As a result of the challenging
commercial environment that has become the new reality we are all operating
within, sales professionals need an edge – and the latest neuroscience research
provides it.
Knowledge and understanding about the brain is growing rapidly with the vast majority of major discoveries and knowledge about the brain being made in the last ten to fifteen years.
Knowledge and understanding about the brain is growing rapidly with the vast majority of major discoveries and knowledge about the brain being made in the last ten to fifteen years.
We are
starting to get a better understanding of how the brain functions when it is
making decisions. The more we understand about how the brain functions when
deciding to take action (or not), the better able we will be to understand how
to tailor our sales approach, messages and behaviour accordingly.
Neuroscience research is shedding new
light onto how people actually make decisions - and the truth may surprise you.
“According to cognitive neuroscientists, we are conscious of
only about 5 percent of our cognitive activity, so most of our decisions,
actions, emotions, and behaviour depends on the 95 percent of brain activity
that goes beyond our conscious awareness.“
Marianne Szegedy-Maszak
Journalist
Marianne Szegedy-Maszak
Journalist
The vast majority of human thinking
(including decision making) takes place below the level of conscious and controlled
awareness – in our unconscious mind. In
addition, emotions are an integral part of people’s decision-making
process. Emotion and reason are
intertwined elements of our decision-making process. They influence and are influenced by each
other, and as a result if we want to sell successfully then we need to consider
three areas of our customer’s brain:
The Sub-Cortical “Reptilian” brainIn evolutionary terms this is the oldest part of the brain. It connects the
brain with the spinal column and all sensory nerves travel through it.
This
primitive and unconscious part of the brain is primarily “concerned” with well
being and survival. At first contact
with a stranger it will instantly conduct a threat response and decide if you
are friend or foe.
It prioritises
survival first (the avoidance of pain and danger) and then with achieving
comfort - so it will respond to pain avoidance first.
The Emotional Brain
This is
comprised of the limbic system and is also referred to as the “mid-brain”.
It is important
to realise that although this part of the brain is also unconscious in function
it has a profound effect on us because it links the brain stem with the higher
reasoning functions of the brain and feeds information to it.
The limbic
system can become easily aroused and can dominate and control the thinking of
your customer, exerting a huge influence over your customer’s behaviour and
decision making.
For example
if initial contact with a salesperson stresses “the gatekeeper” (the Reptilian
and Emotional brain) the automatic fight / flight / freeze response is
stimulated. Part of this process includes shutting out all other message
receptors which means your opportunity to persuade is severely limited.
Therefore,
your first and most important task when meeting a new customer for the first
time is to appear non-threatening to the more primitive parts of their brain.
time is to appear non-threatening to the more primitive parts of their brain.
If the
primitive part of their brain feels unconsciously uncomfortable then you have a
mountain to climb to be able to successfully sell them anything! If you get this part of your customer’s brain
to feel comfortable then they will become receptive to you and your message.
The
Rational Brain
This is comprised of the cortex and
the neo-cortex and is also referred to as the “new” brain. This part of the brain processes information
received from the senses and regulates cognitive functions such as thinking,
speaking, learning, remembering and making decisions.
To sell
effectively we must make sure that we and our sales messages are “brain
friendly” and target all three areas of the brain so that we can arouse the
reptilian and emotional brains in a way that supports our selling rather than
handicaps it.
Simon
Hazeldine MSc FinstSMM is an international speaker and consultant in the areas
of sales, negotiation, performance leadership and applied neuroscience.
He is the bestselling author of five business
books:
- Neuro-Sell: How Neuroscience Can Power Your Sales Success
- Bare Knuckle Selling
- Bare Knuckle Negotiating
- Bare Knuckle Customer Service
- The Inner Winner
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