Proven Strategies to Make Your Pitch, Influence Decisions, and Close the Deal
The Science of Selling (2016) is a detailed handbook on the science of making a sale. Combining insights from neuroscience and social psychology, this guide presents an evidence-based approach to making a convincing pitch.
David Hoffeld is the CEO and chief sales expert at the Hoffeld Group, a leading sales and consultancy firm. His insightful approach to sales has landed him lecture spots at Harvard Business School and features in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and U.S. News & World Report.
Have you ever met a naturally gifted salesperson? Someone with a stellar smile, approachable personality, and magic ability to close any deal? Maybe. But according to research, skilled sellers like this are not the norm.
A study from the Harvard Business Review found that only one-third of salespeople are consistently effective. Even worse, a study from ES Research found that 90 percent of sales training delivers no improvement at all.
With stats like this, it’s amazing that businesses survive at all. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way. If we look at sales through the lens of science, it’s possible to find evidence-based approaches that work.
The key message here is: Understanding the science of sales will improve your performance.
It’s common to think of sales ability as a static quality – you either have it or you don’t. But science tells a different story. Our brains are amazingly adaptable. And with effort and practice, we can rewire our neurons to develop new skills. This is called neuroplasticity, and it lets us improve our natural talents over time.
A problem comes up when we focus on learning the wrong skills. Unfortunately, this happens a lot, because the most common sales advice is based on anecdotes instead of evidence. For instance, many people believe that extroverts make more sales. And yet a study from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania found that those who score high on measures of extroversion perform worse than average.
Science also shows us what can improve sales outcomes. In fact, research has uncovered many surprising methods for boosting sales called peripheral routes of influence. One example is the asymmetric dominance effect. This dictates that customers are more likely to buy when presented with two options – one good and one great. Why does this make the sale easier? Because having a good option makes the great one seem even better.
Scientifically-proven approaches like this are based on a simple idea: salespeople are more effective when they understand what’s happening in a customer’s brain. After all, if you understand what a buyer is thinking, you can tailor your pitch more effectively to their needs and desires.
How exactly does this work? Find out in the next blink!
What the research shows is that a salespersons message should mirror the way that buyers brains formulate buying decisions.
Ich bin begeistert. Ich liebe Bücher aber durch zwei kleine Kinder komme ich einfach nicht zum Lesen. Und ja, viele Bücher haben viel bla bla und die Quintessenz ist eigentlich ein Bruchteil.[break]Genau dafür ist Blinkist total genial! Es wird auf das Wesentliche reduziert, die Blinks sind gut verständlich, gut zusammengefasst und auch hörbar! Das ist super. 80 Euro für ein ganzes Jahr klingt viel, aber dafür unbegrenzt Zugriff auf 3000 Bücher. Und dieses Wissen und die Zeitersparnis ist unbezahlbar.
Extrem empfehlenswert. Statt sinnlos im Facebook zu scrollen höre ich jetzt täglich zwischen 3-4 "Bücher". Bei manchen wird schnelle klar, dass der Kauf unnötig ist, da schon das wichtigste[break]zusammen gefasst wurde..bei anderen macht es Lust doch das Buch selbständig zu lesen. Wirklich toll
Einer der besten, bequemsten und sinnvollsten Apps die auf ein Handy gehören. Jeden morgen 15-20 Minuten für die eigene Weiterbildung/Entwicklung oder Wissen.
Viele tolle Bücher, auf deren Kernaussagen reduziert- präzise und ansprechend zusammengefasst. Endlich habe ich das Gefühl, Zeit für Bücher zu finden, für die ich sonst keine Zeit habe.
Hol dir mit Blinkist die besten Erkenntnisse aus mehr als 5.500 Sachbüchern und Podcasts. In 15 Minuten lesen oder anhören!
Jetzt kostenlos testen
Blink 3 von 12 - Eine kurze Geschichte der Menschheit
von Yuval Noah Harari
