Why people don't like being sold to

Hey there 👋

Hope you're having a fantastic week. I've been enjoying my cruise, the first 7 days were great in the Mediterranean area. Now we're heading back up back towards the Netherlands. We're making stops in Spain, Portugal and France. Getting the same amount of work done here is hard, but I can squeeze in what I can, so feeling great to be heading home soon to get back in the zone.

Now this week's topic came out of nowhere while I was enjoying some drinks on a rooftop bar reading a book and wanted to dive more into the subject of the psychology of people when they are being sold to. So let's get into it:

Generally, people don’t like being sold to. Especially people already looking to pull the trigger.

Don't focus on people that are ready to buy but rather on people that have an emerging problem that only just began developing.

Go to the mall, ask 10 people if they want to replace their car.

Maybe 1 or 2 will say yes.

Ask the same people: “Are you not 100% happy with your car right now?”

And almost everyone would respond.

The key here is that people looking for an immediate solution to their problem have already decided. They set a budget, looked for providers and are more eager to move forward with established providers — making it much harder to sell to. 

Imagine someone's TV is having issues, it's slow and the screen has some cracks in it. That person has most likely done some research about which brands are out there and looked at brands like Samsung or LG who dominate the space.

Now you are a new DTC brand looking to compete with those big players when someone already made up their mind and is leaning towards a new Samsung TV for $499. Yours does the same but you cannot sell it for the same price Samsung can so yours is priced $599. It will be a very tough battle competing with giant brands like that.

Now people who have a dormant desire in the back of their minds. I.e. you sell skin care and people have started to develop acne or you sell protein and your target customer already is going to the gym and has problems hitting their protein intake.

The desire is in the back of their minds but hasn’t been 100% developed, they just need that nudge of someone acknowledging that and showing solutions to their issues.

The key here is to ask the right questions.

Don’t ask: “Are you overweight?”

Ask instead: “Do you work out?” Or “How active are you every day?”

These questions spark a conversation rather than going from 0-100 very quickly. Like the best salespeople always say, build rapport and get to know your prospect to reveal their biggest desires.

Only after they open up to you can they get confirmation you could help fill in their biggest desires.

Keep this in mind when speaking to your customers, writing emails, writing ad copy and all the messaging on your website.

Focus on emerging desires and confirm your product/service can solve this for your prospect. Below is a great example from RYZE Superfoods.

"Reduce Inflammation"

People have heard about inflammation being bad for them, and this ad speaks directly to those people. It doesn't need a lot more explanation as it shows all the benefits into one simple static.

What I'm Watching/Listening

I am a big fan of Andy Frisella. This interview just came out last month and it's a must watch if you are a business owner or someone looking to upgrade their business/life. Go check out the episode below from Danny with Andy Frisella:

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That's a wrap!

I hope you got your weekly value and it sparked some new ideas!

See you next week at 7 PM CEST.

All the best,

Dennis 💚

P.S. On Twitter? Follow me here for daily value bombs about eCommerce and DTC!