Salespeople stand in the face of constant objections. What causes these objections in the first place? It’s like the human mind is conditioned to say no to a sales pitch.
Understanding the reasons for these objections helps us find the path of least resistance. The lesser the resistance, the smoother the sale.
How do we find the path of least resistance? We study sales psychology. That’s what we’re helping you with today! In this article, we’ll be tackling:
- What is sales psychology?
- The principles of sales psychology.
- How to use sales psychology in email marketing.
- Best practices to follow.
What is Sales Psychology?
Sales psychology studies the market's psyche and how it relates to the individual. This field aims to find ways to convince prospects that they want and need what you’re selling.
The issue is prospects don’t want and need your products (at the moment)—this is especially true when you’re running cold sales campaigns.
You need to use sales psychology to pinpoint their current wants and needs. Understanding customer needs helps you relate at a personal level.
We do this by tapping into our customers’ emotions. There are several strategies we can use. Each of these strategies follows the same principles of sales psychology.
Principles of Sales Psychology
Sales psychology has six principles: reciprocity, commitment, authority, social proof, liking, and scarcity. Here’s an in-depth look at each:
Reciprocity
What goes around comes back around. The idea behind reciprocity is that customers will likely give back value if you provide value first.
Think free trials, providing immediate value, or anything that gives value free of cost. These types of offerings are no-brainers.
But be careful when creating a system for this. For example, you can’t just give away unlimited free trials. Remember, reciprocity only works when both parties benefit.
Use campaigns like email nurturing to support reciprocity. You give the prospects a free trial. Then, you provide extra value within this period to build customer loyalty.
Commitment
The principle of commitment also deals with consistency. When people decide, they stick with that, whether it’s sound.
It’s also something we can leverage when trying to make a sale. You start your sales pitch with small things that take little effort.
We can also apply the principle of reciprocity here by offering free trials. Think of things prospects can easily say yes to.
Authority
People are likely those they believe to be more knowledgeable or have higher authority than we do. When it comes to sales, this means situating yourself as an expert in your industry.
You need to be credible in every aspect. Another option you can use is the opinion of other experts in your industry. You can do this in the form of reviews or testimonials.
Getting a review from experts can cost a pretty penny. If that’s not in the budget, you can use organic strategies like creating blogs, guides, or case studies to build your authority.
Social Proof
Customers look at reviews or opinions from others before making a purchasing decision. To leverage this for your business, show reviews or testimonials in real-time.
Here are other examples of social proof you can use:
- Expert testimonials
- Celebrity endorsements.
- Business credentials.
- Userbase.
- Referrals.
Studies show that customers are more likely to trust reviews from people close to them than celebrity endorsements—making social proof a powerful tool for any salesperson.
Liking
The psychology of “liking” can is an extension of social proof but to a more personal extent. Customers tend to follow the suggestions of people they like.
For example, customers will have a higher probability of buying a product recommended by people closest to them or by people they admire.
Several factors go into this admiration, such as intelligence, authority, attractiveness, or entertainment ability. Influencers are great examples.
Micro-influencer, people with a small following, tend to have a more engaging audience. Meanwhile, macro-influencers with over 100k plus followers are better for brand awareness. The best way to reach out to influencers is through email.
Scarcity
The fear of missing out (FOMO) creates a sense of urgency. Think of slogans like “get it while it lasts,” “limited time only,” and “promo ends on.”
The more scarce a product is, the more customers are urged to buy it. FOMO can also be seen in the form of popularity. Everybody already has this product—except for you. You’re left out. So, what do you do? You buy the product.
Using Sales Psychology in Email Marketing
Email marketing is essential for every business. Paired with a baseline understanding of sales psychology, you’re looking at a formula for better engagement, conversions, and revenue.
Here are examples of curated templates that utilize each of the principles of sales psychology. Learn from these email marketing templates, personalize them, and find what works for you.
