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A post from the POLISH YELLOW PAGES® blog (formerly DATABOT.PL), originally published on 10.11.2022. Some information (tools, prices, regulations) may have changed since then.
Sales psychology: see through your customers and increase turnover
What does psychology have to do with B2B sales? Quite a lot. Perhaps far more than you think. Especially in B2B we forget that a great deal still depends on human relationships, empathy, fears and plain gut feeling. Even when it comes to rather dry products or services, buying decisions are not made by the brain and logic alone. Feelings play an equally important role in sales!
1. Whoever sells must understand — what sales has to do with psychology
Question: Would you rather buy something from someone you like, or from someone you don’t like but who gives you the best arguments for the product? Tough. Most people would surely say both have to be right: character or rapport, and the benefits of the product or service.
Of course, it always depends on the investment too! If it is a small private matter, e.g. cosmetics, you might overlook a grumpy consultant – after all, you have little to lose. With long-term or more expensive products, however, things look quite different.
That is why rapport and charisma are also extremely important in B2B sales
You surely know conversations from your everyday sales life in which you just didn’t “click” with the other person, right? If you as a seller are unsure about a prospect, they may not close the deal with you. Although B2B is more about products, their features and benefits than B2C, people still buy from people. And your prospect wants to be understood, and sometimes entertained. If you simply end every conversation with numbers, nobody will say: “Wow, what a great conversation! I’m buying right now!“. You also need to remember that in B2B, more than anywhere else, excellent service counts – after all, you are there to advise your customers even after they buy your solution. If customers feel poorly advised right at the start, the whole thing gets off on the wrong foot.
For this reason, this article is your guide showing what makes you even more likeable and trustworthy to other people. But that’s not all: we’ll show you which personality types you will meet in B2B sales and how you can win them all over to your product or service. Of course, we have also included a few little “psychological tricks” you can use to convince doubtful prospects!
2. Your 4 pillars of effective sales psychology
2.1. Be reliable: respond quickly to enquiries, emails etc., so prospects know you mean business
This point needs no explanation.
If you are reliable, customers and prospects will trust you. You show them that their concerns or problems matter to you and that you take them seriously. However prospects reach you – through marketing, a direct message, post or phone – what matters is that you respond quickly.
As soon as a prospect reaches you, try to contact them as quickly as possible and find out as much as you can about your counterpart beforehand. Individuality is key! Simply calling back without any background knowledge makes you look unprofessional. If you are called out of the blue, empathy and the right questions at the right time play a decisive role.
After that, it is important to create and send offers quickly and provide support when needed. Good organisational skills are also very important for reliability! Many exciting tools — especially in the field of sales engagement — help you stay on top of every customer or prospect. Software such as Outreach, Close or Xant will help you always stay close to prospects and existing customers.
2.2 Source: www.highspot.com
2.2. Build rapport: watch your body language! Smile when appropriate and mirror your counterpart
Did you know that body language, choice of words and manner of speaking have a decisive influence – not only on your overall impression but in particular on sales success? If you rarely smile, say only what is necessary and make little eye contact with the prospect, they will not necessarily feel comfortable and important around you.
Source: www.copper.com
Non-verbal communication reveals more about us than we think. What you learn about your counterpart from gestures and facial expressions naturally works the other way round too. With the right words, a strong voice and open body language you can significantly influence a prospect’s decision-making process.
Remember: Positive body language also has a positive effect on your mindset! If you stand up straight – perhaps even in a so-called power pose – it will do wonders for your confidence and mood.
Today we no longer meet only in person – digital sales, video calls and webinars are a thing too. How do you win over your conversation partners both face to face and on the phone or in a video call?
3. You can also watch for non-verbal signals in digital contact. Telling body signals such as…
3.1. Restless hand and leg movements (drumming on the table)
3.2. Slumped posture (hunched shoulders)
3.3. Wandering glances
3.4. Frequent changes of sitting position … can indicate a lack of interest or boredom. You should also sit/stand up straight and refrain from folded arms and restless gestures.
After all, you want the prospect’s full attention. They should feel understood, not put off!
4. Make people feel good: positive language patterns and word choice
Language shapes our thinking. And that is exactly what to keep in mind in B2B sales. So if you speak badly of competitors at the very start of a developing customer relationship, or during a phone or discovery call, using only harsh and negatively loaded words or phrases, you paint a negative picture in your conversation partner’s mind – which is obviously not the goal!
