What are Neurosales?
In today’s competitive world of sales, where customer attention is a scarce resource and options abound, understanding how the consumer brain works has become crucial. This is where neurosales comes in, a discipline that applies the principles of neuroscience to the sales process to improve effectiveness and performance.1.
Neurosales recognizes that purchasing decisions are not purely rational, but are strongly influenced by emotions1. By understanding how to evoke specific emotions in customers, salespeople can connect with them on a deeper level, build trust, and ultimately increase their chances of closing a sale.1.
Basic Principles of Neurosales
To understand how to apply neurosales, it is essential to know its basic principles:
- Sell ​​emotion: Emotions are the main driver of purchasing decisions2. An effective salesperson must be able to connect with the customer’s emotions, generating trust and empathy.3.
- Sell ​​difference: In a saturated market, it is crucial to stand out4. Neurosales helps identify specific customer needs and desires to offer personalized solutions that differentiate themselves from the competition.
- Overcome resistance to change: The human brain tends to resist change4. Neuroselling teaches salespeople to frame their proposals in ways that reduce perceptions of risk and encourage openness to new ideas.
- Learn from failures: The brain learns from mistakes4. Analyzing failed sales situations allows you to identify patterns and improve strategies for the future.
- Sell ​​future: People buy with the expectation of a better future4. Neurosales helps connect the value proposition with the long-term aspirations and desires of the customer.
The Brain in the Purchasing Process
Understanding how the brain works during the purchasing process is essential to successfully apply neurosales. To do this, it is important to know the three-brain model developed by doctor and neuroscientist Paul D. MacLean.3. This model describes the evolution of the human brain in three parts:
- Reptilian brain: It is the most primitive part of the brain, responsible for basic survival functions such as breathing and heart rate. In sales, this brain is activated by stimuli that generate fear or danger, so it is important to generate trust and security in the client.
- Limbic brain: It is responsible for emotions, memory and social behavior. In sales, this brain plays a crucial role in decision making, as emotions influence the perception of value and the motivation to buy.
- Neocortex: It is the most evolved part of the brain, responsible for language, reasoning and planning. In sales, this brain is activated when evaluating information, comparing options and justifying the purchase logically.
To influence the purchase decision, it is necessary to appeal to all three brains3. This can be achieved by creating “familiar surprises”, that is, presenting new and relevant information in a way that is familiar and attractive to the customer.5.
In addition to the three-brain model, it is important to understand other aspects of how the brain works in the purchasing process:
- Framing: The way information is presented influences value perception and decision making6. For example, presenting a product as a “unique opportunity” can generate a greater desire to purchase than presenting it as a “necessary expense.”
- There is no “shopping center” in the brain: The brain does not have a specific section dedicated to shopping7. Instead, it uses existing processes and systems, such as risk and reward assessment, to make purchasing decisions.
- Decision Fatigue: Offering too many options can overload the customer and make decision making difficult.8. It is important to simplify the options and guide the customer in the purchasing process.
The purchasing process can be divided into the following stages:
- Initial impulse: The amygdala, the emotional processing center of the brain, reacts to visual, olfactory or auditory stimuli that generate a desire to purchase9.
- Reward Anticipation: The brain releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure, when it anticipates a rewarding experience, such as purchasing a product.9.
- Rational evaluation: The prefrontal cortex evaluates information, compares options, and looks for logical justifications for the purchase.10.
- Action and reward: The brain activates the motor cortex to initiate the purchasing action10. The release of dopamine reinforces the decision and generates satisfaction10.
- Cognitive dissonance: After the purchase, the brain may experience cognitive dissonance if the action does not align with beliefs or prior knowledge9. To mitigate this effect, effective post-sales communication is crucial that reinforces the customer’s decision and generates trust in the brand.9.
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Examples of How to Apply Neurosales
Neurosales can be applied in different sales situations, using strategies that appeal to both the emotional and rational brain. Some concrete examples include:
Appealing to the emotional brain:
- Use the “decoy effect”: Offer a lower quality product at a price similar to the product you really want to sell so that the latter seems more attractive11.
- Appeal to scarcity: Highlight the limited availability of a product or service to increase its perceived value and generate a sense of urgency in the customer.
- Create sensory experiences: Use images, sounds and smells that evoke positive emotions and are associated with the product or service12.
- Tell stories: Use stories that connect with the customer’s emotions and transmit the value of the product or service in a memorable way.
