Brain Friendly Selling Tips #4: Contrast

This is the fourth in a series of articles about several powerful “brain friendly selling” principles that you can incorporate into the structure and content of your sales pitch to make them more effective. The fourth principle is the concept of "contrast".

Your customer’s brain (including the all important older parts) responds positively to clear contrast.  To help it make the right decision provide it with contrast including:

 Contrast between what the customer’s current situation is now and what the situation will be like once they have chosen to purchase your product or solution. 

 Your contrast needs to provide:

1) A summary of their current state or situation, the problems they are experiencing and the costs / impact associated with these.  This provides the "Stay Away From Pain" motivation for their brain to be motivated to move away from or avoid.

2) A summary of their desired future state situation that shows the rewards and benefits that they will experience once their problems have been solved by the purchase and implementation of your product or service.  This provides the "Towards Reward" motivation for their brain to be motivated to achieve.

3) A positioning that shows your product or service as the enabler that allows them to move from where they are now to where they want to be.

A further point of contrast is to demonstrate how you differ from and are superior to your competitors.  A good way to find out is to ask your existing customers why they buy from you and the advantages they perceive you to have.  What you may think differentiates your organisation might be different to what your customers think!

If you ask your key customers what your points of difference are then you will rapidly develop clarity about what they are as common themes occur. You can the incorporate these into your sales pitch. Your message needs to clearly differentiate you from your competitors to provide a strong point of contrast.

 

Good luck and good selling!

Simon Hazeldine

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

To learn more about Simon's keynote speeches and other services please visit:

www.simonhazeldine.com

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