With positive speech patterns you can try to put your counterpart at ease and link yourself and your service with a feeling of wellbeing. At the start, for example, avoid overusing words and phrases such as…
4.1. Price
4.2. Buy, sell
4.3. Sign a contract
4.4. Sales figures
4.5. To be honest…
4.6. Cheap, cheaper
4.7. Probably
4.8. I’m not an expert, but….
4.9. Problem
4.10. I
4.11. etc.
… when you talk about your product or the business relationship.
Do you recognise the pattern? These are all words or phrases that convey pressure or ignorance. You want to position yourself as a problem solver and expert! Of course, we are all only human, and if a negative phrase slips out, so be it. What matters is that you are aware of it, so you can work on it!
Instead of these negative examples you can use more positive words that bring the feel-good factor back to your customer or prospect in B2B:
4.12. New opportunity
4.13. Possibility
4.14. Achieve goals
4.15. Hidden potential
4.16. Solution
4.17. Challenge
4.18. You, your
As you can see, you can achieve a lot by using the right words. But your voice also has an effect on the person you are talking to! Research suggests that the sound of the voice on the phone accounts for almost 75% of overall perception and is therefore one of the decisive success factors!
Voice training in sales is nothing new. You will certainly find some coaching offers near you if you want to go deeper. Here are a few basic tips: Speak slowly and clearly: if the prospect doesn’t understand you, they probably won’t want to talk to you. Speaking slowly relaxes you more than hectic chatter. Don’t hide your voice and try not to speak “too high”: the right pitch – of your voice, this time – creates a good mood in the conversation. Breathing and exercises: try a few breathing and speaking exercises before a visit to warm up your vocal cords or calm down before a call.
5. Strengthen your presence: buyers decide not only on your product but also on you
People don’t buy a product. People buy a feeling. Don’t believe it? Just look at Instagram, which should convince you otherwise. Influencer marketing is the best proof that faces and personality are worth more than impressive features and benefits.
With personality and charisma we underline our character and show the outside world who we are or how we want to be seen. You can also use this – in a positive sense – for B2B sales. Take LinkedIn as an example: on the business platform, depending on the target group you want to address and the product you sell, you can use a personal brand to build expert status. If the community sees you as an expert in your field, conversations and exchanges will follow, and interested parties will approach you automatically.
The deciding factor here is your knowledge and your character – not necessarily your product or service. Especially in B2B, customers are looking for a solution to their problem. In the end you buy the feeling “If I’m smart, I’ll find the best solution to my problem and help my business”. If you manage to bring this feeling closer to prospects, it will build trust, reinforce your expertise and create rapport.
6. The DISC assessment and why it helps in sales
If you have worked in sales or marketing for a while, you have certainly come across the DISC colour model or another method of assessing personality using specific colour schemes. DISC stands for:
D = Dominance (red)
I = Influence (yellow)
S = Steadiness (green)
C = Conscientiousness (blue)
If you are new to sales, knowledge of certain personality types is crucial: it will help you better assess your contacts, prospects and target group, and ultimately help you close deals. We are all different and there are several “colours” in every person. From a psychological point of view it is exciting once you understand which colour type a person may be – then you also understand on what basis that person makes decisions and how you need to interact with them to seal the deal.
So let’s take a closer look at the DISC colour model:
Non-verbal communication reveals more about us than we think. What you learn about your counterpart from gestures and facial expressions naturally works the other way round too. With the right words, a strong voice and open body language you can significantly influence a prospect’s decision-making process.
Remember: Positive body language also has a positive effect on your mindset! If you stand up straight – perhaps even in a so-called power pose – it will do wonders for your confidence and mood.
Today we no longer meet only in person – digital sales, video calls and webinars are a thing too. How do you win over your conversation partners both face to face and on the phone or in a video call?
7. You can also watch for non-verbal signals in digital contact. Telling body signals such as…
7.1. Restless hand and leg movements (drumming on the table)
7.2. Slumped posture (hunched shoulders)
7.3. Wandering glances
7.4. Frequent changes of sitting position … can indicate a lack of interest or boredom. You should also sit/stand up straight and refrain from folded arms and restless gestures. After all, you want the prospect’s full attention. They should feel understood, not put off!
8. Make people feel good: positive language patterns and word choice
Language shapes our thinking. And that is exactly what to keep in mind in B2B sales. So if you speak badly of competitors at the very start of a developing customer relationship, or during a phone or discovery call, using only harsh and negatively loaded words or phrases, you paint a negative picture in your conversation partner’s mind – which is obviously not the goal!
