of creating dependencies, often have their own influence on legislative power through lobbyists .

Addressing instincts

From the perspective of the provider, it is of no interest to make it easier for the customer to objectively evaluate various alternatives. What may initially be understood as a relapse into the Stone Age can be found in the principles of sales psychology as a learnable strategy of daily changing appeals to different human instincts. Others describe it as addressing the five basic motivations of the customer: social recognition, security and security, trust, (uncompromising) self-respect as well as independence and responsibility.

Appeal to instinct Verbal example Example of non-verbal / situational
Fear and security It's about your future! Print stamps on documents.
Hunters and collectors You will find a figure in every 7th egg! Print coupons on the packaging.
sex Men: Your wife will know how to thank you! Women: Then it works with the neighbor ... Sexually very attractive salespeople or bar visits.
Vanity and recognition As a professional you know ... Hand over freebies.
Compassion and social behavior Do something about the need! Show family scenes.
Play instinct Test weeks from ... to ... Offer console assembly in the store.

Dominance strategies

The aim of the seller is to put the potential customer in a weaker negotiating position right from the start, so that he can negotiate very friendly and apparently accommodating in the actual dispute without running the risk of being taken out of hand. The best-known non-verbal dominance strategy is the choice of the place of negotiation: who comes to whom? Here it becomes particularly clear who wants something from the other and has to enter the territory of the negotiating partner. The spectrum ranges from the choice of place and time to the furnishings, lighting and catering for the conversation partners. If such territorial behavior cannot be arranged to one's own advantage, an attempt is often made to put the negotiating partner on the defensive by visiting him in his private rooms in order to build up a personal atmosphere of familiarity and to increase the sense of security of the host (the housewife) in his ( to use their own four walls.

A similar strategy aims to have external allies change the basic principles of the negotiation. This can be done in advance through own membership in political bodies ( legislative power ), through cooperation and merger in the market or through influencing customer requests. The negotiating party that has been put on the defensive in this way will also have to look for allies in order to improve its status.

The known verbal strategies can often be found in the use of so-called directive communication methods . This includes the following language models (order according to the degree of influence and narrowing of the options for the negotiating partner):

  • Alternative question When is it better for you: End of the week or next Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.?
  • Suggestion You yourself know how important the approval of the management is.
  • Interpretation For you this means flexibility in the use of tools and less downtime.
  • Relativization If you consider what your competition will soon be offering, the investment risk is low.
  • Claim This paint is the most resistant on the market.
  • Argumentation The resistance of this lacquer is proven by the following references: ...

The next step is the demonstration, i.e. the demonstration of the goods or the creation of facts in the sale.

After all, taking over a competitor is the most directive form of sale vis-à-vis the potential end customers, as they are taken over here. You no longer need to be persuaded for a long time (see economic war and hostile takeover ).

Legal restrictions in Germany

Misleading, missing or distorting customer information is prohibited under applicable law in sales. Particularly restrictive provisions apply in this regard to online trading. In addition, certain professional groups are generally subject to an extensive advertising ban in Germany.

The law against unfair competition ( UWG ) sets out basic provisions on advertising claims and is the basis of the restrictions on statements in Germany. It begins in § 1 UWG with the definition of the legal protection purpose. According to this, competitors, consumers and other market participants are to be protected from unfair competition while taking into account the general interest in undistorted competition. This is followed by a catalog of definitions in § 2 UWG, of which the competitive act as " any act with the aim of promoting one's own or third-party sales or procurement of goods or services " deserves special emphasis. In § 3 UWG there is then a new general clause which no longer focuses on good morals in competition, but simply prohibits any unfair competitive act. Which competitive actions are unfair is regulated by way of example in the following regulations.

In the German Civil Code ( BGB ) , so-called "door-to-door sales" ( Section 312 BGB) are placed under special protection (see: Dominance strategies ). Due to the surprising situation due to the place of negotiation for door-to-door sales as a "special form of sales", the customer is given a withdrawal period of 14 days. This protective provision also demonstrates the danger of psychologically sophisticated sales talks for the customer and, like all other restrictions, is not invalidated by the argumentation for new jobs and competition from the strongest seller.

Other provisions in the BGB, such as B. on consumer loan contracts ( §§ 491 to 507 BGB), so-called poor performance (essentially §§ 323 and 280, 281 BGB) or so-called good faith ( § 242 BGB) also protect the customer from excessive sales promises or surprise (i.e. high closing strength ) of the seller.