Social Proof Cold Email
You need to be ready to handle objections when conducting cold email campaigns. Chances are, prospects don’t quite know your brand yet. Improve your authority by using social proof.
Include testimonials, brands you’ve worked with, and businesses you’ve helped grow. Highlight the benefits you provide and contextualize them with real-life stories prospects can relate to.
Here’s an example template:
Hey, {{First Name}},
{{Companies x, y, and z}} used our strategy to improve their sales by more than 37% last quarter. They used to struggle with {{pain point}}, but with a simple 4-step plan, they broke through plateaus, and sales started to soar. If you’re interested in the steps, here’s a link to our case study that goes through the process in detail!
FOMO and Exclusivity
Products that promote a sense of exclusivity elevates its value. Brands like Apple do this all the time. You’re missing out if you don’t get their latest line of products.
You can use the same concept in your emails to position buying your product as an “opportunity” rather than an ordinary transaction. Examples of these are “Back in Stock” emails, “Limited-time discounts,” or “Seasonal sales.”
Hey, {{First Name}},
Don’t miss out on our {{seasonal sale}} ending on {{date}}. We’ve got massive discounts for crowd favorites, and {{product}} is back in stock due to popular demand! But they’re only up until supplies last!
Add them to your cart now!
{{Button redirecting to shopping page}}
Reciprocity and Commitment Email
The best way to have prospects engage with your emails is by providing immediate value. Prospects can feel special if you send them personalized promos, discounts, or coupons.
Emails like these help drive sales, keep prospects engaged, and promote loyalty. Here’s a template you can use for your next email marketing campaign.
Hey, {{First Name}},
Thank you so much for shopping with {{Company Name}}. We appreciate your loyalty and love to return the favor with this 20% off voucher! {{coupon code}}. This coupon applies to all products in our store!
{{Button redirecting to shopping page}}
Authority Email
Authority comes in many forms. It can come internally or externally from experts in your niche. Insights from experts help strengthen your brand image, especially during cold emails.
Things like case studies, guest posts, interviews, or podcasts with these industry experts give you a lot of leverage that you can use in your emails.
Hi, {{First Name}},
We interviewed {{expert}} and got the strategy for {{topic}} that {{Expert’s Company}} used to grow their brand within a year exponentially. Here’s a quick rundown:
{{Highlight 1}}
{{Highlight 2}}
{{Highlight 3}}
Here’s the link to our latest blog where we go in-depth on {{Expert’s}} strategies. I know you’ll get a lot of value from this.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing can help your brand get more engagement or brand awareness, depending on the type of influencer you’re partnering with.
You can always reach out to influencers via social media. But, to keep things professional, the best mode of communication will always be through email.
Before reaching out, identify what type of influencer is the best fit for your brand. As a rule of thumb, micro-influencers are best for improving engagement. Macro-influencers are better for building a more robust customer base.
Once you’ve found the right influencer, reach out using this email template:
Hey, {{Influencer}},
I’m {{Your Name}}, marketing head at {{Your Company}}. We’ve been huge fans of your content since you released {{cite specific video/content}}.
The team has been discussing this a lot, and we think you’re the perfect match for {{Your Company’s}} mission and vision. We’d love to work with you on some of your future projects.
Let's chat soon if you're interested. Here’s a calendar link to schedule a meeting with us at your convenience.
Thanks in advance,
{{Your Name}}
Key Takeaways
Sales psychology can be used in every step of your prospect’s purchasing journey, from the first cold emails to the bottom of the sales funnel.
The good news is it’s not as complicated as it sounds. To ensure you’re making the most out of your sales campaigns, follow these best practices:
- Use testimonials, reviews, case studies, and other social proofs to build authority.
- FOMO is great when sending discount emails, seasonal sales, or events.
- Customers are likely to follow suggestions from people they like.
- People want to buy more of something the less of it there is.
- The best way to get engagement from prospects is by providing immediate value.
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