9. With positive speech patterns you can try to put your counterpart at ease and link yourself and your service with a feeling of wellbeing. At the start, for example, avoid overusing words and phrases such as…
9.1. Price;
9.2. Buy, sell;
9.3. Sign a contract;
9.4. Sales figures;
9.5. To be honest…;
9.6. Cheap, cheaper;
9.7. Probably;
9.8. I’m not an expert, but….;
9.9. Problem;
9.10. I;
9.11. etc.
… when you talk about your product or the business relationship.
Do you recognise the pattern? These are all words or phrases that convey pressure or ignorance. You want to position yourself as a problem solver and expert! Of course, we are all only human, and if a negative phrase slips out, so be it. What matters is that you are aware of it, so you can work on it!
10. Instead of these negative examples you can use more positive words that bring the feel-good factor back to your customer or prospect in B2B:
10.1. New opportunity;
10.2. Possibility;
10.3. Achieve goals;
10.4. Hidden potential;
10.5. Solution;
10.6. Challenge;
10.7. You, your;
As you can see, you can achieve a lot by using the right words. But your voice also has an effect on the person you are talking to! Research suggests that the sound of the voice on the phone accounts for almost 75% of overall perception and is therefore one of the decisive success factors!
11. Voice training in sales is nothing new. You will certainly find some coaching offers near you if you want to go deeper. Here are a few basic tips:
11.1. Speak slowly and clearly: if the prospect doesn’t understand you, they probably won’t want to talk to you. Speaking slowly relaxes you more than hectic chatter.
11.2. Don’t hide your voice and try not to speak “too high”: the right pitch (of your voice, this time) creates a good mood in the conversation.
11.3. Breathing and exercises: try a few breathing and speaking exercises before a visit to warm up your vocal cords or calm down before a call.
11.4. Strengthen your presence: buyers decide not only on your product but also on you.
People don’t buy a product. People buy a feeling. Don’t believe it? Just look at Instagram, which should convince you otherwise. Influencer marketing is the best proof that faces and personality are worth more than impressive features and benefits. With personality and charisma we underline our character and show the outside world who we are or how we want to be seen. You can also use this – in a positive sense – for B2B sales.
Take LinkedIn as an example: on the business platform, depending on the target group you want to address and the product you sell, you can use a personal brand and build expert status. If the community sees you as an expert in your field, conversations and exchanges will follow, and interested parties will approach you automatically.
The deciding factor here is your knowledge and your character – not necessarily your product or service. Especially in B2B, customers are looking for a solution to their problem. In the end you buy the feeling “If I’m smart, I’ll find the best solution to my problem and help my business“. If you manage to bring this feeling closer to prospects, it will build trust, reinforce your expertise and create rapport.
12. The DISC assessment and why it helps in sales
If you have worked in sales or marketing for a while, you have certainly come across the DISC colour model or another method of assessing personality using specific colour schemes. DISC stands for:
D = Dominance (red);
I = Influence (yellow);
S = Steadiness (green);
C = Conscientiousness (blue).
If you are new to sales, knowledge of certain personality types is crucial: it will help you better assess your contacts, prospects and target group, and ultimately help you close deals. We are all different and there are several “colours” in every person. From a psychological point of view it is exciting once you understand which colour type a person may be – then you also understand on what basis that person makes decisions and how you need to interact with them to seal the deal.
So let’s take a closer look at the DISC colour model:
Source: www.greator.com
Are you already wondering which colours you belong to? Or perhaps you already know. And you are surely thinking of colleagues, friends or customers who fit a particular DISC colour, right?
13. In the next step, let’s take a closer look at how knowing a person’s personality type can help you achieve greater sales success!
13.1. All about red people
Red people, or the “dominant type”, like to take charge, prefer to stick to their own rules and act impulsively. They love quick decisions and plenty of action; they tend to get louder in meetings, often interrupt others, or at least don’t hold back their opinion for long. Red people often strive for power and influence — that is, they don’t shy away from obstacles or competition but feel spurred on to keep pushing until they get what they want.
You will often find people with “a lot of red” in management or decision-making positions. In direct conversation they most likely stand out for clear word choice, a strong voice and an explosive temperament.
13.2. All about blue people
With blue personalities — also known as “conscientious” types — you can expect structured, well-organised and detail-oriented people. A “blue” person likes to plan and pays attention to quality and accuracy. They analyse, work conscientiously and sometimes prefer to work alone, without a team, so they can concentrate on the task without interruption.
Conscientious personalities find out details, weigh things up and think carefully before making a decision. This means that during a sales conversation, blue people may ask detailed questions, want more information, take notes and need time to think.