Certain professional groups are also subject to additional advertising restrictions that are anchored in the respective professional codes of the federal states . The sense and purpose of these provisions is that people are not influenced by intrusive, sales-oriented and psychological advertising when making vital decisions. It violates these professional codes if z. For example, a doctor promises a cure to potential patients in the newspaper or when a tax advisor advertises that he can disadvantage the state . However, these professional groups are no longer subject to a general advertising ban. Factual advertising such as B. an informative homepage or an advertisement in the daily newspaper with the specification of main activities or parking lot information is permitted. Misleading, irrelevant and sensational advertising is prohibited. The following are essentially covered:

  • Medical professionals (doctors, dentists, naturopaths and pharmacists)
  • Lawyers (notaries, lawyers and chairmen)
  • Publicly appointed experts
  • Architects
  • Tax consultant.

Store sales

A customer who expresses a wish to buy receives the goods, pays and leaves. The seller approached the customer courteously and smiled in a friendly manner. However, there is more to active selling than simply visiting the customer when asked or looking up catalogs. When the customer's purchase wish is fulfilled, their attention and curiosity must be directed to other parts of the range . Retail psychology provides a comprehensive set of instruments for this. Even after the purchase, the customer can receive psychological support, for example by sending a letter of thanks, possibly combined with the offer to be available at any time for further advice, to inform them about exclusive special offers for regular customers, etc. For specialist retailers that are particularly dependent on personal customer contact However, this requires that the name and address of the customer are left - of course voluntarily and without pressure.

See shop sales

Internet sales

Another area of ​​applied sales psychology can be found on the Internet . Online shopping has become the usual sales channel. Therefore, there is increasing interest in the systematic consideration of user behavior when visiting a website. The advisory and psychological function of a specialist salesperson is also relevant in online sales. Guided selling systems can be used to actively lead online shoppers to make a purchase decision in a simulated sales pitch . Sales psychological methods are used to convince users of the product recommendations and to increase the willingness to buy.

See Internet sales

Field sales

Particularly in the field sales force, but also in part in higher-quality store sales, certain phases of the structure of a psychologically sound consultation can be found regularly.

See also sales pitch

Aftercare

The so-called after-sales area in sales has a very special meaning for the application of sales psychology. The aftercare of the customer forms the bridge via the recommendation marketing to new customers and to follow-up business with the concluded customer. It is important that changes in the customer's motivations are recognized in good time and included in the early phases of the next sales process. Key customers in particular expect intensive follow-up support, e.g. B. through training , support, personal visits or follow-up offers.

See also

literature

  • Walter Becker: Sales Psychology. Theoretical foundations and practical applications. 2nd, corrected edition. Profile, Munich u. a. 2000, ISBN 3-89019-501-6 .
  • Georg Bierbaum, Klaus Marwitz, Horst May: Happy Selling. The ingenious seller (= Pragmatism & Tradition series. Vol. 7). Junfermann, Paderborn 1990, ISBN 3-87387-021-5 .
  • Michael Birkenbihl : Sales psychology and sales technology (= working texts on business administration. 3: Marketing. Vol. 1). 2nd Edition. Bayerische Verlagsanstalt, Bamberg 1985, ISBN 3-87052-720-X .
  • Werner Correll : See through people and treat them correctly. Psychology for work and family. 18th edition. mvg, Landsberg am Lech 2003, ISBN 3-478-08807-0 .
  • Richard Geml, Hermann Lauer: Marketing and Sales Lexicon. 4th, updated and completely revised edition. Schäffer-Poeschel u. a., Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-7910-2798-2 .
  • Frank Görgen: Communication Psychology in Business Practice. Oldenbourg, Munich a. a. 2005, ISBN 3-486-57700-X .
  • Stefan Gottschling : Write strong texts, sell more. Find customers, bind customers with mailing, Web & Co. Gabler, Wiesbaden 2002, ISBN 3-409-11935-3 .
  • Wolfgang T. Kehl, Bernd Stelzer: The sales representative in the field. 3. Edition. Schimmel, Würzburg 1998, ISBN 3-920834-16-X .
  • Werner Kroeber-Riel, Franz-Rudolf Esch : Strategy and technology of advertising. Behavioral approaches. 6th, revised and expanded edition. Kohlhammer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-17-018491-1 .
  • Hans-Otto Schenk: Psychology in Commerce. Decision-making bases for trade marketing. 2nd, completely revised edition. Oldenbourg, Munich a. a. 2007, ISBN 978-3-486-58379-3 .
  • Jan L. Wage: Psychology and technique of the sales pitch. 12th edition. Verlag Moderne Industrie, Landsberg am Lech 1994, ISBN 3-478-22632-5 .
  • Hans Christian Weis: conducting sales talks. Kiehl, Ludwigshafen 1992, ISBN 3-470-44771-3 .

Web links