- Use color psychology: Colors can evoke specific emotions and influence purchasing behavior8. For example, red is associated with energy, passion and appetite, which is why it is used in brands such as Coca-Cola to stimulate desire.8.
- Social proof: Show testimonials, reviews and examples of how other customers have had success with the product or service to build trust and reduce uncertainty6.
Appealing to the rational brain:
- Present information clearly and concisely: Avoid overloading the client with excessive or complex information, taking into account the limitations of working memory13.
- Personalize communication: Adapt the language and communication style to the client’s preferences, using the “mirroring” technique to generate rapport13. It is important to keep in mind that communication style can vary depending on gender, so it is essential to adapt the approach to each client.14.
- Build trust: Demonstrate credibility and authenticity to build customer trust and reduce purchase resistance14.
Case Studies and Success Examples
Various companies have successfully implemented neurosales. Some notable examples include:
- Yahoo!: It used neuromarketing to analyze users’ emotional response to its ads and redesign its advertising strategy.
- PayPal: It implemented the scarcity principle in its marketing campaigns, highlighting the limited availability of certain offers to increase conversions.
- Frito-Lay: It used eye-tracking technology to analyze how consumers perceived the packaging of its products and redesign the packaging to make it more attractive.
Trends in Neurosales
Neurosales is a constantly evolving field. Some of the latest trends include:
- Greater relevance in various channels: Neurosales are becoming increasingly relevant in different areas of sales, including traditional sales, online advertising and email marketing.14.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): AI and ML are used to analyze large volumes of data on consumer behavior, personalize offers and predict purchasing decisions15. For example, AI can be used to analyze a customer’s purchasing history and offer them products or services that fit their needs and preferences.15.
- Electroencephalography (EEG): EEG is used to measure consumers’ brain activity in real time and understand their responses to different sales stimuli17. This information allows marketers to adapt their strategies and messages to generate greater impact.
- Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR): VR and AR are used to create immersive experiences that allow customers to interact with products and services in a more realistic way.
- Biofeedback: Biofeedback devices are used to measure the customer’s physiological responses, such as brain activity, heart rate, and sweating, to obtain information about their emotional reactions to sales stimuli.
- Neurofeedback: Neurofeedback is used to train salespeople to regulate their own emotional responses and improve their ability to connect with customers.18.
Tools and Resources for Neurosales
There are various tools and resources that can help sellers apply neuroselling:
- Books: “Neuroselling” de Jeff Bloomfield 19 and “Hacking Your Customers’ Minds” by Jürgen Klaric are examples of books that delve into the principles of neurosales.
- Online training platforms: Braintrust 20 offers training programs in neurosales that combine neuroscience with storytelling techniques.
- Emotion analysis software: Tools like Affectiva and Emotient use AI to analyze a customer’s facial expressions and voice to identify their emotions.
- Eye-tracking devices: Companies like Tobii Pro and EyeTech Digital Systems offer eye-tracking devices that allow you to track a customer’s gaze to understand what elements capture their attention.
Ethical Implications of Neurosales
It is important to consider the ethical implications of using neuroselling. While this discipline offers great potential to improve sales strategies, there is also the risk of manipulating customers.21.
To avoid falling into unethical practices, it is essential:
- Be transparent: Inform customers about the use of neurosales techniques and obtain their consent to collect data about their behavior.
- Respect client autonomy: Avoid using neurosales to persuade customers to make decisions that are not beneficial to them.
- Use information responsibly: Protect the privacy of collected data and use it ethically and legally13. This includes being transparent about how data is collected, stored and used, and ensuring customers have control over their personal information.
Conclusions
Neurosales is a discipline that offers great potential to improve the effectiveness and performance of salespeople. By understanding how the consumer’s brain works, salespeople can connect with them on a deeper level, build trust, and increase their chances of closing a sale.
However, it is important to apply neurosales ethically and responsibly, respecting the client’s autonomy and using information transparently. By doing so, neurosales can become a powerful tool for building strong customer relationships and achieving success in the world of sales.
To take full advantage of the potential of neuroselling, we encourage you to implement the techniques and strategies we have described in this article. Stay up to date on the latest trends in neuroscience and technology to continue optimizing your sales skills.
The future of neurosales is promising, especially by integrating innovative tools such as GGyess, a platform that can simplify the planning, automation and analysis of marketing and sales strategies. With GGyess, you will be able to save time on operational tasks and focus on what really matters: connecting emotionally with your customers and closing more sales. Start transforming your sales process today!
Sources cited
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