13.3. All about yellow people
Yellow personalities are the class clowns of personality theory. They are enthusiastic, like being the centre of attention and prefer to gather lots of people around them. Yellow people are communicators who don’t attach much importance to details and concrete plans. They prefer to follow their gut, radiate positive vibes and entertain the people around them.
Yellow people are usually very friendly, sociable and always up for a chat. You will also meet yellow people in B2B sales – probably quite a few! As little entertainers, many salespeople would be classed as “yellow types”; they look forward to lots of conversations and can’t wait to interact. The only question is: how do you deal with yellow decision-makers or conversation partners?
How to win over every personality type: Want to know how to win over every personality type? Our free cheat sheet contains detailed information and practical sales tips on how to deal with each “colour” in the DISC model.
13.4. All about green people
Finally, there are the “green” people. They complement the reds – incidentally, yellow and blue also behave in a complementary way – and therefore absolutely need harmony. They need settled processes and a friendly atmosphere. Arguments or misunderstandings, on the other hand, are absolutely unacceptable!
For this reason, “green” people don’t like saying “no” and are always available to their teammates or friends to help with tasks. Green characters are welcome team players, but they also like to throw themselves into a project with dedication. In B2B sales you should rather not surprise green types, but always act in a friendly and gentle way.
TEST: What colour are you?
If you haven’t yet studied the DISC model in detail and don’t know your colour – although you can surely guess it a little from the section above – here is a test for you.
Tip from DataBot: the Crystal Chrome extension classifies information about people based on their online activity according to the four colours of the DISC model. This is extremely useful, especially in B2B sales, but also in HR or other departments. You can see directly which personality type a person belongs to and adapt your sales or recruitment strategy accordingly!
14. Psychological tips for successful selling
The human mind is fascinating not only in private life; it also leaves plenty of room for “experiments” in business life, and especially in B2B sales. Numerous studies have already been published on how certain websites, slogans, images and even voices or sentences affect us.
And: there are already many tricks for scoring points as a B2B salesperson with sales psychology. The American social psychologist Robert Cialdini published his bestseller “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” more than 30 years ago. In the book, Robert explains all the essential elements you need to convince your counterpart of something.
His principles are also very useful in B2B sales. We have already covered one of them in the previous sections — namely the principle of liking. Cialdini knew that people are more willing to be persuaded by a counterpart they find likeable. Similarities are especially helpful here – so if you discover you have something in common with a prospect or customer in B2B sales, build on it!
We will now look at the remaining principles in a slightly modified form.
14.1. Use the power of FOMO
The concept of FOMO, “Fear of missing out“, is based on the principle of scarcity. When something is not plentiful, or threatens to become scarce again soon, we want it. That is why limited editions or slogans along the lines of “last chance” work so well — because they trigger our most basic human instinct.
As a B2B salesperson this is a great place to start. Signal that your product will soon no longer be available on the same terms, or that another product will be available free for only a few weeks – and some doubters will be convinced.
Quick tip from DataBot: put a time limit on your products!
14.2. Combine social proof with strategy
People sometimes prefer to buy something when others have also bought the product or service and rate it positively or recommend it. You surely know this not only from the B2C sector – for example when influencers promote a product or review a restaurant – but the same works in B2B.
The principle of social proof — as Cialdini calls it — is that people tend to take their cue from the behaviour of those around them. If there is already a tip in the tip jar, people are more willing to add something themselves. Your marketing team has probably already put social proof on your website and social media channels. Positive customer testimonials or success stories are exactly what you can use for B2B sales!
Quick tip from DataBot: send your hesitant prospect a success story from an existing customer with similar use cases!
14.5. Offer discounts when appropriate
When someone helps you, you automatically want to return the favour. We have learnt that a favour is followed by something you give in return. This is also the basis of the principle of reciprocity: funnily enough, this principle works even for unsolicited favours from people we don’t find particularly appealing. How do you benefit from this, especially in B2B sales? It’s simple: offer prospects a discount, a free trial or an extension of their test account. Of course, you are giving them this special offer – and doing them a favour – just because of them. Your prospects will naturally want to return the favour. And that’s where the sale begins!
Quick tip from DataBot: offer discounts, trial periods or samples!
14.6. Be an expert: play up your expert status
What makes you more nervous?
Having to talk to the woman in the corner office or the man at reception? We automatically attribute certain expertise to certain people in our society – such as lawyers, doctors or police officers. The principle of authority means we usually don’t question whether what such people say is true or not. This also applies to your expert status in B2B sales : if you present yourself confidently and perhaps have already built a good reputation (through appearances in webinars or on social media), this will have a positive effect when it comes to selling. A certain dress code can also underline your expertise.
