Forget about doing the same stuff over and over again to get mediocre results. If you want to amp up your sales, it’s time to get inside your buyers’ heads and figure out how to make them say, ‘Wow, it’s like they read my mind!’ Curious? eDesk has seven psychological triggers you can use to win more sales.
1. Offer Something to Get Something Bigger in Return
You know the feeling when someone does something nice for you and it makes you want to do something nice for them in return? Use the same approach online by adding in a free gift or sample with a purchase, and advertise it right on the page. This can trigger a feeling of reciprocity with your buyer where they’ll feel far more inclined to buy, and buy something again in the future.
2. Surprise Them Just for the Heck of It
Ever been to a restaurant or on a flight and they’ve upgraded you for free? Remember how much delight that gave you? You can do the same for your buyers by including a free little gift and not telling them in advance. They won’t be expecting an extra little something, and your gesture will stay with them a lot longer than you think.
3. Get Buyers to Like You
Imagine you’re ordering a drink at two different bars. At the first, the bartender barely makes eye contact and gives you your change back on the counter instead of in your hand. At the second, the bartender smiles, chats to you a bit, and gives you your change in your hand. Which bar do you think you’d return to?
You obviously can’t smile in person at your buyers, but you can do other things to warm yourself up to them. Things like:
- Relate something personal about yourself.
- Create a brand design that relates to your audience.
- Put a fun, personal twist on your ‘About Us’ section.
- Throw in a happy picture of yourself, if you feel comfortable doing that.
- Photograph ‘real people’ using your products to make your items more relatable.
- Include social media links to each product so people can check out what others have said about it (builds trust).
- Showcase products other people have bought that are related to a particular item.
4. Make it a No-Brainer to Buy From You
The easier you make it for buyers to purchase something, the likelier they are to think you’re an easygoing, stress-free seller and people like that. Do you have free returns or free shipping as a policy? Highlight that from the get-go. The sooner you can get a product into your buyer’s hands, the better the chance it’ll stay there.
5. Position Yourself as a Voice of Authority
Shopping online for a product for the first time has an element of uncertainty. Buyers can’t pick up the item and inspect it, nor can they ask you questions in real-time. To counter that, you’ve got to put up information on the product’s page that shows you as a voice of authority about it. Anticipate their questions and answer them; anticipate how they’d use and display images showing the product in action.
6. Create a Sense of Urgency
FOMO, or the fear of missing out, is a strong motivator in getting people to do things they might normally experience. Use that in sales by dangling the possibility they might not be able to get it soon and they’d better hurry. It’s pretty rare to find a person who’s never wanted something they couldn’t have.
7. Create a Sense of Belonging
Humans naturally want to feel like they belong to a group. Not belonging can make people feel different and alienated, and it’s no way to win a sale. Instead, use themes of unity to help your buyers feel like they belong to a larger group identity. Just look at Justin Bieber fans calling themselves Beliebers, Apple fans not even using the word Microsoft in conversation (unless it’s with a negative slant), or Patagonia showcasing their commitment to the environment. You’ve got a platform; use it wisely.
Final Thoughts
If you can successfully employ these psychological techniques, you can engender feelings of loyalty and commitment in your buyers, which tends to result in winning sales.