Quick tip from DataBot: become an expert in your field!
14.7. NLP for sales
You may have heard the terms anchoring, priming or mirroring. These words have their origin in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) – a communication technique aimed at influencing yourself and other people. This technique can be very beneficial for you, especially in B2B sales!
Anchoring: means linking a term or expression with certain emotions. In B2B sales you can work with the anchor effect especially in price negotiations. Mention a higher price first — or give prospects a low, medium or high price on a scale. The prospect will feel more comfortable with the medium or relatively low price (which is, of course, the actual price) and choose it.
Mirroring: this technique involves discreetly and unobtrusively mirroring your counterpart through gestures, facial expressions and words. If your conversation partner smiles, you can do the same. If the prospect likes to use certain words often, you should include them in your vocabulary too. As a result your counterpart feels more comfortable and understood — because, as we have already learnt: Having something in common is a good thing!
Positive priming: The term priming comes from social psychology and revolves – at least in sales – around the first impression or first words that will shape the future relationship between you and the prospect. For example: if you ask someone “Am I disturbing you right now?” or “I’d like to talk to you about a rather annoying topic.“, your counterpart may associate your product and you with something negative and with the words “disturbing” and “annoying“. With positive priming you use this effect wisely and link your product in the prospect’s mind with something positive. This fits well with the “positive speech patterns” mentioned above. Use them to be more successful in sales conversations!
15. Bonus: 5 books on sales psychology you should read
We have already mentioned Robert Cialdini’s bestseller. But did you know there are many exciting books on sales psychology? Here we present the 5 most important:
15.1. Robert Cialdini:
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.
This bestseller is the source of the principles mentioned earlier that people use to persuade and even manipulate others. Cialdini’s book is widely cited and highly regarded, especially for its scientific background. Especially in B2B sales you will benefit greatly from his tips and insights into the human mind.
15.2. Brian Tracy:
The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible
Selling is more than strategy and policy! This book explains how to understand human psychology and behaviour in a business context. The author, Brian Tracy, uncovers the inner motivations of buyers and sellers, explaining how they combine to create opportunities for sales reps.
15.3. Leonard Moore:
Sales and Persuasion Psychology: learn real techniques to close the sale every time using proven principles of psychology, manipulation and persuasion
In this book Leonard Moore gives the most practical tips on the sales process and how it rests on psychology and understanding human behaviour. If you want to learn everything about psychological techniques for closing more deals, this book is for you.
15.4. Daniel H. Pink:
To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
Every day we try to move others: either at our company as a sales manager, or at home when we try to convince our children or partners of something. In his New York Times bestseller, Daniel H. Pink takes readers on a journey through six successors to the elevator pitch, three principles for understanding another person’s perspective, and five frames that can make your message clearer and more persuasive.
15.5. Darren Hignett:
Psychology in Marketing and Sales: Understand how customers think when they buy
From this book you will learn all about persuasive numbers and figures, but also words and colours. Essentially, Darren Hignett examines every detail that triggers emotions in a prospect’s mind — and that ultimately makes them buy your product.
15.6. Conclusion:
Human behaviour has a huge influence on the buying process
This article has focused on the basic framework of selling: the human mind. Especially in B2B sales you can understand, question and even improve certain processes more deeply if you know how people think and what drives them.
Beyond facts and features, it is extremely important not to neglect this part of selling, which plays a role at every stage of the B2B sales process, and even earlier in marketing. Especially when it comes to training young sales managers, it is extremely important to familiarise them with the psychological aspects of B2B sales.
Whether you are a sales manager or new to sales: it always pays to know how to convince other people — of yourself, your idea and your product
Form under construction – How to win over every personality type:
Want to know how to win over every personality type? Our free cheat sheet contains detailed information and practical sales tips on how to deal with each “colour” in the DISC model.
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Tags: B2B databases, B2B sales books, DISC Assessment, B2B turnover growth, B2B sales, B2B sales psychology
Mariusz Biniak – creator of the POLISH YELLOW PAGES® brand (formerly DATABOT.PL) and author of a blog on B2B sales. Disclosure: the author is connected with the publisher of THE BUSINESS TIME.
About the partner: POLISH YELLOW PAGES® – a brand operating since 1991 (formerly DATABOT.PL). B2B company data in Poland, the United Kingdom and Europe. More: www.databot.pl
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